Chapter 11
This chapter shows you how to work with the files on your computer. These easy and efficient methods show you how to view, select, copy, move, rename, and delete files, as well as how to restore accidentally deleted files, how to copy files to a CD or DVD, and how to extract files from a compressed folder.
Extract Files from a Compressed Folder
View Your Files
You can view the files you create, as well as those stored on your hard drive that you download and copy to your computer. If you want to open or work with those files, you first need to view them. Windows stores files on your hard drive using special storage areas called folders. A folder is a location on your hard drive that contains one or more related files. You can also store folders within folders, and these nested folders are known as subfolders. To view your files, you usually have to open one or more folders and subfolders.
View Your Files
Click Desktop.
).Windows displays the This PC window.
Double-click the folder you want to view.
Windows displays the contents of the folder, including subfolders.
If the files you want to view are stored in a subfolder, double-click the subfolder.
Windows displays the contents of the subfolder.
TIPS
How do I view the files I have on a disc, flash drive, memory card, or other media?
Insert the media into the appropriate drive or slot on your computer. If you see the AutoPlay notification, click it and then click Open folder to view files. Otherwise, open File Explorer, click This PC, and then double-click the drive or device that contains the files you want to view. Windows displays the contents of the media.
How do I navigate folders and subfolders?
Once you open a subfolder, you can usually return to its containing folder by clicking the name of the containing folder in the address bar. Otherwise, click the Back button (
) to retrace your steps.
Select a File
Before you can do any work with one or more files, you first have to select the files so that Windows knows which ones you want to work with. For example, before you can move files to a new location, you must first select the files you want to work with. You can select just a single file, two or more files, or group of files, or all the files in a folder. Although you learn specifically about selecting files in this section, the technique for selecting folders is the same.
Select a File
Select a Single File
Open the folder containing the file.
Click the file.
Open the folder containing the files.
Click the first file you want to select.
Press and hold 
and click each of the other files you want to select.
Select a Group of Files
Open the folder containing the files.
Position the mouse pointer (
) slightly above and slightly to the left of the first file in the group.
Click and drag the mouse pointer () down and to the right until all the files in the group are selected.
Select All Files
Open the folder containing the files.
Click the Home tab.
Select all
A File Explorer selects all the files in the folder.
Note: A quick way to select all the files in a folder is to press +
.
TIP
Depending on the situation, there are a few ways to deselect files:
• To deselect a single file from a multiple-file selection, press and hold and click the file that you want to deselect.
• To deselect all files, click an empty area within the folder.
• To reverse the selection — deselect the selected files and select the deselected files — click the Home tab, and then click Invert selection.
Change the File View
You can configure how Windows displays the files in a folder by changing the file view. This enables you to see larger or smaller icons or the details of each file.
You can choose a view such as Small Icons to see more files in the folder window. A view such as Large Icons or Extra Large Icons enables you to view images as thumbnail versions of each picture. If you want to see more information about the files, choose either the Tiles view or Details view.
Change the File View
Open the folder containing the files you want to view.
Click the View tab.
In the Layout section, click More (
).
Windows displays the Layout gallery.
Click the view you want.
A File Explorer changes the file view (this example shows Tiles view).
Preview a File
Windows enables you to view the contents of some files without opening them. This makes it easier to select the file you want to work with because it means you do not have to run an application to see the file's contents. Previewing the file is faster and uses fewer system resources. Windows previews only certain types of files, such as text documents, rich text documents, web pages, images, and videos.
Preview a File
Open the folder containing the file you want to preview.
Click the View tab.
ClickPreview pane
Click a file.
B The file's contents appear in the Preview pane.
C You can click and drag the left border of the Preview pane to change its size.
D When you are finished with the Preview pane, you can click the View tab's Preview pane button to close it.
Copy a File
You can use Windows to make an exact copy of a file. This is useful if you want to back up an important file by making an extra copy on a flash drive, memory card, or other removable disk. Similarly, you might require a copy of a file if you want to send the copy on a disk to another person. This section shows you how to copy a single file, but the steps also work if you select multiple files. You can also use these steps to copy a folder.
