Upon opening Windows Explorer under Windows 7, by default it opens the Libraries view. In this article we will show you how to change that startup folder to another location like My Computer or My Documents.
The Windows Explorer can be opened using the button pinned by default on the Windows 7 taskbar or by accessing it via Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Windows Explorer. You might preffer using your Windows Explorer to open other folders by default which  is most commonly used.
Please note that the Taskbar button and the Start->All Programs explorer shortcut  both preserve their own settings. So, if you modify the settings for the taskbar one, the other one will not take its settings and vice-versa.
To set the Windows Explorer Startup Location you need to access the buttons properties. You can do this in different ways:
If you have Windows Explorer closed, hold Shift key and Right Click the icon and choose Properties.
If you have Windows Explorer open, right click the taskbar icon, then right click the Windows Explorer from the list and choose Properties.
By clicking, the Windows Explorer Properties Window will appear and the field that you need to edit is the Target Field.
By default the line that you will find in the target field is: %windir%explorer.exe. In order to change the Windows Explorer Startup folder we will need to change this line.
Adding My Computer to Windows Explorer Startup
A common place for your windows explorer to start, is the My Computer section. To get this, you will need to paste the following line into the target field:
%SystemRoot%explorer.exe /E,::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
After pressing OK, if you start your Windows Explorer you will see that My Computer shows up.
Adding My Documents to Windows Explorer Startup
Another common place to start, is the My Documents section. To get this, you will need to paste the following line into the target field:
%SystemRoot%explorer.exe /n,::{450D8FBA-AD25-11D0-98A8-0800361B1103}
After pressing OK, if you start your Windows Explorer you will see that My Documents shows up.
If you are used to open Windows Explorer from Start -> All Programs -> Accessories, to change these settings, you just right click it from the list and choose Properties.
You can use this function to customize your Windows Explorer Startup location as you wish. Here you will find a list that shows more options that you can use:
- Recycle Bin:
%SystemRoot%explorer.exe /E,::{645FF040-5081-101B-9F08-00AA002F954E}
- My computer with a drive selected:
%windir%explorer.exe /select, C:
- Open a specific folder:
%SystemRoot%Explorer.exe /e, path
