All Ways to Open Folder Options in Windows 10

Folder Options is a special dialog that allows changing settings and preferences for the built-in file manager of Windows 10. The dialog includes three tabs General, View, and Search. The changes you made here can be applied to all folders.

File Explorer is the default file management app which is bundled with Windows starting with Windows 95. Besides file management operations, Explorer.exe also implements the shell - the Desktop, taskbar, desktop icons and also the Start menu are parts of the Explorer app. Note: In Windows 10, the Start menu is a special UWP app, which is integrated into the shell. Starting with Windows 8, File Explorer got the Ribbon user interface and the quick access toolbar.

File Explorer can be customized in several ways. The user can change the folder template, switch between different file views, assign a custom icon to a folder, and place any Ribbon command to the quick access toolbar. With the help of Registry tweaks, it is possible to customize its context menu. Also, it is possible to disable the Ribbon, or customize the Navigation pane.

To customize the appearance and behavior of File Explorer, you can use the Folder Options dialog.

To open Folder Options of File Explorer in Windows 10, do the following.

1. Open This PC in File Explorer.
2. In the Ribbon user interface of Explorer, click File -> Change folder and search options.
3. The Folder Options dialog will open. 

Alternatively, you can open the same dialog from the Ribbon.

Open Folder Options from the File Explorer Ribbon

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Go to the View tab of the Ribbon.
3. Click on the Options command.

Tip: you can add the Folder Options button to Quick Access Toolbar. See the following article: How to add any ribbon command to the Quick Access toolbar of File Explorer.

Note: If you disabled the Ribbon, press Alt+T on your keyboard to open the Tools menu and then open File Explorer Options. Alternatively, press F10 -> click Tools menu - Folder Options.

Also, you can find Folder Options in the Control Panel.

Open Folder Options from the Control Panel

1. Open the classic Control Panel.
2. Go to Control Panel\Appearance and Personalization.
3. Click on the File Explorer Options icon.

This will open the Folder Options dialog.

Finally, you can use a special rundll32 command.

Open Folder Options with Rundll32

1. Press Win + R on the keyboard to open the Run dialog.
2. Type the following command into the Run box: rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Options_RunDLL 0
3. Hit the Enter key. This will open the Folder Options dialog.

You can create a shortcut to this command, then pin it to taskbar or to Start, add to All apps or add to Quick Launch (see how to enable Quick Launch). You can also assign a global hotkey to your shortcut.

That's it.