Copy a File
Open the folder containing the file you want to copy.
Select the file.
Click the Home tab.
Click Copy.
Windows places a copy of the file in a special memory location called the Clipboard.
Open the location you want to use to store the copy.
Click the Home tab.
Paste
A Windows inserts a copy of the file in the location.
Move a File
When you need to store a file in a new location, the easiest way is to move the file from its current folder to another folder on your computer. When you save a file for the first time, you specify a folder on your PC's hard drive. This original location is not permanent; you can move the file to another location on the hard drive. This section shows you how to move a single file, but the steps also work if you select multiple files or move a folder.
Move a File
Open the folder containing the file you want to move.
Select the file.
Click the Home tab.
Click Cut.
Windows removes the file from the folder and places it in the Clipboard.
Click the new location you want to use for the file.
Click the Home tab.
Paste
A Windows inserts the file in the new location.
Rename a File
You can change the name of a file, which is useful if the current name of the file does not accurately describe the file's contents. By giving your document a descriptive name, you make it easier to find the file later.
Make sure that you rename only those documents that you have created or that someone else has given to you. Do not rename any of the Windows system files or any files associated with your programs, or your computer may behave erratically, or even crash.
Rename a File
Open the folder that contains the file you want to rename.
Click the file.
Click the Home tab.
Note: In addition to renaming files, you can also rename any folders that you have created.
Click Rename (or press 
).
A text box appears around the filename.
Type the new name you want to use for the file.
Note: If you decide that you do not want to rename the file after all, press 
to cancel the operation.
Note: The name you type can be up to 255 characters long, but it cannot include the following characters: < >, ?: “ *.
Press 
or click an empty section of the folder.
The new name appears under the file's icon.
Create a New File
You can quickly create a new file directly within a file folder. This method is faster, and often more convenient, than running a program's New command. In Windows, you can create several different file types, the most important of which are the Bitmap Image (a drawing), Rich Text Document (a WordPad file), Text Document (a Notepad file), and Compressed (Zipped) Folder (which combines multiple files in a single file, as described in the section, “Extract Files from a Compressed Folder”). You can also create a new folder.
Create a New File
Open the folder in which you want to create the file.
Click the Home tab.
Click New item.
Click the type of file you want to create.
A If you click Folder, Windows creates a new subfolder.
Note: The New item menu on your system may contain more items than you see here because some programs install their own file types.
B An icon for the new file appears in the folder.
Type the name you want to use for the new file.
Delete a File
Press
When you have a file that you no longer need, instead of leaving the file to clutter your hard drive, you can delete it. Make sure that you delete only those documents that you have created or that someone else has given to you. Do not delete any of the Windows system files or any files associated with your programs, or your computer may behave erratically or crash.
Delete a File
Open the folder that contains the file you want to delete.
Click the file you want to delete.
Note: If you need to remove more than one file, select all the files you want to delete.
Click the Home tab.
Click the top half of the Delete button.
Note: Another way to select the Delete command is to press 
.
A Windows removes the file from the folder.
Note: Another way to delete a file is to click and drag it to the desktop's Recycle Bin icon.
Restore a Deleted File
If you delete a file in error, Windows enables you to restore the file by placing it back in the folder from which you deleted it. You can restore a deleted file because Windows stores each deleted file in a special folder called the Recycle Bin, where the file stays for a few days or a few weeks, depending on how often you empty the bin or how full the folder becomes.
Restore a Deleted File
Double-click the desktop Recycle Bin icon.
The Recycle Bin folder appears.
Click the file you want to restore.
Click the Manage tab.
Click Restore the selected items.
The file disappears from the Recycle Bin and reappears in its original folder.
Add a File to Your SkyDrive
If you are using Windows under a Microsoft account, then as part of that account you get a free online storage area called SkyDrive. You can use the SkyDrive app to add any of your files to your SkyDrive. This is useful if you are going to be away from your computer but still require access to a file. Because the SkyDrive is accessible anywhere you have web access, you can view and work with your file without using your computer.
Add a File to Your SkyDrive
On the Start screen, click SkyDrive.
Click the SkyDrive folder in which you want to store a file.
Right-click the screen.
