Legend
Tags appear under the address bar of each entry and work as filters in the tree. An item can have several.
| Tag | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Hidden | Hidden by default: it only shows up in File Explorer if you choose to show hidden items. |
| Access denied | Access is denied even to an administrator (you would have to change the permissions, which is not recommended). |
| Windows Server | Only present on a server edition of Windows. |
| Localized name | Depending on the Windows display language, File Explorer shows a different name for this folder (e.g. Users becomes Utilisateurs). The real name on disk stays the same. |
| Legacy from XP | Path inherited from older versions of Windows, mainly Windows XP, and kept (often as a junction) for application compatibility. |
The risk indicator
Section titled “The risk indicator”This site first documents the role, contents and logs of each item. The risk level is a complementary indicator: it answers the question “can I delete or change this item?”. It is always shown with a shape and a label, never by color alone: a solid circle for safe, a triangle with an exclamation mark for caution, a crossed diamond for do not touch.
| Level | Can it be deleted? |
|---|---|
| Safe | Yes, the contents can be deleted. |
| Caution | With care, only in the cases described on this page. |
| Do not touch | No, do not delete or edit anything by hand. |
- Safe: obvious temporary files or caches, recreated automatically.
- Caution: the contents can be touched in specific cases described on the entry (blocked update, freeing disk space…). When in doubt, do nothing.
- Do not touch: items that are critical for startup, security or system configuration.
The risk level is only an indication: always back up before deleting anything in a system folder. On each entry it appears as a discreet mention under the address bar (“Risk: Caution”) and, lower in the right-hand column, with a short answer. In the tree the marker is deliberately muted: only its shape carries the meaning.
Can it be deleted?
Caution
With care, only in the cases described on this page.
Item types
Section titled “Item types”- Folder: A directory that contains other items.
- File: A single file (data, configuration, virtual memory…).
- Log: A file that records events and is used for diagnostics.
Common files found everywhere
Section titled “Common files found everywhere”These file types have no entry of their own because they are found in many places.
- Desktop.ini: present in many folders, it holds configuration data about how the folder and its contents are displayed in File Explorer.
- DLL (dynamic-link libraries): they contain code shared by many applications and services, which can call on them for common tasks such as managing the print queue or displaying window elements.
- EXE: win32 applications, started by double-clicking.
- INF: device driver installation files.
- INI: configuration and option files for applications and Windows features.
- SYS: files containing system settings used by the operating system and by software and hardware drivers.
- Thumbs.db: holds the thumbnails of the files and documents in a folder. You may also come across ehThumbs.db files, used by Windows Media Center from Windows XP to Windows 7.
- Hiberfil.sys, Pagefile.sys and Swapfile.sys: see their entries in the explorer.