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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →To create a library in Windows 10, show Libraries in File Explorer’s navigation pane, create a library from the Libraries node, give it a name, then add the folders you want it to display. A library is a virtual collection: it brings existing folder locations together without moving or copying their contents.
Show Libraries in File Explorer
Libraries may be hidden from the navigation pane. In File Explorer, select View > Navigation pane > Show libraries. The Libraries node should then appear in the left pane. Microsoft’s Windows 10 File Explorer guidance documents this setting.
Create and name a library
- In File Explorer’s left pane, right-click Libraries.
- Select New > Library.
- Select the newly created library and type a name that describes the folders it will collect.
These Windows 10 steps are documented in the Microsoft Press reference excerpt. Microsoft Learn describes libraries as “virtual containers for users’ content.”
Add folders to the library
Add the first folder from the library
Open the new library and select Include a folder. Browse to the folder you want to include and confirm your selection.
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Add more folders
Open Manage Library to add other locations. You can also right-click a folder in File Explorer, choose Include in Library, and select the library by name. The folder remains in its original location; the library presents it alongside the other included locations.
What a library does—and what it does not do
A library gives you a unified view of folders stored in different places. It does not create a new destination folder, move files, or make a copy of the content. You can change a library’s name, included locations, their order, and its default save location.
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Libraries can bring together supported local and remote folders. Search and other library features depend on Windows Search indexing and whether a location is available in a supported way. Microsoft documents support for fixed local NTFS or FAT volumes, certain indexed shares, DFS Namespace or failover-cluster shares, shares available offline through Offline Files, and NAS devices. Removable drives and media, network shares that are neither available offline nor remotely indexed, and sources such as SharePoint and Exchange are listed as unsupported for libraries. See Microsoft’s library documentation for location and indexing details.
Libraries or Quick access?
Use a library when you want one named collection that presents several folder locations together. Use Quick access when you want to pin individual folders for convenient navigation. Quick access pinning is a separate File Explorer feature; it does not combine the folders into a library.
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Troubleshoot common questions
Why can’t I see Libraries in File Explorer?
In File Explorer, select View > Navigation pane > Show libraries. If Libraries is still not visible, confirm you are using File Explorer and have enabled the setting in its navigation pane.
Why is a folder’s search behavior different in a library?
Library search features rely on Windows Search indexing, and network locations must meet supported availability or indexing conditions. Check whether the folder is on a supported local or remote location; adding a folder to a library does not by itself guarantee that its contents will be indexed or searchable in the same way as local indexed folders.
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Windows 10 support status
Creating a library remains a documented File Explorer operation, but Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025. Microsoft says routine software and security updates and technical support are no longer provided. Its consumer Extended Security Updates program can protect eligible Windows 10 devices through October 12, 2027; eligibility and current program terms should be checked with Microsoft. Microsoft’s Windows 10 end-of-support page has the lifecycle details. This support status does not itself prevent you from creating a library.
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