How to get which folders are currently open in explorer?

Question

The folders which are open are shown in taskmanager. Perhaps there is a way to access this information with batch or powershell or third party command-line?

I have also enabled the Restore previous folder windows at logon option...

So I wonder where the paths of the previously open folder windows is saved.. in regedit? Or in a temporary file somewhere?

Answer 1

Don't know where folders are saved at shutdownn, but to get info on open folders in PowerShell,use the shell.application COM object:

@((New-Object -com shell.application).Windows()).Document.Folder | select Title , { $_.Self.Path }

Sample Output

PS C:\...\keith>@((New-Object -com shell.application).Windows()).Document.Folder | select Title , { $_.Self.Path }
Title         $_.Self.Path

This PC      ::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}
Quick access ::{679F85CB-0220-4080-B29B-5540CC05AAB6}
Windows (C:) C:

SendTo       C:\Users\keith\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo

• Windows() method
  • ShellWindows object
    • Window ( InternetExplorer object )
      • Document property
        • Folder object
          • Self ( FolderItem object )

---

To get humann-friendly names for virtual folders as well as see the full namespace path, you can define a recursive function that gives you the full path (rooted in the virtual Desktop):

Function NSPath ($oFldr)
{
    If ($oFldr.ParentFolder )
    {
        '{0}\{1}'-f (NSPath $oFldr.ParentFolder), $oFldr.Title
    }
    Else
    {
        '\' # or $oFldr.Title
    }
}

Then use the function like so:

@((New-Object -com shell.application).Windows()).Document.Folder | %{ NSPath $_ }

OUtput:

PS C:\...\keith>@($shell.Windows()).Document.Folder | %{ NSPath $_ }
\\This PC
\\Quick access
\\Keith Miller\Documents
\\This PC\Documents
\\This PC\Windows (C:)\Users\keith\Documents

To make it easy to use from within batch, add the function to your PowerShell profile like so:

@'
New-Object -com shell.application
Function NSPath ($oFldr)
{
    If ($oFldr.ParentFolder )
    {
        '{0}\{1}'-f (NSPath $oFldr.ParentFolder), $oFldr.Title
    }
    Else
    {
        '\' # or $oFldr.Title
    }
}
'@ | add-content $PROFILE

and then both the function NSPath and the COM object $Shell are available for use whenever you launch PowerShell.