File Explorer's Overlooked Selection Tools

Written by Eric Wyatt (last updated August 31, 2020)

I deal with a lot of files; it is not unheard of having a folder with easily over several thousand items inside. At times I have to do things with these files, such as duplicating, moving, deleting, and so on. As I work with these files it's handy to have some shortcuts available to help me out. Fortunately, Windows 10 has some selection-related shortcuts available that I have found helpful. These selection shortcuts are often overlooked, but if you deal with folders with a lot of contents you should stop overlooking them and see if they can help you out, too.

Within the ribbon interface of a Windows 10 Explorer window, you will notice to the right of the ribbon a "Select" grouping. This grouping consists of three quick shortcuts: Select All, Select None, and Invert Selection. (See Figure 1.)

Figure 1. The Selection grouping of the Windows Explorer Window.

  • Select All – When you click, Windows selects all of the folder contents of the open folder within the open Explorer window.
  • Select None – When clicked, Windows unselects all of the items previously selected in the open Explorer window.
  • Select Inverse – When clicked, Windows deselects all of the currently selected items while simultaneously selecting all of the items that were not selected in the open Explorer window.

I specifically find the Select Inverse option helpful when working with large files such as with one folder that had over 5,000 items in the folder. It allowed me to quickly copy the folder contents into two separate folders. By first selecting the first half, copying it over, and then selecting the inverse to deselect the first selection and select the remaining items.

Make sure you remember these often-overlooked file Explorer shortcuts the next time you are working with the contents of folders with large amounts of sub-folder items.

 This tip (7780) applies to Windows 10.

Author Bio

Eric Wyatt

Eric Wyatt is a swell guy (or so his friends tell him). He is a formally trained designer and branding expert, bringing a wide range of skills to his Tips.Net articles. ...

MORE FROM ERIC

Get a Sense of Your Storage

Over time our computers can become bogged down by items in the Recycle Bin or by temporary files. To help free up space ...

Discover More

Getting Cortana to Listen to You

Talking to your computer can save you time and help get you the information you need faster. With the proper setup you ...

Discover More

Taking Control of Your Storage Space

Storage space on your computer is vitally important. New storage settings introduced in Windows 10 Version 1903 provides ...

Discover More
More WindowsTips

Quick Ways to Get Back to Your Desktop

There may be times when you need to get back to your desktop by eliminating the "clutter" of all your open windows. ...

Discover More

Windows Run Commands

Run commands within Windows 10 allow for quick access to system resources. Here is a comprehensive list of the available ...

Discover More

Shortcuts Every Windows User Should Know

Shortcuts improve productivity and speed up repetitive tasks. Here are twenty basic Windows shortcuts you should know.

Discover More
Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is 3 - 1?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


Newest Tips