If you use Windows 7 and a cloud storage solution like Dropbox, OneDrive, or Google Drive, you may want to set Windows Explorer so that it starts by opening the OneDrive folder, or your Dropbox, or your Google Drive. Doing this is not very intuitive, and it takes a few steps which you may not figure out on your own. Here is how to set Windows Explorer, in Windows 7, to start in a folder of your choosing:

NOTE: This guide works only on Windows 7 and can be used to have Windows Explorer automatically open any folder you wish, not just Dropbox, OneDrive, or Google Drive. The steps involved are the same no matter what folder you select.

Step 1. Copy the path to the folder that you want Windows Explorer to open every time you start it

First, open Windows Explorer and locate the folder that you want to use as the starting point for Windows Explorer in the future. After you have opened that folder, click inside the address bar on the top side of the window. You should see the full path to the folder, like in the screenshot below.

Right-click the folder path in the address bar and, in the right-click menu, press Copy.

Windows 7 now stores the path to your folder in the clipboard. Make sure that you do not copy anything else to the clipboard until you finish this tutorial. It will override the information that you just copied.

Step 2. Open the properties of the Windows Explorer shortcut that you want to use

Next, choose one Windows Explorer shortcut that you want to use in the future to automatically access the folder that you have in mind. It can be the Windows Explorer shortcut from the Start Menu, found in "Start -> All programs-> Accessories-> Windows Explorer."

Or it can be the Windows Explorer shortcut from the taskbar or one from your desktop. Right-click the Windows Explorer shortcut that you want to use and access its properties.

If you are going to edit the shortcut from the taskbar, you have to right-click on it, and then right-click one more time on Windows Explorer. Only then can you click Properties in the menu that is shown.

You are now shown the Windows Explorer shortcut properties window, similar to the screenshot below. You can see that this shortcut opens the explorer.exe file, found in the Windows directory.

It is time to change this shortcut's properties.

Step 3. Set the Windows Explorer shortcut to open the folder that you want, automatically

In the Shortcut tab and the Target field, paste the path that you copied at step 1 of this tutorial. Right-click in this field and choose Paste in the right-click menu or press CTRL+V on your keyboard. The Target field now points to the folder that you want to open each time you start Windows Explorer.

To apply this change, click OK. Try the Windows Explorer shortcut that you edited. It now opens the folder that you have set using this tutorial.

NOTE: If you want to revert and have Windows Explorer open your user libraries by default, use the same procedure and, at step 3, type "%windir%explorer.exe" in the Target field.

What folder did you set Windows Explorer to open?

Now you know how to set a Windows Explorer shortcut of your choosing to open any folder you use on a regular basis. Before closing this tutorial, we would like to know what folder you have chosen to set as the starting point for Windows Explorer. Is it OneDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive or something else? Comment below and let's discuss.