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If a folder is already open in File Explorer, Explorer Dialog Path Selector is designed to let you jump to it from a Windows Open or Save As dialog instead of navigating there again. You set a hotkey and use it while the dialog is active. It addresses the familiar “hide and seek” of choosing a file location, though compatibility can vary by dialog and application.
What Explorer Dialog Path Selector does
Wayne Williams described the utility in a BetaNews article published November 14, 2024. In that version of the workflow, you configure a hotkey, open a file dialog, and trigger the hotkey to move the dialog to a path displayed in another Explorer window. Williams gave an unused function key and the middle mouse button as examples—not requirements for extra hardware. Read the BetaNews article.
This is useful when a Windows Save As dialog starts somewhere other than the folder you want, or when an Open dialog makes you retrace a path that is already visible in Explorer. The app connects those contexts; it is not a replacement for File Explorer or a general-purpose file manager.
What the current release adds
The developer’s releases have added capabilities since the 2024 description. The official release page lists an April 2, 2026 compiled release labeled “Explorer Dialog Path Selector v1.4.1 → v1.8.1.” Its notes describe features including:
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- Favorites, including conditional favorites and custom display names, for paths beyond folders currently open in Explorer.
- An option to open the dialog’s current path in a standard Explorer window.
- Pre-detection mode and support for environment variables.
- Filters for Open versus Save dialogs, plus conditions based on the parent window title and file-type filter.
- Navigation reliability improvements.
These are features documented by the developer, not independently verified behavior. The release history also records work on modern dialogs, localized languages, UNC paths, Java dialogs, and dialogs opened by some applications such as Excel. Those individual fixes are not a guarantee that every application or dialog style will work. See the developer’s release notes for the current details.
How to get it and what to know about installation
Use the developer’s GitHub releases page to check the current package and instructions. The release page recommends the MSI installer. According to its notes, installing with the MSI automatically runs the app and enables startup with Windows; the developer says you can turn that off in Windows Settings > Apps > Startup. The notes also say winget should detect future updates when the app is installed with the installer. These are the developer’s stated installation details, not a separate test of the installer or update behavior.
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Is it likely to work with your dialogs?
The available documentation does not provide a complete compatibility matrix for Windows versions, applications, privilege levels, or dialog implementations. The BetaNews article tags Windows 10 and Windows 11, while the developer’s release notes document particular compatibility fixes over time. Treat support as application- and dialog-dependent, and check the release history if a dialog you rely on does not respond as expected.
For Windows Open and Save As dialogs, the appeal is straightforward: jump to a folder already open elsewhere in Explorer, or use favorites when that path is not currently open. The utility is a focused solution to repeated folder navigation, not proof that every file dialog will behave identically.
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