Vista Tutorial - Navigation Pane in Vista Windows Explorer

**Brink**

How to Turn the Navigation Pane On or Off in Vista

Information

This will show you how to turn the Navigation Pane on or off in Vista. The Navigation Pane displays the Favorite Links and Folder Tree inside a Windows Explorer window. It iis turned on by default.

NOTE

The Navigation Pane pane Layout settings are universal for all Windows Explorer folder templates. It can only be turned on or off in all windows. For more on folder templates, see: How to Change a Windows Explorer Folder Type Template in Vista

WARNING

If you want to have a folder open in a separate window all the time, then you will need to turn off the Navigation pane. For how, see: How to Open Each Folder in the Same or it's Own Separate Window in Vista

RELATED LINKS:

EXAMPLE: The Navigation Pane in Windows Explorer

Here's How:

1. Click on Organize. (In Windows Explorer)

2. Click on Layout.

3. To Turn Off the Navigation Pane -
A) Click on Navigation Pane to unhighlight the icon.

4. To Turn On the Navigation Pane -
A) Click on Navigation Pane to highlight the icon.

That's it,
Shawn

**AvatarOfTheShip** · 02-04-2008

What I'd like to do is turn off the 'Folder' (Tree) pane

**Brink** · 02-04-2008

Hi AvatarOfTheShip,

Welcome to Vista Forums.

Well, turning of the Navigation Pane would certainely turn of the Folder tree.

If you do not want to turn the Navigation Pane off, then you could move the mouse pointer over the live between Favorite Links and Folders until it turns into a double pointed arrow. Just press and hold the left mouse button to drag the Folders pane line down to the bottom to hide it. This will leave just the Favorite Links part.

Hope this helps,
Shawn

**AvatarOfTheShip** · 02-05-2008

Hi Brink, thanks - and yes, you're right, that would sort of hit the spot. It's just that it seems as if Microsoft had a really nice idea to redesign Explorer, and right at the end someone's jumped up out of their seat and cried in a loud and piercing voice: "They'll never buy not having a tree view!" Soon the room was in panic and the tree view was clumsily and inelegantly welded and bolted back on. Does anyone else think this or am I alone wise in my generation?

**Brink** · 02-05-2008

LOL, that sounds very plausible.

Well, at least we can adjust the size or hide the Favorite Links and Folders tree, or just turn the whole thing off.

**AvatarOfTheShip** · 02-07-2008

yes, I do like the Favorites pane

**cosmin2007** · 02-29-2008

	Quote:	AvatarOfTheShip
	yes, I do like the Favorites pane

You can try some useful things to extend its use

twistedvincent · 08-09-2008

Simple fix.....but frustrating the hell out of me because I didn't know what I was looking for!

Thanx!

**Brink** · 08-09-2008

Your welcome Vincent, and welcome to Vista Forums.

Shanw

Siffy · 08-14-2008

Is there any way to completely turn off or remove the Navigation Pane? I would be ok with removing it as an option from the registry or deleting system files, if I knew exactly which could be removed safely, as I never use it.

I've turned the annoying thing off numerous times, and it stays off if I navigate to the folder either through opening Computer or typing the path directly into the Start:Run prompt. But if I get to the folder from an application's "Show In Explorer" command, the Navigation Pane is automatically turned on again.

There's something else strange about that method as well that leads me to believe IE is being asked to perform the open or is at least involved. I was getting an error every time I opened a new IE window. I got the same error when opening folders in that method. After fixing the error in IE, both went away.