# Expand subfolders non-shortcut? - Windows 7 **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 12, 2010, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expand-subfolders-non-shortcut-windows-7/553465 "2010-09-12T02:21:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expand-subfolders-non-shortcut-windows-7/553465/1 "2010-09-12T02:21:10Z")
I know the shortcut to expand all subfolders in Windows Explorer is Numlock+\*. The problem is I’m on a laptop with no numlock. Is there a way to expand all the subfolders that doesn’t involve me plugging in another keyboard? It’s not _really_ important, but it’s driving me nuts. ---
**Author:** ![Ruken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f475e1/32.png) [@Ruken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ruken)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expand-subfolders-non-shortcut-windows-7/553465/2 "2010-09-12T02:30:57Z")
Are you sure it’s numlock + \*, and not just \* on the number keypad? “-” collapses the folders. These work regardless of whether numlock is active. My current laptop is large enough to have a permanent number keypad, but the last one did not. I cannot check the old one due to the Bus Incident that led to the purchase the new one, but it did have the number keypad “underneath” the right-most portion of the keyboard. I had to hit the Fn key to access it IIRC. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expand-subfolders-non-shortcut-windows-7/553465/3 "2010-09-12T03:06:57Z")
According to the Windows site it’s numlock + \* on the number pad. It doesn’t really make a difference, because I have no number pad of any sort, just the numbers along the top. Yes, it’s annoying. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tao_s_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expand-subfolders-non-shortcut-windows-7/553465/4 "2010-09-12T04:23:56Z")
> [@Silver Tyger Girl](#): > > I know the shortcut to expand all subfolders in Windows Explorer is Numlock+\*. The problem is I’m on a laptop with no numlock. Is there a way to expand all the subfolders that doesn’t involve me plugging in another keyboard? > > It’s not _really_ important, but it’s driving me nuts. I had the same problem typing alt character codes a long time ago. The solution is the blue Fn key. On the laptop keyboard you should see keys with blue lettering on them in addition to the normal key function. Hold down Fn Key and press the the key with the blue NumLK while pressing the key with the blue \*. It’ll work just like the number pad variants. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expand-subfolders-non-shortcut-windows-7/553465/5 "2010-09-12T04:25:15Z")
You mean your keyboard is not laid out like [this](http://www.tips4pc.com/images/laptop_keyboard.JPG), like most are? Yes, there is a Numlk key, but what I’m wanting you to notice is that the / and ; keys have the plus and minus, which will usually work without Numlock if you press Fn+/ and Fn+; I’ve just never seen a laptop keyboard that doesn’t do something like that. The Function (Fn) key is usually present to give you access to the Numpad. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expand-subfolders-non-shortcut-windows-7/553465/6 "2010-09-12T05:42:18Z")
If you want a workaround to this problem, I suggest to check out [AutoHotkey](http://www.autohotkey.com/). You can use it to map any keystroke, or set of keystrokes, to any other; so you could remap the Win+\* combination to something that actually exists on your keyboard. The program can also do about 1,000,000 other things as well… ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2010, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expand-subfolders-non-shortcut-windows-7/553465/7 "2010-09-12T22:42:04Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > You mean your keyboard is not laid out like [this](http://www.tips4pc.com/images/laptop_keyboard.JPG), like most are? Yes, there is a Numlk key, but what I’m wanting you to notice is that the / and ; keys have the plus and minus, which will usually work without Numlock if you press Fn+/ and Fn+; > > I’ve just never seen a laptop keyboard that doesn’t do something like that. The Function (Fn) key is usually present to give you access to the Numpad. Nope, its not like that. After F12, it’s Ins, Del, Home, and End. I have PgUp and PgDn on either side of the Up arrow (where that one has non-buttons). The arrows have no secondary functions. Logically, there’s no reason to have a NumLock key if there’s no number pad, but all of a sudden I feel I need it. :shrug: **Suburban Plankton** - yeah, I thought of that, but I was hoping there was another way. It seems inefficient to install a program just to fix on little not-really-a-problem-but-feels-like-it. I suppose I will just have to find something else useful to do with it too. 😛 Or I could just plug in a full keyboard. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tao_s_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expand-subfolders-non-shortcut-windows-7/553465/8 "2010-09-13T00:21:31Z")
