Can I make Windows shift focus to folders opened from the left-side bar?

[Randomex]

Here's what I mean.
I open File Explorer (Windows 10) and click on the Documents library in the left-side bar, and it opens.
My highlight (I don't know the right term) remains on "Documents" in the left-side bar; if I press the Down
key now, my highlight moves down to Downloads. How can I make it so that my highlight automatically
shifts to the newly opened folder, as it does when you are in one folder and click through to another?

[etech0]

press Tab

[Randomex]

automatically shifts

press Tab

[etech0]

Not that I know of

[Yo ssi]

If you give more background of what your actually trying to do, we may be able to help.

[Jojo202]

If you give more background of what your actually trying to do, we may be able to help.

I think he means:
he likes to use his keyboard to navigate his computer. he opens file explorer, and chooses a folder from the navigation pane, and then uses the arrows to select a folder. the problem is that the focus is still in the navigation pane and not in the main window.

[AsherO]

I think he means:
he likes to use his keyboard to navigate his computer. he opens file explorer, and chooses a folder from the navigation pane, and then uses the arrows to select a folder. the problem is that the focus is still in the navigation pane and not in the main window.

No, because he could tab from his keyboard, and tab wasn’t a satisfactory solution.

[Randomex]

press Tab

That was actually useful. I hadn't realized I could do that,
despite often using Tab that way in another context. Thanks.

tab wasn’t a satisfactory solution.

No solution should be necessary. This behavior seems ridiculous. When I go to a folder,
shouldn't it be assumed that it is because I want to interact with the files in that folder?

[AsherO]

That was actually useful. I hadn't realized I could do that,
despite often using Tab that way in another context. Thanks.

No solution should be necessary. This behavior seems ridiculous. When I go to a folder,
shouldn't it be assumed that it is because I want to interact with the files in that folder?

No, you can only be parked on on “place” at any given time.

When you’re parked in the navigation tree in the sidebar, you might want to use the left/right arrows to expand/contract any given folders, or up/down to navigate within the tree. If it popped you into any given folder as soon as you parked on it in the navigation tree, using the cursor arrows will navigate the files in the file pane, which might not be what the user wants.

[Randomex]

When I go to a folder

"Go to" meant "Set my current window to" (by pressing Enter or left-clicking), not "highlight."

[Yo ssi]

May want to consider using Linux (not recommended)