Windows is without a doubt the best operating when it comes to improving productivity. With its easy use, the many applications that are compatible with it, and the fact that although it is a system that has its fair share of ups and downs, it is still a system that (most times) will work like a dream, Windows is the most installed and used operating system on the planet.
Since so much of the system is geared towards helping users to be as productive as possible, there are plenty of shortcut options that are designed to save you loads of time while helping you to get the information that you need. There are shortcuts that will minimise your desktop and give the option of adding another, which is incredibly helpful when you are looking at working with a variety of applications.
And then there is the little known shortcut that will allow you to preview a file without having to open it, which will definitely be a big help, especially if you have plenty of other files open and you don’t want to slow down your PC or laptop by opening more.
Whether you are working with Windows 10 or Windows 11, this shortcut should work, and it is suitable for a number of applications including Word, Excel, PDFs, photos, graphics, videos, music, and audio files.
This feature can also be used to previews files that are unknown. When you preview the unknown file, you won’t have to worry about not having the correct type of application to open it, something which can be the case if you are working with design files.
How to Preview Files and Additional Preview Programmes
There are a number of ways that you can preview a file in Windows, and these are the easiest options.
Use Windows File Explorer Panel
The simplest way to preview a file in Windows would be to use the built in feature, which is the File Explorer. You can access this by opening the File Explorer in your version of Windows and then clicking on the view tab and then selecting the preview option. Click just once on the file that you want to view and you will be given a preview in the tab next to it. This option will also allow you to increase or decrease the size of your preview.
Use the QuickLook Programme
If you are looking for something different, you can download QuickLook for free. It easily integrates with File Explorer, and once it is installed, all you need to do is select the file you want to use and then press your space bar. A preview window will pop up where you will be able to view the file. You will also be able to increase or decrease the size of the preview.
Use the Cool File Viewer Programme
A programme that doesn’t integrate with Windows File Viewer, but is quite sophisticated and might be preferred by those who are looking for something a little more advanced, this programme is a good option. With Cool File Viewer, you can preview most files as well as have a look at and even extract if need be, files that have been compressed in ZIP or RAR formats. And as for office applications, with this programme you will be able to both view the file and edit it. The downside of the programme is that it will only allow you to preview a limited number of programmes before you have to use a paid version.
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