Libraries in Windows Explorer

The ‘Libraries’ section is in the Explorer. It’s a gathering place of things scattered around the Explorer. For example, images that are scattered here and there on the computer. Or documents that are related. A library is different from a normal folder in the Explorer. This is because the user cannot save files in this place. It is a quick access to files. But if you delete a file from a library, it is really gone.

Let’s say you collect photos for a photo book. There are a few photos in OneDrive, a few in the Pictures folder, and a few in the Downloads folder. You then create a ‘Photo Book’ library and collect all the photos from those folders in it. The images are still in their own location, but are also shown in the new folder.

Libraries are not visible in File Explorer by default. Bring them out like this:

• Start the Explorer.
• In Windows 10, click Image > Options. In Windows 11, click the three-dot icon > Options.
• Click on the tab Display.
• Scroll down the list under ‘Advanced settings’.
• Put a check under the heading ‘Navigation pane’ View Libraries.
• click on OK.

The libraries are in the left pane of the Explorer. By default, there are four libraries: Pictures, Documents, Music, and Videos. These are, as it were, the sections in which the files on the computer are grouped.

The ‘Libraries’ section automatically collects files from various locations. You can see which locations those are and add folders to them yourself. We show it using the Pictures library.

• Open the Explorer.
• Browse to a folder of photos you want to add to the ‘Pictures’ library.
• Right click on this folder.
• In Windows 10, click Include in library > Pictures. In Windows 11, click Show more options > Include in library > Pictures.

You are not stuck with the default libraries. Making your own library is done in no time. Add locations of the files that need to be in it, and the repository is ready:

• Right click on Libraries.
• In Windows 10, click New > Library. In Windows 11, click Show more options > New > Library.
• ‘New library’ appears on the screen. Give the library a clear name.
• Press the Enter key.
• Double click on the new library.
• If a library is still empty, a button ‘Include a folder’ will appear. click on Record a folder.
• Select the folder you want to add.
• click on Record folder.

Adding more folders is done as described in the section ‘Managing folders in a library’.

Don’t like the ‘Libraries’ option? Then simply turn the component off again.

• Start the Explorer.
• In Windows 10, click Image > Options. In Windows 11, click the three-dot icon > Options.
• Click on the tab Display.
• Scroll down the list under ‘Advanced settings’.
• Under the heading ‘Navigation pane’, uncheck View Libraries.
• click on OK.