How to Open Folder Options in Windows 11? [MiniTool Tips]

What Is Folder Options in Windows 11?

Windows Folder Options is a dialog box that enables you to configure settings and change preference for File Explorer on your Windows computer. It was introduced in Windows 8 and you still can find it in Windows 11.

It has three tabs: General , View , and Search .

In Folder Options, you can make the related changes to all folders or only the currently opened folder.

For example, if you want to show hidden files on your computer, you can go to Folder Options > View to select Show hidden files, folder, and drives under Hidden files and folders .

Well then, how to open Folder Options in Windows 11? In the next part, we will show you some available methods.

Way 1: Via the Ribbon in File Explorer

1. Press Win+E to open File Explorer in Windows 11.
2. Click the 3-dot icon from the top ribbon and select Options .
3. The Folder Options interface will pop up.

Way 2: Use Windows Search

1. Click the search icon from the taskbar.
2. Type folder options into the search box and select the first search result to open it.

Way 3: From Control Panel

1. Click the Search icon to open Windows Search.

2. Type control panel and select the first result to open Control Panel.

3. Select Appearance and Personalization to continue.

4. Click File Explorer Options and you can see File Explorer Options. It is just Folder Options.

Way 4: From Run

1. Press Win+R to open Run.
2. Type control.exe folders and press Enter to open Folder Options.

Way 5: Use Command Prompt

1. Use Windows Search to search for cmd and select the first result to open Command Prompt.

2. Type control.exe folders and press Enter to open File Explorer Options.

3. If the above command doesn’t work, you can try this command:

C:\Windows\System32\rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Options_RunDLL 0

Way 6: Use the Old Ribbon

It is possible to go back to the old Windows 10 File Explorer in Windows 11 . If you do that, you can also use the old ribbon to open Folder Options in Windows 11.

From File

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Click File from the top-left corner.
3. Click Options to open Folder Options in Windows 11.

From View

1. Switch to the View
2. Click Options .
3. Click Change folder and search options to open it.

What Can You Do in Windows Folder Options?

File Explorer Options has 3 tabs and they master different settings. Let’s have a look at them.

Under General

Under the General tab, you can choose to open your File Explorer to This PC or Quick Access , the way to browse folders, the way to open an item, and set your privacy in File Explorer. Besides, you can also clear File Explorer history and restore all settings to default in this tab.

Under View

Under View, you can make some advanced settings. For example, you can make your File Explorer to show the thumbnails of the files in File Explorer, show or hide empty drives, show or hide drive letters, show or hide status bar, etc. There are so many options in this tab. You can try them by yourself.

Under Search

Under the Search tab, you can change the search method when you look for an item using the search feature in File Explorer.

Bottom Line

After reading this post, you should know the basic information of Folder Options in Windows and how to open Folder Options in Windows 11. If you have other related issues, you can let us know in the comments.