CHAPTER 3

Windows File
Management
LEARNING OUTCOMES WORDS TO KNOW
After you have read this chapter, you should be able to: application file
 Describe how Windows stores files. data file
 Identify parts of the File Explorer window and use it drive
to navigate files and folders on your computer.
 Search, copy, move, delete, and rename files. executable file
 Create and use shortcuts. file explorer
 Identify file types.
file extension
filename
file path
OVERVIEW file system
This chapter explains how to use Windows tools to folder
manage files. You’ll learn how to navigate the Windows
hard delete
file structure, change its view settings and search, copy,
move, delete, and rename files. You’ll also learn how to Recycle Bin
create folders and shortcuts as well identify file types.
root directory
shortcut
subfolder
CONTENTS
system file
Understanding how files are stored
Using file explorer
Managing files
Understanding file types

18
3.1 Understanding How Files Are Stored
Definition: Files, folders and drives
A file is a collection of data stored together.
A document, a photo of your pet, a recording of your favorite song and a video demonstrating
how to bake a cake from scratch—are all examples of files. You store files in folders, which are
containers for related files, and on drives, which are storage devices.

Drives are assigned a drive letter and includes a colon (:) after each drive letter. The hard drive containing the
operating system is named drive C: by default. The remaining drives can have any other letter from D to Z.
For example, a DVD drive might be drive D and USB drives might be drive E, drive F, and drive G.
Windows organizes the folders and files in a structure, or hierarchy, called a file system. At the top of the
file system is the root directory, which is where Windows stores folders and important files that it needs when
you turn on the computer. These folders contain other folders, also called subfolders, in which you can store
your own files.

FIGURE 3-1 Basic file system

3.2 Using File Explorer

Definition: File explorer
File explorer is the default file manager in Windows. It displays the contents of a storage device
using icons to represent drives, folders, and files. File Explorer is used to navigate the Windows
file system and perform other file management tasks.

FIGURE 3-2 File explorer

Module 1 Computing Fundamentals 19

TABLE 3-1 File Explorer Parts Description
1 Navigation pane From the Navigation pane, you can view your computer’s file and
folder structure and access files and folders
2 Forward and Back Enables you to go to folders you’ve already opened. If you go to a
buttons different folder, you can choose the Back button to return to the last
folder you accessed
3 Quick Access Toolbar Provides shortcut icons to most commonly used commands
4 Ribbon Contains tabs with buttons and other tools for managing files; by
default, the Ribbon is collapsed, though you can expand it
5 Address bar Use the address bar to enter or select a location. Tap or click a part of
the path to go to that level, or tap or click at the end of the path to
select the path for copying
6 Search box Searches for items in the current folder or location. The search begins
as soon as you begin typing – so if you enter "B," for example, all the
files with names starting with the letter B will appear in the right
pane
7 Right pane Shows you the files and folders in the current folder (the folder you
selected in the Navigation pane)
8 Status bar Displays information about a selected folder and its contents, such as
the total number of items in the folder, the number of items selected
and total file size

Folder Navigation
To navigate folders, you can:
 Click a folder or drive icon to select it in the navigation pane, its contents are displayed in the right
pane.
 Click the expand (a small white
triangle) or collapse (a small black
triangle) icons to display or hide
folders and subfolders.
 Double-click any drive or folder in the
right pane to display its contents. FIGURE 3-3 Expanding and collapsing folders
 Double-click any file in the right pane to open it.

Changing View Settings

Using File Explorer, you can view the contents of a folder in eight ways: Extra large icons, Large icons, Medium
icons, Small icons, List, Details, Tiles, and Content.
To change the File Explorer view setting:
 Go to View tab on the Ribbon. In the Layout group, select one of the view options.
 To quickly switch to Details view or Large icons view, you can use the view buttons on the status bar.

Navigating Data Files

To find files quickly, you need to know the file’s complete path called file path which is a notation that indicates
where a file is stored on the computer. For example, the file path E:\Module 1\Chapter 3\Basics.docx has the
following parts:
 E: — The drive name followed by a colon, which indicates a drive rather than a folder
 Module 1 — A top-level folder on drive E
 Chapter 3 — A subfolder in the Module 1 folder
 Basics.docx — The full filename of the file
A full filename includes three parts:
 the main part of the filename, which is provided by the creator of the file, e.g. Basics
 the dot or period, which separates the main part from the file extension
 the file extension, which is usually three or four characters that identify the file type, e.g. docx which
identifies the file as one created in Microsoft Word.

Chapter 3 Windows File Management 20

3.3 Managing Files
Creating Folders
To create a folder, follow these steps:
1. Click the Home tab on the Ribbon, and then in the New group, click the New folder button.
Alternatively, you can right-click anywhere in the right pane of the File Explorer window and select
New > Folder from the shortcut menu; or click the New Folder icon on the Quick Access Toolbar.

A folder icon appears in the right pane. The label “New folder” is selected below the folder so you can
type to replace the text and give the folder a new name. A folder name can have up to 255 characters
and should be descriptive. Any character is allowed, except / \ : * ? “ < > and |.
2. Type a name for the folder and press the Enter key.

