📁 Explorer Ctrl + F + N → New Folder

A Windhawk mod for Windows File Explorer. Make a folder — and name it in the same motion — without touching the mouse. Also does batches and reusable folder templates.

⌨️ F for Folder, N for Name. Hold Ctrl the whole time.

Works in any real File Explorer directory, sub-folders, and the Desktop. Non-filesystem spots (This PC, Quick access) are skipped.

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The gesture

flowchart LR
    A[Open File Explorer or Desktop] --> B[Hold Ctrl]
    B --> C[Tap F]
    C --> D[Tap N]
    D --> E{Next key?}
    E -->|Type a name, press Enter| F[One folder]
    E -->|Type a digit, rename then press Enter| G[Batch of N folders]
    E -->|Press a template letter| H[Create that template set]

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• Hold Ctrl for the entire gesture. Let go early and nothing is created.
• Esc cancels - the temporary folder is removed and nothing is created. (Pressing Enter on an empty name is what keeps the default New folder.)
• Only one shortcut is active at a time.

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Quick start

1. Click an empty spot in a folder or the Desktop.
2. Hold Ctrl → tap F → tap N.
3. Type a name → Enter. Done.

That is the whole thing. Batch and templates are the same gesture with a different last key.

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Requirements

Need	Detail
OS	Windows with File Explorer
Windhawk	Installed and running (windhawk.net)

Install

1. Open Windhawk → Explore.
2. Search for Explorer Ctrl+F+N to New Folder.
3. Click Install, then Enable.

Manual: Windhawk → Create new mod → paste the contents of ctrlg-group.wh.cpp → Compile → Enable.

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What each last key does

flowchart TD
    S[After Ctrl F N] --> Q{What you type}
    Q -->|Just a name| ONE[Creates one folder with that name]
    Q -->|A number like 5| MANY[Creates 5 numbered folders]
    Q -->|A template letter| TPL[Creates your saved folder set]
    Q -->|Nothing, then Enter| DEF[Creates the default New folder]

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One folder

Type a name, press Enter. Empty name falls back to New folder.

Batch — several at once

Type a number right after the gesture, then Enter. 5 makes five folders. Cap is 100.

Numbering never overwrites — existing folders are skipped and the batch continues past the highest number.

Batch pattern	Result for base New folder
New folder 1 (default)	New folder 1, New folder 2, New folder 3
New folder-01	New folder-01, New folder-02, New folder-03
New folder-001	New folder-001, New folder-002, New folder-003
New folder_01	New folder_01, New folder_02
New folder_001	New folder_001, New folder_002
New folder (01)	New folder (01), New folder (02)

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Folder templates

Make the same set of folders every time with one keypress. Press your trigger, then the template letter — no typing, no rename box.

Define templates in the mod settings, one per line:

key=Name=Folder1|Folder2|Folder3

Line you write	Press	Creates
i=Image=raw|jpg|png	i	raw, jpg, png
w=Work=src|docs|assets	w	src, docs, assets
p=Project=01 Brief|02 Assets|03 Final	p	01 Brief, 02 Assets, 03 Final

Rules

Rule	Meaning
key	One letter A–Z you press after the trigger. Case-insensitive, stored lowercase.
Name	A label for your reference only.
Folders	Split on the | pipe. Each piece is one folder. Spaces are kept exactly.
26 templates max	One per letter. Same key twice → the first line wins.
100 folders max	Per template.
Rejected names	Anything with \ / : * ? " < > | .., or control characters, is skipped — same rules as a typed folder name. Commas are allowed.
Never overwrites	Existing folders follow the Template name collisions setting.

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How it works under the hood

The keyboard hook stays non-blocking — it captures only the key and hands the work to a worker thread, which creates the folders and only then starts the rename. That ordering is what keeps naming reliable.

sequenceDiagram
    participant U as You
    participant H as Keyboard hook
    participant W as Worker thread
    participant X as File Explorer
    U->>H: Ctrl + F + N + last key
    H->>W: Post action, key only
    W->>X: Create folder or folders
    W->>X: Start inline rename or popup
    U->>X: Type name, press Enter
    X-->>U: Folder created and named

