How to open multiple files at once in Windows 10

Matthew Adams
by Matthew Adams
Windows & Software 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... Read more
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Open multiple files at once in Windows 10
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You may often need to open multiple files on your Windows 10 PC. So, it would be great if File Explorer included a file list feature with which you could set up saved lists that you could click to open all files included in them.

Then you could open multiple images, documents, music, spreadsheets, and even .exe files within the saved list with a single click.

Well, Microsoft has not incorporated such a feature into File Explorer. Nevertheless, you can still set up file lists with which to open multiple files at once. This is how you can open multiple files at once with a batch file or third-party software on Windows 10.

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

1. Set up a batch file

  1. To open multiple files at once with a batch file, press the Windows key + S hotkey.
  2. Enter ‘Notepad’ in the search box, and then select to open that text editor.
  3. Enter ‘@echo off’ at the top of the text file as in the snapshot shown directly below.the first line in the batch file How to open multiple files at once on Windows 10
  4. Then enter the open file command as follows: start <file title> <full file path>. For example, to open the CCleaner software, users would enter something like start “CCleaner64” “C:Program Files (x86)CCleanerCCleaner64.exe” in the text editor as shown directly below.The start CCleaner command How to open multiple files at once on Windows 10
  5. 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, click File and Save As.
  6. Select All Files on the Save as type drop-down menu.
  7. Then enter ‘File list.bat’ in the File name text box.Save As window How to open multiple files at once on Windows 10
  8. Select to save the batch to the desktop.
  9. Press the Save button.
  10. Then click the File list.bat file on the desktop, which will open all the files you programmed it to.
  11. To assign a hotkey to a file list batch, right-click it and select Create a shortcut. That will add a duplicate batch file shortcut to the desktop.
  12. Users can move the original batch file saved to the desktop into a folder, but do not delete it.
  13. Then right-click the batch file shortcut on the desktop and select Properties.Shortcut tab How to open multiple files at once on Windows 10
  14. Click in the Shortcut key box on the Shortcut tab. Then press a keyboard key to set up a Ctrl + Alt shortcut for it.
  15. Click the Apply and OK buttons. Thereafter, press the Ctrl + Alt hotkey for the batch file to open its file list.

If you’re also interested in scheduling batch files in Windows 10, check out this simple guide and quickly learn how to do it.

2. Open multiple files with Instant File Opener

  1. Alternatively, users can open multiple files at once from a list with Instant File Opener. Click Free Download on the Instant File Opener webpage to save the setup file for that software.
  2. Then open the installer to add Instant File Opener to Windows.
  3. Open the Instant File Opener window shown directly below.Instant File Opener How to open multiple files at once on Windows 10
  4. Click the Add file, folder, or program to the list button.
  5. Then users can select a few files to add to the list with Ctrl key.
  6. Press the OK button.
  7. Press the Save list disk button after adding all required files to it.
  8. Select to save the file to the desktop.
  9. Enter a title for the file.
  10. Click the Save button.
  11. Thereafter, users will spot an IFOL file on the desktop. Click that to open its file list window shown directly below.File list window How to open multiple files at once on Windows 10
  12. Then users can click Open All.
  13. To open files in the list during startup, select the Open at System Startup option on Instant File Opener window.Open at System Startup option How to open multiple files at once on Windows 10
  14. Users can also select Auto-Run on the List Type menu to automatically open all files without the list window opening.

So, it’s relatively straightforward to set up a file list even with a batch file. You can set up numerous file lists to quickly open any combination of software, image, document, music, and spreadsheet files at 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.

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