Windows explorer - How to disable navigation pane auto scroll

tdas777 · 22 Aug 2020

Hi,

The issue I'm facing in my work laptop (Windows 10) and in personal laptop (Windows 8.1 update1).

Due to restriction, I'm using screenshot from my personal laptop; but the issue is exactly same.

This seems to be windows explorer bug, was present in Win 7, then in 8 and now in 10. It's very irritating.

For example, I opened windows explorer. The navigation pane is normal.

Windows explorer - How to disable navigation pane auto scroll-01.png

I clicked "#Downloads" in navigation pane. The folder opened in right side, in the actual window.

Windows explorer - How to disable navigation pane auto scroll-02.png

Then I double clicked the "Images" folder in actual window, and navigation pane selection scrolled to the "This PC" area.
But I have not clicked anything in the navigation pane.

Windows explorer - How to disable navigation pane auto scroll-03.png

So, to use the pinned/favorite folders from navigation pane, again need to be scrolled up.

The setting as suggested in many forums, is exactly same:

Windows explorer - How to disable navigation pane auto scroll-00.png

Is there any way to stop this current behavior of windows explorer?

Brink · 22 Aug 2020

Hello tdas777, and welcome to Ten Forums.

It can be a bit buggy, but the note from the tutorial below may help some for now.

Turn On or Off Navigation Pane Expand to Open Folder in Windows 10

If you already have "This PC" expanded open and clicked on a drive to open it, it will then highlight the drive in the navigation pane as expected.

However, from this point on, it will automatically expand "This PC" to the opened drive even if "This PC" even if currently is not expanded open and "Expand to current folder" is turned off.

To stop this when it happens, you could either close and reopen File Explorer OR unexpand "This PC" and toggle Show all folders on and off to force a refresh.

tdas777 · 22 Aug 2020

@Brink
Thank you.
But it doesn't stop the selection (rectangular box) in nav pane from moving to any other drive or "This PC".

In work environment, we need to access many folders located in different network locations; so we pin them in quick access.
And this behavior is actually not helping to quickly use pinned folder.

Microsoft should put a check box option to toggle this behavior.

Brink · 22 Aug 2020

Normally, turning off the Expand to open folder in the navigation pane should stop this other than the noted buggy behavior.

If you haven't already, test toggling this setting on and off to refresh it to see if it may stick afterwards.

tdas777 · 22 Aug 2020

Yes, I did toggle it on/off. But no changes.

KeithM · 23 Aug 2020

Your screenshots don't reflect a current version of Win10 (that I'm aware of). Favorites? HomeGroup? Those have goine by the wayside. The General tab of my Folder Options dialog looks like this:

Windows explorer - How to disable navigation pane auto scroll-2020-08-23.png

And your first screenshot is displaying a folder/computer named N3PTUN4 that I initially thought was a re-named This PC folder, based on its content, but you go on to say the Navigation Pane ju mps to This PC --- implying that they are two seperate entities. Can you clarify what we're seeing?

tdas777 · 23 Aug 2020

No it's not windows 10 screen shot.
Please check the first post

KeithM · 23 Aug 2020

So the 10 computer is fine? Or there is no 10 compter?

tdas777 · 23 Aug 2020

The issue is present in both, my work laptop (Windows 10) and in personal laptop (Windows 8.1 update1).

Due to restriction, I'm using screenshot from my personal laptop; but the issue is exactly same.

dalchina · 23 Aug 2020

Hi, after a quick experiment I find I have to terminate and restart explorer before this change takes effect.
You can do this using task manager - make sure the desktop display becomes blank, then repopulates as explorer reloads.