All You Need To Know About Using Windows 7 Libraries

The Libraries feature in Windows 7 makes it easy for you to find and manage your files and folders. You’ll find four libraries available by default, namely the Documents, Music, Pictures and Videos. If you open up Windows Explorer, you’ll find the libraries on the left pane. You don’t necessarily have to use the default folders as is, you can create new libraries, transfer files or folders between libraries to make them accessible in multiple locations and so on. In this post, we’ll take a comprehensive look at everything you can do with Windows 7 Libraries.

How to Add a Desktop Folder to Windows 7 Libraries

By default, you tend to store your files and documents in the My Documents folder. This means that when you go to the Documents library, you’ll find the file you saved in there. But there may be times when you want them to be available in other libraries as well. There are plenty of ways to do this:

Method 1:

1.On the desktop, right-click the folder.

2. From the short-cut menu, choose Include in library-> Documents. (You can select any of the libraries.)

Method 2:

1. Open Windows Explorer.

2. Drag the folder from the desktop and drop it in a library in the navigation pane.

Method 3:

1. Open the library where you want to include the folder.

2. Click the Includes locations link.

3. The Documents Library Locations dialog box is displayed. Click Add to include the location of the new folder.

4. In the Include Folder in Documents dialog box, navigate to the desktop, select the folder and click Include folder.

5. In the Documents Library Locations dialog box, verify that the folder is included and click OK.

Method 4:

1. Open the folder you want to add to an existing Windows 7 library.

2. In the toolbar, click the Include in library drop-down arrow and choose a library.

How to Create a New Windows 7 Library

However, there may be times when you feel the need for another library. For example, you may want to add a library that contains data related to a specific project. In such cases, you have the option to create another library and include in it such folders as you see fit. You can do this in 2 ways:

Method 1:

1. Open Windows Explorer.

2. On the toolbar, click New library.

3. A new library is created in the Libraries folder. Rename the folder as required.

Method 2:

If you want to include a specific folder in a new library, you can use this method.

1. Right-click the folder you want to include in a new library.

2. From the shortcut menu, choose Include in library->Create new library.

3. A new library is created in the Libraries folder. It takes the name of the folder from which you created the library. You can rename the library by right-clicking the library and selecting Rename from the shortcut menu.

When you create documents, you generally tend to save them in any location on your computer. Over a period of time, you may lose track of where you stored your files. Wouldn’t it be much simpler, if you could save your files in a default location on your computer for easier retrieval at a future date? Let’s learn how to set a default save location for your files.

How to Set a Default Save Location for Your Files

1. Open Windows Explorer and select the library that you want to set as the default save location.

2. Click the Includes locations link.

3. The Documents Library Locations dialog box is displayed. Right-click the folder where you want to save your files by default, and from the shortcut menu choose Set as default save location.

How to Set the Properties of a New Windows 7 Library

When you create a new Windows 7 library in the Libraries folder, you may need to define certain properties for the library. This will help you organize your files and optimize your search requirements. Each library contains properties specific to its category. For example, the Documents library has options to arrange files by author, which is not available in other libraries.

Similarly, the Music library has options to arrange files by artist and album. Therefore, selecting the right properties for your new library will help you organize and search more effectively. In this Windows 7 tutorial, you will learn how to set the properties of a new Windows 7 library.

1. Open the Libraries folder.

2. Right-click the newly created library and from the shortcut menu, choose Properties.

3. In the Folder Properties dialog box, click the Optimize this library for drop-down arrow and choose a library option, depending on your new library requirements.

4. Click Apply and click OK to apply the settings.

Note: The Arrange by options for the default library settings are displayed below. Select the library with the settings that suit your new library.

Libraries in Windows 7 enable you to access all files and folders located anywhere on your computer or network. If you have too many locations added to a library, you may find it overloaded with unwanted stuff. In such cases, you can remove folders and files that you think don’t need to be included in the library. Let’s check out how to remove a folder from a library by removing its reference location.

How to Remove a Folder From a Library in Windows 7

1. Open the respective library.

2. Click the Includes locations link.

3. The Documents Library Locations dialog box is displayed. Select the folder you want to remove and then click Remove.

4. Click OK to close the Documents Library Locations dialog box and remove the folder location.

Alternately,

1. Open Windows Explorer.

2. In the navigation pane, right-click the respective library and from the shortcut menu, choose Remove location from library.

Removing a folder from a library does not delete the contents of the folder. It only removes the reference to the folder’s location.

The guides in this post should help get you started with using the Libraries in Windows 7. Once you understand how they work, you'll find them pretty useful.