Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: File Explorer
• Method 2 of 3: The program in which the file was created
• Method 3 of 3: Documents folder
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need

This article will show you how to open files in Windows. If the file was created in a specific program, you can open it in that program. You can also find the file using Explorer or from the Documents folder.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: File Explorer

1. 1 Click on ⊞ Win+E. If you press the "Windows" key (located in the lower left corner of the keyboard) and the "E" key at the same time, the Explorer window will open.
2. 2 Find the file you want. The left pane of Explorer displays the local drives of the computer - double click on the drive to display its contents in the right pane.
   • Files downloaded from the Internet are usually found in the Downloads folder. Click the arrow next to This PC to open the list of folders, and then click Downloads to open that folder.
   • If you don't know where the file is stored, click This PC in the left pane, enter the name (or part of the name) of the file in the search bar in the upper right corner of File Explorer, and then click ↵ Enterto start the search.
3. 3 Double click on the file to open it. The file will open in the appropriate application.
   • To open a file in a specific application, right-click on the file, select "Open With" from the menu, and click on the desired application. Visit https://www.openwith.org for information about applications and the types of files they open.
   • If the file is an archive (for example, zip files), right-click on it and choose "Extract Here" from the menu. A new folder will be created in the current directory. Now double click on the new folder to view its contents.

Method 2 of 3: The program in which the file was created

1. 1 Run the desired program. For example, to open a Word document, start Microsoft Word.
   • All programs installed on your Windows computer can be found in the Start menu, which is located in the lower left corner of your screen. Click All Apps or All Programs to open a list of all installed programs.
   • You can also open the program using the Windows search bar. Click the magnifying glass to the right of the Start menu, enter the name of the application (for example, word), and then click on it in the search results.
2. 2 Open the menu File and select in it Open. The File menu is located in the menu bar at the top of the screen. The Explorer window will open.
   • Sometimes the menu bar has a folder-shaped icon instead of the word "File".
   • If the File menu is not there, find the option or the Open button.
3. 3 Find the file you want. If the file is not listed, go to the folder with this file. To do this, use the list of folders and local drives on the left pane of Explorer.
4. 4 Select the file and click Open. The file will open in the appropriate program.

Method 3 of 3: Documents folder

1. 1 Open the Documents folder. Many of the programs installed on a Windows computer save files to the Documents folder by default. To open this folder:
   • Open the Start menu (in the lower left corner of your screen) and click on the Documents folder.
   • Click the magnifying glass to the right of the Start menu, type the documents in the search bar, and then click the Documents folder in the search results.
   • Double-click the Documents folder on your desktop.
   • Double-click on "This Computer" or "Computer" on the desktop, and then double-click on the "Documents" subfolder.
2. 2 Double click on the required file. The file will open in the appropriate program.
   • To open a file in a specific application, right-click on the file, select "Open With" from the menu, and click on the desired application.
   • Visit https://www.openwith.org for information about applications and the types of files they open.

Tips

• Free programs work in a similar way to paid ones, that is, they can also open files.
• To open the file attached to the letter, double-click on the file - it will open in the corresponding program (if available on your computer).

Warnings

• You may need to enter the password (which was set when the archive was created) to open the archive.

What do you need

• Computer
• Associated software
• Windows system