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Settings

Setting	Default	What it does
Shortcut	Ctrl+F+N	Pick one of 5: Ctrl+F+N, Ctrl+Shift+N, Ctrl+N, Ctrl+N+F, Ctrl+Q. Only one active at a time. (Ctrl+G is not here — it's the dedicated Group Creation key, see below.)
Name folders with a popup box	OFF	OFF (default) = Explorer's native inline rename box. ON = themed light/dark popup, type + Create. Both modes available; only affects Ctrl+F+N.
Multiple folders in one go	ON	Controls batches only. ON = type a number for a batch. OFF = one folder. Folder templates work either way — a template letter always fires.
Max folders per run	25	Cap per trigger, range 1–100.
Auto-resolve name clashes	ON	ON = numbers past existing names. OFF = only plain New folder.
Open the new folder after creating it	OFF	ON = browse into it in the same window. Single-folder only.
Type speed	Normal	Grace period before the box commits on its own. Normal ≈ 1.2s / 30s, Relaxed ≈ 2.5s / 60s, Patient ≈ 4s / 120s.
Batch numbering pattern	New folder 1	Number style for batches. 6 options.
Folder templates	(empty)	Your own folder sets. One key=Name=Folder1|Folder2 per line.
Template name collisions	Skip	For templates only: Skip existing, number a sibling, or stop (create nothing). Overrides Auto-resolve name clashes.
Group Creation (Ctrl+G)	ON	Master on/off for the Ctrl+G group creation feature. Ctrl+G always opens a popup first — type the folder name, pick Move/Copy, press Create; nothing is created until you do. OFF = Ctrl+G does nothing (Explorer keeps the key).
Group by Move or Copy	Copy	What Ctrl+G does with the selected items. Copy keeps the originals; Move relocates them. Flip it per-group with the popup's Move/Copy button.
When the destination folder already exists	Use existing	Only matters when a folder with the name you typed is already in the destination. Use existing drops the items into it (nothing overwritten — great for regrouping into the same target); Numbered leaves it alone and makes a fresh sibling (Trip, Trip 2, …); Cancel does nothing. (A same-named file inside the destination is the row below.)
When a file with the same name is already there	Ask	Controls the "Replace or Skip Files" case. Ask shows Windows' native box. Replace overwrites, no prompt. Skip keeps the existing file, no prompt. Compare shows the native box with Compare info for both files.
Fixed destination folder	(empty)	Optional. Blank = group into the selection's own parent using the name you type in the popup. Set a full path = Ctrl+G always groups straight into that folder (the typed name isn't used for the destination).
Open destination after grouping	OFF	ON = open the destination folder after grouping.

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Why Ctrl + F + N

	Ctrl+F+N	Ctrl+Shift+N	Ctrl+N	Ctrl+N+F	Ctrl+Q
Keys	Hold Ctrl, tap F then N	Windows' own New folder keys	Single press	Hold Ctrl, tap N then F	Single press
Keeps native Explorer shortcuts	✅ Ctrl+F search still works	✅	❌ replaces New window	❌ replaces New window	✅ uses a free key
Accidental-trigger risk	Low	Low	Higher	Medium	Higher

Pick Ctrl+F+N to keep every native Explorer shortcut intact, or Ctrl+Shift+N for the exact keys Windows already uses. Ctrl+Q is a free single-press key that doesn't collide with a native shortcut. (Ctrl+G is reserved for Group creation below and is not a New Folder trigger.)

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Group creation (Ctrl+G)

Grab a bunch of files/folders and drop them into one folder — without dragging.

1. Select the items in File Explorer.
2. Press Ctrl+G.
3. In the popup, review the selection, type the folder name (or leave blank to reuse the last target), pick Copy or Move, and confirm.

The popup shows the item count, the item list, the folder-name field, a Move/Copy toggle, and the destination plus the last target you used.

• Copy is the default (originals stay put); Move relocates them.
• If a folder with that name already exists, the default is to use it — perfect for repeatedly grouping into the same target. You can switch to a fresh numbered folder or cancel instead.
• If a file with the same name already exists in the destination (the "Replace or Skip Files" case), the default is to Ask with Windows' native box. Set it to Replace, Skip, or Compare to decide up front — see When a file with the same name is already there.
• Set an optional fixed destination to always group into one folder, or leave it blank to group into the selection's own parent.
• Open destination after grouping is off by default.
• Ctrl+G is dedicated to grouping — it is separate from the New Folder shortcut and never creates a plain folder. Turn the whole feature on/off with the Group Creation (Ctrl+G) setting.

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Auto Group — organize by extension (Ctrl+G)

In the same Ctrl+G popup, Auto Group sorts the selection into extension folders for you — no folder name to type.

1. Select the items, press Ctrl+G.
2. The footer shows [Auto Group (8)] [Group] [Cancel]. Auto Group is locked for 8 seconds — a dark pill shows an M:SS countdown (0:08 → 0:01) so you don't fire it by accident.
3. When it unlocks, click Auto Group, review the confirmation (destination, file count, Move/Copy, folder behavior), and confirm.

