How to add the print directory feature to Windows Explorer

This article describes how to add the print directory feature, and how to enable printing of the directory listing from within Windows Explorer.

Applies to:   Windows 10 - all editions, Windows Vista
Original KB number:   272623

Summary

For more information about How to add the Print Directory feature for folders in Windows XP, in Windows Vista, or in Windows 7, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 321379 How to add the Print Directory feature for folders in Windows XP, in Windows Vista, or in Windows 7

More information

To add the print directory feature to Windows Explorer, follow these steps:

Step 1: Create the Printdir.bat file

To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type notepad, and then click OK.

2. Paste the following text into Notepad:

   @echo off  
   dir %1 /-p /o:gn > "%temp%\Listing"  
   start /w notepad /p "%temp%\Listing"  
   del "%temp%\Listing"  
   exit
   

3. On the File menu, click Exit, and then click Yes to save the changes.

4. In the Save As dialog box, type the following text in the File name box, and then click Save: %windir%\Printdir.bat

Note

If you receive a dialog box that states that you do not have permission to save in this location, you can save the file to the desktop. Next, you click Start, click Run, type %windir%, and then click OK. Then, you can copy the file from the desktop to the location.

Step 2: Edit the registry

Important

This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: 322756 How to back up and restore the registry in Windows

1. Click Start, click Run, type Notepad, and then click OK.

2. Type the following commands in Notepad.

   Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
   
   [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Shell]
   @="none"
   
   [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\Shell\Print_Directory_Listing]
   @="Print Directory Listing"
   
   [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Directory\shell\Print_Directory_Listing\command]
   @="Printdir.bat \"%1\""
   
   [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SOFTWARE\Classes\Directory]
   "BrowserFlags"=dword:00000008
   
   [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SOFTWARE\Classes\Directory\shell\Print_Directory_Listing]
   @="Print Directory Listing"
   
   [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SOFTWARE\Classes\Directory\shell\Print_Directory_Listing\command]
   @="Printdir.bat \"%1\""
   
   [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Shell\AttachmentExecute\{0002DF01-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]
   @=""
   
   [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\SOFTWARE\Classes\Directory]
   "EditFlags"="000001d2"
   

   On the File menu, click Save As.

3. In the Save in list, click Desktop.

4. In the File name box, type PrintDirectoryListing.reg, click All Files in the Save as type list, and then click Save.

5. On the desktop, double-click the LoggingOn.reg file to add the registry keys to the Windows registry.

6. Click OK in the message box.