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• ‹ Windows Vista Overview
• Files, Folders & Windows Explorer
• Overview
• Remember each folder's settings
• Show menus in Windows Explorer
• Customize folders' settings
• Customize sort fields in folders
• Customize the icon of a folder
• Convert pictures to ICO icons
• Show hidden files and folders
• Hide a file or folder (or unhide them)
• Protect files from changes (readonly)
• Create a shortcut to a file or folder
• Customize the Send To menu
• Rename a file or folder
• Rename multiple files at once
• Copy the path of a file or folder
• Open folders in a new window
• Operating System Folders
• User Profile Folders
• Windows Sidebar and Gadgets ›
• Windows Vista Start Menu ›
• The Taskbar and System Tray ›
• Printing and Printers ›

Unhide or display menus in Windows Explorer

By default, Windows Vista hides the "classic" menus in several applications, including Internet Explorer (web browser to surf the web) and Windows Explorer (the application that launches when you are looking at folders' content). It is possible to unhide, or display the classic menus back with a single option. Note that pressing the Alt key on your keyboard will reveal the hidden menus, regardless of your global settings concerning classic menus: in other words, the menus are never "turned off", they are just hidden (by default, and optionally).

Unhide the menus, or display the classic menus in Windows Explorer

Open Windows Explorer: either by pressing the Windows logo key and hitting E (as in Explorer), or by right-clicking on the Start button and choosing Explore from the Start Menu's context menu.

Once Windows Explorer opens, click on the Organize menu-button, and click on Folder and Search Options.

Windows Vista will launch the Folder Options dialog, that centralizes under a single location most options and settings available to folders and Windows Explorer. Click on the second tab, labeled "View".

Always show menus

The second option listed as a checkbox under Advanced Settings, in the Files and Folders category, reads "Always show menus" - check this checkbox to display the menus at all times, or uncheck it to hide the classic menus.

Click OK to save your changes in folder settings.

Whether or not Windows Explorer currently displays the classic menu, you can always hold down the Alt key and press the corresponding letter to pull down each of the available menus: F for File menu, E for Edit menu, V for View menu, T for Tools menu, or H to show the Help menu.