How to Turn “Expand to Open Folder” on or off in File Explorer’s Navigation Pane in Windows 11

Step 1Use the Quick File Explorer Menu

The quickest way is the right-click menu in the Navigation pane. It needs no extra windows and no administrator rights. The change shows in File Explorer straight away.

1. Press Win+E to open File Explorer📁. A File Explorer window opens with the Navigation pane on the left.
2. Right-click an empty spot in the Navigation pane, such as the blank area below the last item. If the pane is full, collapse a few folders or drag the pane’s edge wider to find blank space. A small context menu🖱️ appears.
3. Click Expand to current folder. The menu closes, and the pane updates to match the setting you chose.

That’s it. The Navigation pane now follows your current folder, or it stays as it is, depending on the state you chose.

To check the current state, right-click the empty space again. A checkmark next to the option means the feature is on, so the pane expands to your current folder as you browse. No checkmark means it is off, and the pane stays as it is while you move between folders.

Step 2Adjust Settings in Folder Options

The Folder Options window is the traditional place for this setting. It lets you see the option next to the other File Explorer preferences. The window is called Folder Options, and the menu item that opens it is named Options. It works the same on Home and Pro editions of a currently supported Windows 11 version (24H2 or 25H2), and you don’t need administrator rights.

1. Press Win+E to open File Explorer📁.
2. Click the three horizontal dots (See more) in the top toolbar. A menu opens.
3. Select Options. The Folder Options window opens.
4. Click the View tab at the top of the window.
5. Scroll down the Advanced settings list until you find Expand to open folder. It sits in the Navigation pane group of settings.
6. Select the checkbox to turn the feature on, or clear it to turn it off.
7. Click Apply, then click OK. The window closes and the new setting takes effect. If an open File Explorer📁 window does not change right away, close it and open a new one.

That’s it. Expand to open folder is now set the way you chose, and you can return to the same checkbox at any time to reverse it.

If the option is greyed out or missing, check that you are on the View tab and not General. Also check that you opened Options from File Explorer itself. A work or school PC may have this setting locked by policy, and in that case you need to ask your administrator.

Expand to open folder only opens the path to the folder you are in. It does not open every folder at once, and Windows 11 has no setting that does. If you want the whole tree open, use the keyboard steps below.

1. Press Win+E to open File Explorer📁.
2. Click the folder you want to open fully in the Navigation pane. A drive such as This PC works, but a smaller folder is faster.
3. Press the asterisk (*) key on the numeric keypad. The selected folder and all the folders inside it expand in the pane.

You should now see the full folder tree under the item you selected. Press Left Arrow to collapse the selected folder again. If your keyboard has no numeric keypad, press Right Arrow to expand the selected folder one level at a time.

On a large drive, expanding everything can take a while and make a very long list. The expanded state is not saved, so the pane returns to its normal layout when you close the window. For a different layout, select Show all folders in the same Advanced settings list. This adds items such as Control Panel and the Recycle Bin to the pane as part of the full tree.

Step 3Hide the Sidebar Completely for Maximum Focus

If the real problem is that the sidebar takes up too much room, you can hide the Navigation pane completely. This does not change the Expand to open folder setting. It only removes the pane from view, and it needs no administrator rights.

1. Press Win+E to open File Explorer📁.
2. Click View in the top toolbar. A menu opens.
3. Hover your mouse over Show. A submenu opens.
4. Click Navigation pane to remove the checkmark. The sidebar disappears at once, and the file list fills the wider window.

That’s it. The Navigation pane is now hidden, and your Expand to open folder setting is kept while it is away. To bring the sidebar back, repeat the steps and click Navigation pane again so the checkmark returns.

Step 4Edit the Windows Registry for Advanced Control

The Windows Registry (the central database for system settings) lets you change this setting at a lower level. It is also the method to use if you want to prepare the same value for several computers. It works on Home and Pro editions of a currently supported Windows 11 version (24H2 or 25H2).

1. Press Win+R to open the Run box.
2. Type regedit and press Enter to open the Registry Editor. Click Yes if a prompt asks for permission.
3. Click the address bar at the top of the Registry Editor window, paste this address, then press Enter: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced. The right pane now shows the values stored in that key.
4. Look through the list on the right for a value named NavPaneExpandToCurrentFolder.
5. If you do not see it, right-click an empty space in the right pane, select New, then click DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name the new value NavPaneExpandToCurrentFolder.
6. Double-click the value. In the Value data box, type 1 to turn the auto-expand feature on, or type 0 to turn it off.
7. Click OK and close the Registry Editor.
8. Restart File Explorer📁 or your computer to apply the change. Signing out and back in also works. The change does not show in an open File Explorer window until you do one of these.

That’s it. The registry value now holds your choice, and the Navigation pane follows it after the restart. To undo the change, set the value back to its earlier number, or import the backup you exported before you started.

Step 5Automate the Setting Using PowerShell

PowerShell (a command-line shell for system administration) lets you apply the setting with commands instead of menus. This suits scripts or setting up several computers the same way.

1. Right-click the Start button and select Terminal (Admin) or PowerShell (Admin). This requires administrator privileges. Click Yes if a prompt asks for permission.
2. To turn the expand folder feature on, paste these commands and press Enter after each one: Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced" -Name "NavPaneExpandToCurrentFolder" -Value 1 Stop-Process -Name explorer -Force
3. To turn the expand folder feature off, paste these commands instead and press Enter after each one: Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced" -Name "NavPaneExpandToCurrentFolder" -Value 0 Stop-Process -Name explorer -Force

That’s it. The second command in each pair restarts File Explorer automatically, so the new sidebar setting takes effect right away. Your File Explorer windows will close and reopen briefly when this happens. Save any file operations in progress before you run it.

Summary

Controlling expand to open folder helps you keep the File Explorer sidebar tidy. You can change it from the right-click menu, the Folder Options window, the Windows Registry or PowerShell. The right-click menu and Folder Options are the quickest to use, while the Registry and PowerShell suit scripted changes. When you want the whole folder tree open at once, select a folder and press the asterisk key on the numeric keypad.