Add advanced tools to File Explorer

What you need: DMEX; Any Windows version (XP to 10) Time required: 20 minutes

Thefree program DMEX adds a small pop-up window that you can activate by pressing Ctrl+f1 within any Windows/ File Explorer window. It has many useful options that Explorer doesn’t offer. For example, you can align multiple Explorer windows so they appear side by side, sync contents of any two folders, rs, rename multiple files in one go, access your favourite folders, and nd copy the file names of any folder. der. You can also create your own keyboard shortcuts for each of these tasks.

STEP To install the program, go to www.snipca. 1 com/26400, then click the ‘download DMEX click here’ link in the Download section at the top. Run the downloaded setup file (it doesn’t contain any junk) until you need to click Finish. To use DMEX, open Windows/file Explorer, then press Ctrl+f1. You’ll see a small pop-up window with five options 1 , each of which has further dropdown menus. The first option – Arrange Explorer Windows 2 – is useful if you tend to use many Explorer windows at once.

STEP Move your cursor to it to see options to arrange two windows 2 horizontally, vertically, or multiple windows horizontally or vertically 1 . If you’ve arranged windows and want to save their alignment, click ‘Save positions’ 2 . You can then click ‘Restore positions’ 3 to quickly restore this saved position. Some options have keyboard shortcuts 4 (Strg indicates your Ctrl key, and Umsch indicates Shift). We’ll show you how to customise these defaults and add shortcuts for other options in Step 7. Of all DMEX’S options, File Operations has the most features 5 .

STEP The first option lets you create a 3 new sub-folder within the one you’re in 1 . Synchronize Wizard 2 opens a new box where you’ll see options to sync the contents of any two folders. You can choose which folder you want to sync items to, and replace or update files in the folder you’re syncing. DMEX also lets you move files from your current folder to its parent folder 3 (the folder above the one you’re in). You can also see how much storage space that folder is consuming 4 and how much free space you have within the drive you’re in 5 .

STEP To rename multiple files in one go, press Ctrl, click to 4 select the files you want to rename, open DMEX, move your cursor to File Operations, then click ‘Rename files’. In the window that opens, you’ll see the files’ existing names 1 and where they are stored 2 . There are different ways you can rename your files. The easiest way is to select the relevant dropdown menu at the bottom right, then double-click the relevant renaming value(s) you want 3 . You can also modify the date and time when your files were created 4 . Click Change Names 5 to confirm and rename your files.

STEP Select any files within a folder, open DMEX, then move 6 your cursor to Clipboard 1 . You’ll see the option to copy the file paths, names or both 2 . Alternatively, to only copy file names, click Collect 3 to open a small box at the bottom right, then drag and drop files into it. There are different ways to paste this copied data. Open another folder, then click ‘Paste to file’ 4 to create a new notepad file with your copied data. Alternatively, to only paste this data into another program (such as Word or Outlook), simply open that program, then press Ctrl+v.

STEP Next, open DMEX and move your cursor to ‘Change to’. 5 You’ll see options to open the folder above the one you’re in 1 or the drive it’s in 2 . Clicking Drive 3 lists all the drives on your PC. Click one to open it. One of the program’s most useful tools is the option to add a list of folders you access often to the ‘Change to’ menu. To do this, open the first folder you want, click ‘Add current path’ 4 , then click Accept. Repeat this to add other folders 5 . You can rearrange their order by clicking ‘Configure paths’ at the bottom.

STEP We’ll now show you how to customise the program’s 7 default keyboard shortcuts or create your own for any of the above tasks. Open your PC’S notification menu, right-click the DMEX icon 1 , then click Configuration 2 to see a list of all DMEX’S tasks. To customise/create your own keyboard shortcut, select any task you want 3 . Now press one (or a combination of) Ctrl, Shift, Alt + a letter, number, or Function key of your choice. Click Apply, then OK 4 to confirm your changes. The program’s ‘How to use’ website ( www. snipca.com/26401) explains all its features in further detail. ●