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How to Open Multiple Files at Once in Windows 10

Learn to open more than one file at once using a shortcut

2 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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Key notes

You may often need toopenmultiplefileson yourWindows 10PC. So, it would be great if File Explorer included afilelist feature with which you could set up saved lists that you could click toopenallfilesincluded in them.

Then you couldopenmultiple images, documents, music, spreadsheets, and even .exefileswithin the saved list with a single click.

Well, Microsoft has not incorporated such a feature into File Explorer. Nevertheless, you can still set upfilelists with which toopenmultiplefilesat once.

This is how you canopenmultiplefilesat once with a batch file or third-party software onWindows 10.

How can I open multiple files at once in Windows 10?

How can I open multiple files at once in Windows 10?

1. Set up a batch file and create a shortcut for it

  1. Press theWindows+Shotkey on your keyboard to open the search box.

  2. EnterNotepadin the search box, and then select to open that text editor.

  3. Write@echo off’ at the top of the text file, as in the snapshot shown directly below.

  4. Then enter the open file command as follows:start

For example, to open the CCleaner software, users would enter something like this in the text editor:start CCleaner64 “C:Program Files (x86)CCleanerCCleaner64.exe”

  1. Note that the file title that precedes the path in the command doesn’t need to include the file’s extension as well. After entering all the required start commands in the batch, clickFileandSave As.

  2. SelectAll Fileson theSave astype drop-down menu.

7.Then enterFile list.batin theFile nametext box.

  1. Select to save the batch to the desktop.

  2. Press theSavebutton.

  3. Click the File list.bat file on the desktop, which will open all the files you programmed it to.

  4. To assign a hotkey to a file list batch, right-click it and selectCreate a shortcut. That will add a duplicate batch file shortcut to the desktop.

  5. Users can move the original batch file saved to the desktop into a folder, if they prefer.

  6. Right-click the batch file shortcut and selectProperties.

  7. Click the Shortcut key box on the Shortcut tab, then press a keyboard key to set up a shortcut for it. For example you can chooseCtrl+Alt.

  8. Press theApplyandOKbuttons.

  9. You can now press theCtrl+Althotkey for the batch file to open its file list.

Although Windows 10 does not provide a built-in option to open multiple files at once, there is a workaround for this. You can set up a batch file to do the job via Notepad.

After you create the batch file, you can assign a specific shortcut to it for quick access. This means that you’ll be able to open those files in the future with a simple keyboard shortcut.

2. Open multiple files with Instant File Opener

So, it’s relatively straightforward to set up afilelist even with a batch file. You can set up numerousfilelists to quickly open any combination of software, image, document, music, and spreadsheetfilesat once.

If you have any other questions or suggestions, leave them in the comments section below and we’ll be sure to check them out.

More about the topics:files,Windows 10 Guides

Matthew Adams

Windows Hardware Expert

Matthew is a freelancer who has produced a variety of articles on various topics related to technology. His main focus is the Windows OS and all the things surrounding it.

He is passionate about the tech world, always staying up-to-date with the latest and greatest. With an analytical view, he likes problem-solving, focusing on errors and their causes.

In his free time, he likes to read and write about history and tries to always develop new skills.

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Matthew Adams

Windows Hardware Expert

He is passionate about everything surrounding Microsoft’s OS, focusing on troubleshooting guides & tips for everyday problems.