Tuesday, June 20, 2023 – Declutter Windows’ File Explorer by hiding empty drives – Can you tell if a person received a Facebook friend request?

Declutter Windows’ File Explorer by hiding empty drives

When you open a File Explorer window on your PC do you see a bunch of drives listed that don’t even contain a medium for storing files?

For example, you might see a drive representing a memory card reader even though there’s no memory card inserted into it.

Or perhaps you have an optical disc drive that doesn’t have a disc inside.

Or maybe even a docking station that has multiple empty drive slots…

You can declutter your PC’s File Explorer windows by telling File Explorer to hide all the drives that don’t actually contain a storage medium. Just follow the steps below for the version of Windows you’re using.

If your PC has Windows 10:

1 – Press the Windows+E key combination to open a ‘File Explorer’ window, then select the View tab.

2 – Click Options at the far-right side of the top menu bar, then select Change folder and search options.

3 – Select the View tab.

4 – Check the box beside ‘Hide empty drives’.

5 – Click Apply, then click OK.

If your PC has Windows 11:

1 – Press the Windows+E key combination to open a ‘File Explorer’ window, then select the View tab.

2 – Click the three dots at the far-right side of the top menu bar, then select Options.

3 – Select the View tab.

4 – Check the box beside ‘Hide empty drives’.

5 – Click Apply, then click OK.

That’s all there is to it. Your File Explorer windows should now only display drives that actually contain a storage medium.