If you like how the This PC Folder looks in Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 with shortcuts to useful folders 1-click away, and would like to add the same folders to the Computer folder in Windows 7, here is great news - in this tutorial we will learn:
- how to add folders in Computer to make it look similar to Windows 8,
- how to add a custom folder to Computer in Windows 7,
- how to add shell locations to Computer in Windows 7,
- how to pin added locations to the navigation pane of Explorer in Windows 7.
Let's see how you can perform all these customizations.
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How to make the Computer folder in Windows 7 look similar to This PC in Windows 8
- Download This PC Tweaker. It is a free portable app and does not require to be installed.
- Extract the contents of the zip file you have downloaded and choose the appropriate version for your PC. This PC Tweaker works with Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1. Also, there are different versions for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows (see how to determine which version of Windows you are running).
- Run the ThisPCTweaker.exe file. The application's main window will appear on the screen. The Folders list will be empty:
- Click on the "Add Custom Folder" button and choose your Desktop folder. It is located in
C:\Users\Your Name\Desktop
The Desktop folder will appear in the Computer folder.
- Now select the Desktop folder in This PC Tweaker. Click the "Change Icon" button. In the dialog which appears next, choose the C:\windows\system32\imageres.dll file. You will find the appropriate icon for the Desktop folder in there:
- Repeat steps 4-5 for the following folders:
- C:\Users\Your Name\Documents
- C:\Users\Your Name\Downloads
- C:\Users\Your Name\Music
- C:\Users\Your Name\Pictures
- C:\Users\Your Name\Videos
- In the end, you will get something like this:
The Computer folder will look as follows:
Tip: Right click on the white empty space inside the Computer folder and set Group by -> Type -> Descending to get a closer look to Windows 8.1.
For every location you add, you can tick the "Show in the navigation pane" checkbox, and the desired location will be added to the navigation pane as well. This is the default Windows 8 behavior.
Beside these folders, you are able to add one or more shell locations in the Computer folder. Click the "Add Shell Location" button and pick one to add it:
For every location you add, you also can tick the "Show in the navigation pane" checkbox, and that location will be added to the navigation pane.
See the following video if you have any questions:
Closing words
As you can see, This PC Tweaker is a very powerful yet easy-to-use tool which allows you to customize the Computer folder in Windows 7. Using this app, you can organize the Computer folder in the way you like.
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There is an other easy way to add folders to “computer”: just create a shortcut in the %appdata%\Microsoft\Windows\Network Shortcuts folder. it will show up as a folder in network places. Not as sophisticated but a quick and easy way.
Yeah that’s a nice trick. :)