<Tr> <Th_colspan="2"> Related components </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> Start menu </Td> </Tr> <P> File Explorer, previously known as Windows Explorer, is a file manager application that is included with releases of the Microsoft Windows operating system from Windows 95 onwards . It provides a graphical user interface for accessing the file systems . It is also the component of the operating system that presents many user interface items on the monitor such as the taskbar and desktop . Controlling the computer is possible without Windows Explorer running (for example, the File Run command in Task Manager on NT - derived versions of Windows will function without it, as will commands typed in a command prompt window). </P> <P> Windows Explorer was first included with Windows 95 as a replacement for File Manager, which came with all versions of Windows 3. x operating systems . Explorer could be accessed by double - clicking the new My Computer desktop icon, or launched from the new Start Menu that replaced the earlier Program Manager . There is also a shortcut key combination: Windows key + E. Successive versions of Windows (and in some cases, Internet Explorer) introduced new features and capabilities, removed other features, and generally progressed from being a simple file system navigation tool into a task - based file management system . </P>

Why is windows explorer called a file manager