Refreshing the Explorer Window

by Barry Dysert
(last updated April 9, 2018)

When using Windows Explorer (Windows 7) or File Explorer (Windows 8 and Windows 10), there may be times when the display becomes "stale." This may happen if another application is manipulating files or folders in what's being displayed by Explorer. Whenever you want to be certain that what you're seeing in Explorer accurately reflects the underlying data you can refresh the Explorer window.

There are a few ways to refresh the Explorer window. Perhaps the easiest way is to make the window active and then press the F5 key. Another way is to right-click an empty area of the Explorer window and select Refresh from the resulting Context menu. If you are using Windows Explorer (Windows 7) there is a third way: You can click the View | Refresh menu.

Regardless of the method you choose, the window is refreshed and you can rest assured that what you're seeing is an accurate representation of the underlying data.

 This tip (12388) applies to Windows 7, 8, and 10.

Author Bio

Barry Dysert

Barry has been a computer professional for over 35 years, working in different positions such as technical team leader, project manager, and software developer. He is currently a software engineer with an emphasis on developing custom applications under Microsoft Windows. When not working with Windows or writing Tips, Barry is an amateur writer. His first non-fiction book is titled "A Chronological Commentary of Revelation." ...

MORE FROM BARRY

Understanding ReadyBoost

ReadyBoost promised to provide a hot-swappable addition of memory that could end up improving system performance. Whether ...

Discover More

Understanding ISO Images

ISO images are great for archival and portability. An ISO image is a file on your hard drive that represents an optical ...

Discover More

Copying Data with XCopy

XCopy is a file and directory copy utility built into Windows. If you have a lot of file management to do that can't ...

Discover More
More WindowsTips

Minimizing All Open Windows in One Step

There may be times when you need to minimize all of your open windows in one quick step. Windows provides a few methods ...

Discover More

Creating a Selection Set

You may often need to work with many files at the same time. For example, you may wish to copy or delete a set of files. ...

Discover More

What is Bluetooth?

Bluetooth is a popular technology that frees you from dealing with wires and cables, and it makes you a bit more mobile. ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WindowsTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

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}] 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 1 + 3?

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

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WindowsTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR AUTHORS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2019 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.