What it creates:

Files	Go to
.jpg, .jpeg	JPG
.png	PNG
.md	MD
.cpp	CPP
any extension	its UPPERCASE folder (no hardcoded list)
no extension	No Extension (optional)

• Where: the configured Fixed destination folder if set, otherwise the selection's common parent. If the selection spans several folders and no fixed destination is set, Auto Group safely cancels and tells you why. It never reuses the last typed name / last Group target.
• Copy/Move follows the popup's choice for files. Selected folders are left untouched by default; turn on Group selected folders to move them into All Folder (always a Move, even when files are Copied).
• Images layout: switch Auto Group folder layout to Images parent to nest image folders under an Images/ parent (Images/JPG, Images/PNG, …) while non-image folders stay at the root.
• Existing bucket folders are reused, never numbered or overwritten; a plain file blocking a bucket path is skipped safely; same-name files inside a bucket follow the same Ask / Replace / Skip / Compare rule as Group.

Auto Group settings (under the Group settings; the 8-second delay is a fixed safety rule, not a setting):

Setting	Default	What it does
Auto Group button	ON	Show the timed Auto Group button in the Ctrl+G popup.
Auto Group folder layout	Flat	Flat = extension folders at the destination root. Images parent = image folders nested under an Images parent.
Images parent folder name	Images	Parent folder used by the Images-parent layout.
Group selected folders into All Folder	OFF	OFF = leave selected folders untouched. ON = move the originally selected folders into All Folder (Auto Group only).
All Folder directory name	All Folder	Destination for selected folders when the option above is ON.
Group files without extensions	ON	Put extensionless files into the No Extension folder. OFF leaves them untouched.
No Extension directory name	No Extension	Folder name for files without a usable extension.
Custom Auto Group rules	(empty)	Route extensions into named buckets: one FolderName=ext1|ext2|ext3 rule per line.
Quick Copy/Move shortcuts (Ctrl+G then C or M)	OFF	Opt-in: Ctrl+G then C or M groups straight to the last-used destination.

Auto Group only ever touches the items you selected — it never sweeps in the folders it just created, and the ordinary Ctrl+G Group behaves exactly as before.

🧩 Custom Auto Group Rules

Add custom buckets under Settings → Auto Grouping → Custom Auto Group rules. Enter one rule per line using this format:

FolderName=ext1|ext2|ext3

Examples:

Rule	Extensions grouped
Photos=jpg|jpeg|png|gif|webp	🖼️ Images
Documents=pdf|doc|docx|txt|md	📄 Documents
Source Code=cpp|h|hpp|js|ts|py	💻 Source code
Archives=zip|7z|rar|tar|gz	📦 Archives

Matching and validation: Matching is case-insensitive, and jpeg is normalized to jpg. When multiple rules match an extension, the first rule wins. Unmatched extensions retain their default extension folders.

Safety: Invalid folder names, reserved Windows device names and duplicate rule names are rejected. Under the Images parent layout, mixed image/non-image rules are skipped to avoid ambiguous paths.

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⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts

These work inside the Ctrl+G popup, plus the global New Folder and Group triggers.

Shortcut	Action
🖱️ Mouse wheel	Scroll the Selected Items list.
↔️ Shift + wheel	Scroll the summary chips horizontally.
🔍 Ctrl + wheel	Switch between List, Large icons and Extra large icons.
↕️ Ctrl + E	Toggle compact/expanded content density.
📋 Copy | Move	Click a segment or focus the selector and press Left | Right.
🔀 Tab | Shift + Tab	Move between controls.
✅ Enter	Activate the focused action.
❌ Esc	Cancel the operation.
📁 Ctrl + F + N	Open New Folder.
🗂️ Ctrl + G	Open Group into Folder.
📋 Ctrl + G, then C	Direct Quick Copy, when enabled and a valid destination exists.
📦 Ctrl + G, then M	Direct Quick Move, when enabled and a valid destination exists.

⚡ Optional Quick Copy/Move (off by default)

Enable Quick Copy/Move shortcuts (Ctrl+G then C or M) in Settings. After grouping into a named folder at least once, press Ctrl + G, then C to copy or M to move directly to the last-used destination. Without a valid remembered destination, the normal Ctrl+G popup opens.

🛡️ Collision Handling and Safety

🛡️ Destination folders: Choose Use existing, Numbered or Cancel when the destination folder already exists. Existing folders are never overwritten.

📄 File conflicts: Choose Ask, Replace, Skip or Compare when a file with the same name already exists. Cancelled or failed operations are reported without partial changes.

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Author: Ashix · Mod id ctrlg-group