The application bar appears.
Click Add items.
Click the location 
.
Click This PC.
Select the folder that contains the file that you want to upload.
The SkyDrive app displays a list of the files in the selected folder.
Click the file that you want to send to your SkyDrive.
Click Copy to SkyDrive.
The SkyDrive app uploads the file.
Extract Files from a Compressed Folder
If someone sends you a file via e-mail, or if you download a file from the Internet, the file often arrives in a compressed form, which means the file actually contains one or more files that have been compressed to save space. To use the files on your computer, you need to extract them from the compressed file. Because a compressed file can contain one or more files, it acts like a kind of folder. Therefore, Windows calls such files compressed folders, zipped folders, or Zip archives. You can view these files or extract them from the folder.
Extract Files from a Compressed Folder
View Compressed Folder Files
In File Explorer, open the folder containing the compressed folder.
A The compressed folder usually appears as a folder icon with a zipper.
Double-click the compressed folder.
B File Explorer displays the contents of the compressed folder.
Note: File Explorer is only displaying the contents of a compressed folder; it has not extracted the files. To extract the files, follow the steps in the next subsection.
Extract Compressed Folder Files
In File Explorer, open the folder containing the compressed folder.
Click the compressed folder.
Click the Extract tab.
Click Extract all.
The Select a Destination and Extract Files dialog box of the Extract Wizard appears.
Type the location of the folder into which you want to extract the files.
C You can also click Browse and choose the folder.
If you want to open the folder into which you extracted the files, click Show extracted files when complete (
changes to 
)
Click Extract.
Windows extracts the files.
TIP
How can I create a compressed folder?
Select the files and folders you want to store in the compressed folder.
Right-click any selected item.
Click Send to.
Click Compressed (zipped) folder.
The compressed folder appears.
Burn Files to a CD or DVD
If your computer has a recordable CD or DVD drive, and you have a CD or DVD disc that can be used for recording data, you can copy — or burn — files and folders to the recordable disc. This enables you to store a large amount of data in a single place for convenient transport and storage. Burning files to a CD or DVD is also an easy and efficient method for backing up a few crucial files. You can also burn files to a CD or DVD to share with another person who does not have an Internet connection.
Burn Files to a CD or DVD
Insert a recordable disc into your recordable CD or DVD drive.
The AutoPlay notification appears.
Click the notification.
If you have never used the disc for burning files, the Burn a Disc dialog box appears.
Type a title for the disc.
Click Like a USB flash drive (
changes to 
).
Click Next.
Windows formats the disc and displays a dialog box to show you the progress.
When the format is complete, the AutoPlay notification appears, but you can ignore it this time.
Open the folder containing the files you want to copy to the disc.
Select the files.
A The status bar shows you the total size of the selection.
Burn Files to a CD or DVD (continued)
Traditionally, CDs and DVDs only allow you to burn files to them once, and you can then no longer burn any more files to the disc. However, Windows supports a different burning mode called Live File System that enables you to burn files to a disc multiple times, similarly to copying files multiple times to a USB flash drive.
With the Windows method for burning files to a CD or DVD, you only need to format the disc once. After that, you can burn more files to the disc, delete files from the disc, and more.
Burn Files to a CD or DVD (continued)
Click the Share tab.
Click Burn to disc.
Note: If you want to copy everything in the folder to the disc, do not select any file or folder and click Burn to disc.
A Windows burns the files to the disc.
B Windows opens the disc and displays the copied files.
Repeat steps 8 to 10 to burn more files to the disc.
Right-click the disc.
Click Close session.
Windows closes the disc session to allow the disc to be used on other computers.
C This message appears when the disc is closed.
When the Disc Ready message appears, click the disc.
Click the Manage tab.
Click Eject.
Windows ejects the disc.
TIP
I want to start over with a CD-RW or DVD-RW disc. Is there an easy way to erase the disc?
Yes. Follow these steps:
Open File Explorer.
Click Computer.
Click the disc icon.
Click the Drive tab.
Click Format.
The Format dialog box appears.
In the Volume Label text box, type a new disc name.
Click Start.
Windows warns all data will be erased.