Need to move or delete a lot of files in one go? Stop moving them one by one and use these tips to select every file in a folder in Windows 11.

When you need to delete or move a lot of files within Windows 11's File Explorer, you need not do so one at a time. There are numerous ways you can select all or multiple items within a folder. Selecting multiple files will enable you to delete or move selected groups more quickly.

As such, here are all the ways you can select all the files within a folder in Windows 11.

One way you can select multiple files within a folder is to drag a blue square over them with the mouse. To do so, open a folder that includes multiple files in Explorer. Then hold the left mouse button and drag the blue rectangle over the files to select them.

You can select all files by dragging the rectangle over them. However, you might need to do a lot of scrolling in Explorer if the folder includes many files. So, this isn’t the best method for selecting lots of files within a folder.

An easier way to select all files within a folder is to use the Shift key with the mouse. Select the first file at the top of a folder, and hold the Shift key. Then click the file at the bottom of the folder with the mouse whilst holding the Shift key. That will select all files between the first and last ones selected.

An even more straightforward method to select all files in a folder is to press the select all hotkey. Pressing the Ctrl + A keyboard shortcut will select all files and folders included within a directory. This is a great method for selecting everything, but not so good if you only need to select a smaller number of files in a folder.

You can also use the Ctrl key to select a smaller number of multiple files. Press and hold the Ctrl keyboard key. Doing so enables you to select multiple files by clicking them with the mouse.

File Explorer includes an option for selecting all the contents within a folder. To use that option, open up Explorer along with a folder that includes the files you need to select. Press the See more menu button, and then click Select all.

All the files and folders in the opened directory will then be selected. You’ll also notice a Select none option on the same menu. Selecting that option will deselect all the selected items within the folder.

You’ll probably also notice the Invert selection option there, and you might wonder what that option does. That option deselects selected items and selects all other files and folders in a directory not currently selected. Thus, Invert selection turns the current file selection on its head.

That may sound a bit confusing, but try applying the Invert selection option to see what it does. Select two files within a folder that includes many more items, and click See More. Clicking Invert selection will then deselect the two previously selected files and select all other content within the folder. Invert selection will exclude highlighted files but select everything else within a folder.

File Explorer’s context menu doesn’t include a Select All context menu by default. However, you can add that option to the menu by setting up and applying a registry script. Then you’ll be able to select everything on the desktop or in folders from the context menu.

Here is how to add a Select All option to Explorer’s context menu in Windows 11:

Now open a folder, and right-click a space in it. Click Show more options to view the classic context menu in Windows 11. You’ll see that menu now has a Select option on it. Move the cursor over Select to click the Select all option.

You can also click a Select none option from the same menu. To do so, hold the Ctrl key and right-click in a folder when you have some files selected. Then you’ll see a Select none option on the classic context menu's Select submenu.

Those options aren’t limited to selected files. The desktop’s context menu will include the same Select option. Selecting that option from that context menu will select all icons on the desktop.

If you change your mind about having a Select All option on the context menu, you can remove it again. You can do this by setting up an alternative script that will remove the registry keys added for the Select All context menu option.

To do this, follow the above steps again, but copy and paste this script into Notepad instead:

Whether you're doing a disk cleanup or you want to organize your files, you need not have to edit them one by one. Using these tricks, you can batch-select files and save some time as you sort.

Jack has been a freelance tech journalist for more than a decade. He has covered Windows Vista, 7, 10, and 11 topics within a multitude of guides for MakeUseOf and numerous other websites.

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