Windows 7 Libraries organise documents, pictures, music and videos Using Windows 7’s Libraries tool you can access files stored in several different folders from one window, without moving or copying those files. Windows keeps your Libraries updated with any new files you have added to the folders, and everything is displayed in a clear, easy-to-browse format.
Here, we show you how to set up and manage your libraries.
What is a Library?
A Windows 7 Library is a collection of files of the same type, such as videos, documents or photos. Their function is to act as a single point of reference in which to browse and sort through them, so you don’t have to manually access the various folders items might be saved in.
To begin with, Windows 7 creates four default Libraries: Documents, Pictures, Music, and Videos. It’s also possible to create your own Libraries, but before we get to that stage we need to show Windows 7 which parts of your computer’s hard disk it should build Libraries from.
There are various ways to open the Libraries. You could go to the Start Menu and type Libraries into the search box and press Enter, or click on any of the Library links on the right-hand side of the Start Menu.
Alternatively, links to the Libraries are displayed on the left-hand side of Windows Explorer – hold down the Windows key and press E to open an Explorer window. Whichever method best suits, you will end up in the same location, which displays the four default Library icons.
Open one of the Libraries; for example, the Pictures Library. Underneath the name of the Library, you’ll see a blue link that tells you how many locations are included in that Library.
When you click on that link, a window will pop up with the heading Pictures Library Locations. To add a new location, click on the ‘Add…’ button on the right hand side of this window.
Another new window will open, enabling you to browse all the folders on the computer, as well as any attached storage devices such as external hard disks, and files shared by other computers on your network.
You can’t add folders from removable media such as CDs or DVDs, or some USB memory keys, though. Once you’ve selected the folder, click the Include Folder button. You’ll be returned to the previous window, where you can either add more folders, or click OK to populate the Library.
To remove a location from a Library, click on the link beneath the title of the Library that tells you how many locations are currently included, and the Library Locations window will open. Select the location you want to remove from the list, and then click the ‘Remove’ button on the right-hand side. Then click OK.
How to view files
Once you’ve added or removed a location, your Library will take a second or two to organise itself. By default, the contents of a Library are organised by folder. But that’s probably not the most useful way of displaying the files if you’re looking for something specific. You can change how the files are displayed by clicking on the dropdown menu called ‘Arrange by’ in the right-hand corner.
The options for how content can be arranged depend on the type of files in the Library. For Music, you can sort files by folder, album, genre and so on, while Pictures can be sorted by rating, tag and other relevant criteria.
So if, for example, you’re looking for a photograph taken two Christmases ago, you can easily find it by adding all your pictures folders to the Pictures Library, then choosing to organise photographs by month, and clicking through to the pictures from December two years ago.
Creating a new Library
You can create new Libraries for other kinds of content in Windows 7. For example, if you wanted to create a Library for spreadsheets, go to the main Libraries window and then right-click inside the window. Select New and then Library, and then type in a name for the new Library.
To change the sorting options for this Library, right-click on the Library, and navigate to Properties. Under the list of files to ‘Optimize this library for’, you can choose General Items (which will let you sort by folder, date modified, tag, type, or name) or any of the more specific file types: Documents, Pictures, Music, or Videos.
Choose whichever best suits the kind of Library you’ve created – for a spreadsheet library, the Documents options would be most appropriate. Once you’ve selected which you want, click OK.
Adding a location to a Windows 7 Library
First click on the link that tells you how many locations are currently included in your Library. This link is directly underneath the title of the Library in the Library window. Then, in the new window that opens, click on ‘Add…’, then use the window that opens to navigate to the locations you want to include.
Click the ‘Include Folder’ button. Finally, click OK to populate your library. If you’ve added a location that includes a lot of files, Windows may take a second or two to add this to your Library.
