Understanding
how to work with files and folders is an important part of using
computer. Once you understand how files and folders work, you’ll use them all
the time. In this lesson, we’ll show you the absolute basics of working with files, including how to open files, move your files into folders, and delete files.
What is a file?
There are
many different types of files you
can use. For example, MS Word documents, digital photos, digital music, and
digital videos are all types of files. You might even think of a file as a digital version of a real-world thing
you can interact with on your computer. When you use different applications,
you’ll often be viewing, creating, or editing files.
Files are
usually represented by an icon. In
the image below, you can see a few different types of files below the Recycle
Bin on the desktop.
What is a
folder?
Windows uses
folders to help you organize files.
You can put files inside a folder,
just like you would put documents inside a real folder. In the image below, you
can see some folders on the desktop.
File explorer
You can view
and organize files and folders using a built-in-application known as File Explorer (called Windows Explorer in Windows 7 and
earlier versions).
To open File
Explorer, click the File Explorer
icon on the taskbar, or double-click any folder on your desktop. A new File
Explorer window will appear. Now you’re ready to start working with your files
and folders.
From File
Explorer, double-click a folder to open
it. You can then see all of the files stored in that folder.
Notice that
you can also see the location of a
folder in the address bar near the
top of the window.
To open a file:
There are
two main ways to open a file:
▶ Find the file on your computer and double-click it. This will open the file in its default application. In our example,
we’ll open a Microsoft Word document (Cover
Letter.docx), which will open in Microsoft
Word.
▶ Open the application, then use the application to open
the file. Once the application is open, you can go to the file menu at the top of the window and
select Open.
Moving and
deleting files
As you begin
using your computer, you will start to collect more and more files, which can
make it more difficult to find the files you needed. Fortunately, Windows
allows you to move files to
different folders and delete files you no longer use.
To move a file:
It’s easy to
move a file from one location to another. For example, you might have a file on
the desktop that you want to move to
your Documents folder.
1. Click and drag the file to desired
location.
2. Release your mouse. The file will
appear in the new location. In this example, we have opened the folder too see
the file in its new location.
v You can use this same technique to move an entire folder. Note that moving
a folder will also move all of the files within that folder.
To create a new
folder:
1.
Within File Explorer, locate and select the New folder button. You can also Right-click where you want the folder to appear, then select New>Folder.
2.
The new folder will appear. Type the desired name for the folder and press Enter.
In our example, we’ll call it School
Documents.
3.
The new folder will be created. You can now move files into this folder.
To rename a file
or folder:
You can
change the name of any file or folder. A unique name will make it easier to
remember what type of information is saved in the file or folder.
1.
Click the file or folder, wait
about one second, and click
again. An editable next field will appear.
2.
Type the desired name on your keyboard and press Enter. The name will be changed.
v You can also right-click the folder and select rename from the menu that appears.
To delete a file
or folder:
If you no
longer need to use a file, you can delete it. When you delete a file, it is
moved to the Recycle Bin. If you
change your mind, you can move the file from the Recycle Bin back to its
original location. If you’re sure want to permanently delete the file, you will
need to empty the Recycle Bin.
1.
Click and drag the file to the Recycle
Bin icon on the desktop. You can
also click the file to select it and press the Delete key on your keyboard.
2.
To permanently delete the file, right-click the recycle Bin icon and select Empty
Recycle Bin. All files in the Recycle Bin will be permanently deleted.
Ø Note that deleting a folder will also
delete all of the files within that folder.
Selecting
multiple files
Now that you
know the basics, here are few tips to help you move your files even faster.
Selecting more than one file:
There are a
few ways to select more than one file at
a time:
▶ If you’re viewing your files as icons, you can click and drag the mouse to draw a box
around the files you want to select. When you’re done, release the mouse; the
files will be selected. You can now move, copy, or delete all of these files at
the same time.
▶ To select specific
files from a folder, press and hold the Control key on your keyboard, then click the files you want to
select.
▶ To select a group of
files from a folder, click the first file, press and hold the Shift key on your keyboard, then click
the last file. All of the files between the first and last ones will be
selected.
Selecting all
files
If you want
to select all files in a folder at
the same time, open the folder in File Explorer and press Ctrl+A (press and hold the Control
key on your keyboard, then press A).
All of the files in the folder will be selected.
v Ctrl+A is an example of a keyboard shortcut.
Shortcuts
If you have
a file or folder you use frequency, you can save time by creating a shortcut on the desktop. Instead of
navigating windows to the file or folder each time you want to use it, you can
simply double-click the shortcut to open it. A shortcut will have a small arrow
in the lower-left corner of the icon.
Note that
creating a shortcut does not create
a duplicate copy of the folder; it’s simply a way to access the folder more
quickly. If you delete a shortcut, it will not delete the actual folder or files
it contains. Also note that coping a shortcut onto a flash drive will not work;
if you want to bring a file with you, you’ll need to navigate to actual
location of the file and copy it to the flash drive.
To create a
shortcut:
1.
Locate and right-click the desired folder, then select Send to Desktop (create shortcut).
2.
A shortcut to the folder will appear on the desktop. Notice the arrow in
the lower-left corner of the icon. You can now double-click the shortcut to
open the folder at any time.
v You can also hold the Alt key on your keyboard, then click
and drag folder at any time.
