Learn Easy Steps: Manage Your Files and Folders

Created Feb. 7, 2024 by Clarity Innovations

Learn: Easy Steps

Activity Card: Manage Your Files and Folders

When you work regularly on the computer you start creating a number of files which may contain important data and information regarding various aspects of your professional and personal activities. There could be letters, account statements, presentations, drafts of visiting cards, photographs, videos, and many other things. A file can represent anything you create or load onto your computer. Just as with any filing system, it is important to store your files systematically so that they can be retrieved easily when required. In fact, the way you organize your files on a computer can have a direct effect on how efficiently you run your office or your personal business.

Just like physical files are stored properly in filing cabinets for easy retrieval,  files on the computer can also be organized and stored systematically in different folders.

Organizing Files and Folders

You can put all files which are of a particular category into one folder, and name the folder
appropriately. It is better to name the folder in such a way that it helps you to understand the nature of the files present inside that folder.

Operating systems like Windows* will help you manage and store your files systematically. A
computerized folder is like a container or a filing cabinet that can hold files and even other folders. A folder within a folder is known as a subfolder. The symbol is the icon of a folder.

The folder on the computer is similar to a physical folder that is used to store papers and documents. All folders look the same except for their titles. Creating Folders and subfolders is a way to keep things orderly and tidy and makes retrieving information easy.

Let us look at a simple activity of creating a file system to store various documents related to running a small business and try a few simple tasks using these files and folders. A hierarchical file structure that can be followed to store various documents has been depicted in the example below.


Here, there is a folder called “Documents” which has been created by the operating system. You will notice that inside the folder “Documents” there are subfolders for Advertisement & Publicity, Employee Details, and Invoices. In the same folder is a file for Customer Details. The file structure on your screen will look like this after you have created the folders in the structure.

Steps on How to Manage Files and Folders

Create Folders within the “Documents” folder

  1. Click on the start button . In the menu that appears click on “Documents.”
  2. The folder will open. Create a new folder named Advertisement and Publicity in it.
  3. Inside “Documents” folder create two more folders “Employee details” and “Invoices.”
  4. Double click the folder “Advertisement and Publicity” to open.
  5. Inside it create two more folders “Advertisement” and “Flyers & Posters.”
  6. Click the close button to come back to the “Documents” folder.

Create a File

After creating a folder, you can move already existing files into it or create new files within the folder. Suppose you want to create a spreadsheet file to capture the bill details of the customers you are dealing with inside the folder called “Invoices,” the steps to be followed will be as follows:

  1. Click on start > Documents.
  2. Double click the folder Invoices to open it.
  3. Right click anywhere on the white space; click New  > Microsoft Office Excel* Worksheet on the shortcut menu.
  4. Notice that a new file icon will appear in your folder.
  5. Type the name of the file as “Sent Bills details.”
  6. Alternatively you can create your spreadsheet file using your normal spreadsheet software and save it in this folder.
  7. In the same manner create “Payment Received details” files.
  8. Click the close button to come back to “Documents” folder.
  9. Now open the folder Advertisement and Publicity > Advertisement.
  10. Right click anywhere on the white space; click New  > Microsoft Office Word* Document on the shortcut menu.
  11. A new file icon will appear in your folder.
  12. Type the name “Newspaper Advertisement” for the Word file. Note: Alternatively, you can create your document using your normal word processing software and save it in this folder.

When you save a document using any of the Office* applications, it gets automatically saved in the “Documents” folder if you do not specify the location where you want to save the file.

When you save any picture file using Paint* application or from Internet, it gets automatically saved in the “Pictures” folder if you do not specify the location where you want to save the file.

Rename Files and Folders

  1. Change the name of the folder “Invoices” to “Billing” in the “Documents” folder.

Move Files and Folder

Suppose you want to move a file called “customer details” from the Desktop to the “Documents” folder.

  1. Move the file customer details from Desktop to “Documents.”
  2. Click the close button to return to the desktop.

Copy Files and Folder

Suppose you want to copy the file “Flyer” from the folder called “Pictures” to the newly created folder called “Flyers and Posters.”

  1. Click on start button and then click on “Pictures.”                                                                                                                                     
  2. Click on the file named “Flyer” and then click on the “Edit” menu of the window.
  3. Click copy to folder.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
  4. From the copy items box select Documents > Advertisement and Publicity > Flyers & Posters.
  5. Click copy button  


Delete Files and Folders

  1. Click on start button, in the menu click Documents.
  2. Double click the folder Advertisement and Publicity > Flyers & Posters to open.
  3. Delete the file “Flyer” from this folder.

Restore Files and Folders

The Recycle bin holds all the deleted items. If you delete an item accidentally, you can restore it to its original location by using the options available in the Recycle Bin.

  1. To restore the file named “Flyer.” 
  2. Double-click the Recycle Bin icon on the desktop.
  3. The Recycle Bin window appears.
  4. Select the file “Flyer.”                                                                                                                                                                                  
  5. On the toolbar click “Restore this item.” Alternatively, you can right click on the file you want to restore and select “Restore.” The items are restored to their original location.

Search for Files and Folders

When you are not able to remember the folder in which you stored the file named “Poster,” you can use the search command to locate the file.

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