The Fn key is on the bottom row of keys, on the left side between the windows button and the ctrl button. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expand-subfolders-non-shortcut-windows-7/553465/9 "2010-09-13T04:01:25Z")
> [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](#): > > The Fn key is on the bottom row of keys, on the left side between the windows button and the ctrl button. Actually it’s on the far left below the shift, but I still have no numbers pad and no numlock, and thus the shortcut still doesn’t work. I think AutoHotKey is probably my only option. Stupid Microsoft. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expand-subfolders-non-shortcut-windows-7/553465/10 "2010-09-13T04:05:49Z")
> [@Silver Tyger Girl](#): > > > [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](#): > > > > The Fn key is on the bottom row of keys, on the left side between the windows button and the ctrl button. > > Actually it’s on the far left below the shift, but I still have no numbers pad and no numlock, and thus the shortcut still doesn’t work. I think AutoHotKey is probably my only option. Stupid Microsoft. What kind of laptop do you have? Usually, you can hold down Fn and a normal letter to produce Numpad characters. For me, Num \* is Fn-P. Does your keyboard have letter characters below the regular ones like [this](http://forums.s2kca.com/photopost/data/15507/keyboardNumpad.jpg)? ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expand-subfolders-non-shortcut-windows-7/553465/11 "2010-09-13T17:47:32Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > > [@Silver Tyger Girl](#): > > > > Actually it’s on the far left below the shift, but I still have no numbers pad and no numlock, and thus the shortcut still doesn’t work. I think AutoHotKey is probably my only option. Stupid Microsoft. > > What kind of laptop do you have? Usually, you can hold down Fn and a normal letter to produce Numpad characters. For me, Num \* is Fn-P. Does your keyboard have letter characters below the regular ones like [this](http://forums.s2kca.com/photopost/data/15507/keyboardNumpad.jpg)? It’s a Lenovo and no, there is no numpad of any kind. It looks like a normal keyboard with the number pad cut off (more or less). The only use of the Fn key is to give me access to the F-keys, that otherwise control volume, brightness, and all that stuff. If there was a numpad I wouldn’t have had to ask how to do it without one, would I? ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expand-subfolders-non-shortcut-windows-7/553465/12 "2010-09-13T18:06:59Z")
always good to post make and model when asking a technical question. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expand-subfolders-non-shortcut-windows-7/553465/13 "2010-09-13T19:04:34Z")
> [@Silver Tyger Girl](#): > > > [@Reply](#): > > > > What kind of laptop do you have? Usually, you can hold down Fn and a normal letter to produce Numpad characters. For me, Num \* is Fn-P. Does your keyboard have letter characters below the regular ones like [this](http://forums.s2kca.com/photopost/data/15507/keyboardNumpad.jpg)? > > It’s a Lenovo and no, there is no numpad of any kind. It looks like a normal keyboard with the number pad cut off (more or less). The only use of the Fn key is to give me access to the F-keys, that otherwise control volume, brightness, and all that stuff. If there was a numpad I wouldn’t have had to ask how to do it without one, would I? No need for the snark. Maybe we weren’t being clear, but the Fn key on most laptops also lets you substitute letters for numpad numbers – _even if you don’t have a separate numpad_. So Fn+U is Numpad 4, Fn+K is Numpad 2, etc. Some (all?) Lenovo laptops should have this too. If you tell us the exact model, it makes it possible to look up the particular keyboard layout of your computer and answer the question directly instead of hypothesizing. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expand-subfolders-non-shortcut-windows-7/553465/14 "2010-09-13T20:23:07Z")
> [@Silver Tyger Girl](#): > > It’s a Lenovo and no, there is no numpad of any kind. It looks like a normal keyboard with the number pad cut off (more or less). The only use of the Fn key is to give me access to the F-keys, that otherwise control volume, brightness, and all that stuff. If there was a numpad I wouldn’t have had to ask how to do it without one, would I? On my Lenovo X61, it’s the blue Fn key + SrcLock/Numlock, then P (the one with the asterisk printed below the letter). ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 10:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expand-subfolders-non-shortcut-windows-7/553465/15 "2010-09-13T22:27:19Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > > [@Silver Tyger Girl](#): > > > > It’s a Lenovo and no, there is no numpad of any kind. It looks like a normal keyboard with the number pad cut off (more or less). The only use of the Fn key is to give me access to the F-keys, that otherwise control volume, brightness, and all that stuff. If there was a numpad I wouldn’t have had to ask how to do it without one, would I? > > No need for the snark. Maybe we weren’t being clear, but the Fn key on most laptops also lets you substitute letters for numpad numbers – _even if you don’t have a separate numpad_. So Fn+U is Numpad 4, Fn+K is Numpad 2, etc. Some (all?) Lenovo laptops should have this too. If you tell us the exact model, it makes it possible to look up the particular keyboard layout of your computer and answer the question directly instead of hypothesizing. It’s a Lenovo Thinkpad. If there’s a numpad isn’t it printed below the letters? There is NO numpad. Seriously. Here, I found a [pic.](http://images.anandtech.com/doci/3886/lenovo-thinkpad-x100e-keyboard-small.jpg) Seriously guys. I can read a keyboard. ---
**Author:** ![Reply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/reply/32/15952_2.png) [@Reply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reply)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2010, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expand-subfolders-non-shortcut-windows-7/553465/16 "2010-09-13T23:52:08Z")
> [@Silver Tyger Girl](#): > > > [@Reply](#): > > > > No need for the snark. Maybe we weren’t being clear, but the Fn key on most laptops also lets you substitute letters for numpad numbers – _even if you don’t have a separate numpad_. So Fn+U is Numpad 4, Fn+K is Numpad 2, etc. Some (all?) Lenovo laptops should have this too. If you tell us the exact model, it makes it possible to look up the particular keyboard layout of your computer and answer the question directly instead of hypothesizing. > > It’s a Lenovo Thinkpad. If there’s a numpad isn’t it printed below the letters? There is NO numpad. Seriously. Here, I found a [pic.](http://images.anandtech.com/doci/3886/lenovo-thinkpad-x100e-keyboard-small.jpg) > > Seriously guys. I can read a keyboard. Thank you. It’s rare to come across a laptop without an embedded numpad, but you are correct; it seems like Lenovo decided to “modernize” their keyboard layout here and ditched the numpad. Apologies for not getting this sooner, but really, your attitude is uncalled for: Very often people just don’t know how to use the embedded keys and it wasn’t immediately clear that you had a special laptop. If you don’t want AutoHotkey running all the time, there are programs like [KeyTweak](http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/fid,23203-order,3-page,1-c,utilities/description.html) that can reassign a key to another one at the registry level. Do it once and it’s done; the program doesn’t have to keep running in the background. ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expand-subfolders-non-shortcut-windows-7/553465/17 "2010-09-14T01:36:30Z")
Is there a reason that you don’t just to hit the cursor right key? If the folder you want to expand is highlighted, it’ll expand it. Or perhaps I’m misunderstanding what you’re trying to do. ---
**Author:** ![Cerowyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/82dd89/32.png) [@Cerowyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerowyn)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expand-subfolders-non-shortcut-windows-7/553465/18 "2010-09-14T01:38:39Z")
> [@Cerowyn](#): > > Is there a reason that you don’t just to hit the cursor right key? If the folder you want to expand is highlighted, it’ll expand it. Or perhaps I’m misunderstanding what you’re trying to do. Ah, never mind. Reading failure – I missed that you want the open _all_ folders command. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expand-subfolders-non-shortcut-windows-7/553465/19 "2010-09-14T03:27:54Z")
> [@Reply](#): > > Apologies for not getting this sooner, but really, your attitude is uncalled for: Very often people just don’t know how to use the embedded keys and it wasn’t immediately clear that you had a special laptop. I would hardly call it ‘special’. I’m sorry, but I’ve been using computers since I could read basically. I use computers for a living, I’ve built computers, and I don’t see why I had to say _there is no numpad_ six different times. And I did it without swearing at all, which is somewhat amazing considering the weekend I’ve had. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2010, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expand-subfolders-non-shortcut-windows-7/553465/20 "2010-09-14T04:28:39Z")
> [@Silver Tyger Girl](#): > > I would hardly call it ‘special’. I’m sorry, but I’ve been using computers since I could read basically. I use computers for a living, I’ve built computers, and I don’t see why I had to say _there is no numpad_ six different times. And I did it without swearing at all, which is somewhat amazing considering the weekend I’ve had. For the same reason that helpdesk always starts off by asking you to verify that your power is on and cables are plugged in–because a decent percentage of the time, issues are PEBKAC. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/expand-subfolders-non-shortcut-windows-7/553465.md?page=2)