Copying and Moving Files and Folders

Copying places a duplicate of a file in a new location that you specify, which is the destination folder. Moving
removes a file from its current location and places it in the destination folder.
To copy or move a file or folder, follow these steps:
1. Select a file or folder by clicking on it.
2. Right-click on the selected file or folder and select Copy or Cut from the shortcut menu. Alternatively,
you can use the keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl+C for Copy command and Ctrl+X for Cut command.
3. Navigate to a new location or destination folder.
4. Right-click on the selected location and select Paste from the shortcut menu. Alternatively, you can
press Ctrl+V for Paste command.

Deleting Files and Folders

To delete a file or folder:
 Select the file or folder to be deleted in either the navigation or right pane. Then press the DELETE
key on the keyboard.
 Alternatively, right-click on the selected file or folder then select Delete from the shortcut menu.
Deleted files are stored in the Recycle Bin until you remove them permanently. Anything placed in the
recycle bin consumes disk space and can be recovered. Therefore, if you are absolutely sure you don’t need a
file you can perform what is called a hard delete.
To execute a hard delete:
 Select the file or folder or file in either the navigation or right pane.
 Press SHIFT+DELETE keys. Click Yes when prompted if you want to permanently delete the file (or
folder).
To recover a deleted file:
1. Go to the desktop and open the Recycle Bin.
2. Right-click the file or folder you want to retrieve and then click Restore on the shortcut menu.
Note: After you empty the Recycle Bin, you can no longer recover the files it contained. Hard deleted files
cannot be recovered.

Renaming Files
Keep the following guidelines in mind as you name files:
 Use descriptive names — Avoid names that might make sense now but could cause confusion later,
such as MyFile or Info. Use filenames that are long enough to be meaningful, but short enough to be
read easily on the screen.
 Do not change the file extension — If you change the file extension when naming a file, Windows might
not be able to find a program that can open it.
 Follow a pattern — If possible, use a consistent naming scheme that is clear to you. For example, if
you store many assignments in the same folder, the first assignment file could be named
Assignment01, the next Assignment02, and so on.
To rename files, do the following:
1. Select the file or folder to be renamed in either the navigation or right pane.
2. Right-click on the selected file or folder and select Rename from the shortcut menu. Alternatively, you
can press F2. The filename is selected in a text box.
3. Type a new name and press the Enter key.

Chapter 3 Windows File Management 21

Creating Shortcuts
In Windows, a shortcut is an icon that provides a quick way to perform an action such as opening a folder or
a file. You can create shortcuts in two places: on the Start screen and on the Desktop.
To create a shortcut, do the following:
 Right-click on a folder or a file or a drive, and then click the Pin to Start on the shortcut menu to pin
the folder to the Start screen.
 Alternatively, you can use the Send To > Desktop (create shortcut) option from the shortcut menu.

Searching for Files

To search for files, do the following:
1. Click on the Search box next to the Address bar in the File Explorer window.
2. Start typing text associated with the file into the Search box. Usually, this search text is part of the
filename, though you can also search using tags, which are keywords you associate with a file.
As you enter the search text, Windows searches for files by examining the names of the files displayed in
the current folder and files in its subfolders. If Windows finds a file whose filename contains a word starting
with the search text you specify, it displays that file in the File Explorer window.

3.4 Understanding File Types

A computer can contain three categories of files: system files, application files, and data files.
 System files are those necessary for running the operating system. They usually are found in the root
directory of a personal computer and in the Windows folder of a Windows computer.
 An application file is part of an application, such as a word-processing application, and is a necessary
file for running the software. These files are transferred to your computer when you install the
application.
 A data file is one you create when working with an application, such as a document you write and
format when working with Microsoft Word.
Many system and application files are executable files, which means they can perform tasks automatically
when you open them. In contrast, data files display data such as text or images, or play a sound, music, or a
video. You should be able to recognize common file types and their file extensions so you know which files to
avoid (system and application files) and to identify applications you can use to open files. The table below lists
typical file types by category and identifies their file extensions and associated operating system or application.
CATEGORY COMMON FILE EXTENSION OPERATING SYSTEM OR APPLICATION
SYSTEM FILES .dll, .ocx, .sys Windows
.bat, .com, .exe Windows
.app, .osx Mac OS X
APPLICATION FILES
.bin Linux, Mac OS X, Windows
.out, .run Linux
DATA FILES
.avi, .mov, .mp4 Video application
Media .jpg, .png, .tif Graphics application
.mp3, .m4a, .wav Sound application
.doc, .docx Microsoft Word
.mdb, .accdb Microsoft Access
Office documents
.ppt, .pptx Microsoft PowerPoint
.xls, .xlsx Microsoft Excel
Simple text .rtf, .txt Text editor
.htm, .html Web browser
Other .pdf Portable document reader or editor
.zip File compression utility

CHAPTER REVIEW
Before moving on to the next chapter check that you now know how to:
 Describe how Windows stores files.
 Identify parts of the File Explorer window and use it to navigate folders on your computer.
 Search, copy, move, delete, and rename files.
 Create and use shortcuts.
 Identify file types.

Chapter 3 Windows File Management 22