File Explorer Essentials: Folders, Downloads, and Basic File Tasks

What File Explorer Is (and Why You Use It)

File Explorer is the main Windows tool for working with your files and folders. You use it to find where things are stored, create a tidy folder structure, and perform everyday tasks like copying, moving, renaming, and deleting. Think of it as a “map and toolbox” for everything saved on your computer and connected storage devices.

Files vs. folders

• File: a single item such as a photo, document, or installer (for example, Budget.xlsx or Setup.exe).
• Folder: a container that holds files and other folders (for example, Documents or Pictures).

Common Locations You’ll Use Often

Windows organizes personal content into common folders. These are not just “suggestions”—many apps save to these locations by default, which makes them the first places to check.

• Documents: reports, PDFs, spreadsheets, notes, school/work files.
• Pictures: photos, screenshots, images used in projects.
• Downloads: items downloaded from the web or email attachments saved from a browser.
• Desktop: files placed on the desktop area; useful for temporary work, but can get cluttered quickly.

Drives: where storage actually lives

A drive is a storage location. Your computer typically has an internal drive (often labeled C:) and you may also use external drives such as USB flash drives or external hard drives.

• Internal storage: built into the computer; where Windows and most apps are installed.
• USB/external drive: removable; useful for transferring files or backups. It may appear with a different letter (for example D:, E:).

In File Explorer, you can browse drives and folders to see what’s stored where. If you unplug a USB drive, it will disappear from the list until reconnected.

Navigating in File Explorer

Folder list and main file area

File Explorer typically shows a navigation area (a folder tree or shortcuts) and a main area listing the contents of the current folder. Selecting a folder changes what you see in the main area.

Continue in our app.

You can listen to the audiobook with the screen off, receive a free certificate for this course, and also have access to 5,000 other free online courses.

Or continue reading below...

Download the app

Back and Forward

Use Back and Forward to move through your navigation history (similar to a web browser). This is helpful when you jump between folders while organizing files.

The address bar (path)

The address bar shows your current location, called a path. It helps you confirm where you are before you move or delete anything.

• Example path: This PC > Documents > Projects > 2026
• You can click parts of the path to jump back to a parent folder (for example, click Documents to go up).

Search within a folder

File Explorer includes a search box that searches within the current folder and its subfolders. This is ideal when you know the name (or part of it) but not the exact location inside that folder.

• Search by partial name: type invoice to find files like Invoice_Jan.pdf.
• Search by extension: type .pdf to list PDFs in that folder area.
• If results look wrong, check the address bar to confirm you’re searching the correct folder.

Changing views (Details vs. icons)

Different views help with different tasks:

• Details view: best for organizing. You can see columns like name, date modified, type, and size.
• Icons (small/medium/large): best for photos and visual files where thumbnails help.

When cleaning up a folder like Downloads, switching to Details makes it easier to sort by Date modified or scan file types.

Essential File Tasks

Create a new folder

Use a new folder to group related files (for example, all documents for a class or project).

1. Open the location where you want the folder (for example, Documents).
2. Choose New folder (often on a toolbar or via right-click in empty space).
3. Type a clear name (for example, Project Alpha) and press Enter.

Naming tip: Use names that will still make sense later, such as Taxes 2025 instead of Stuff.

Rename files and folders

Renaming helps you find items later and keeps lists readable.

1. Select the file or folder.
2. Choose Rename (toolbar or right-click).
3. Type the new name and press Enter.

Important: Renaming a file changes only its name, not its content. However, be careful not to change the file extension (like .docx, .jpg) unless you know what you’re doing.

Copy vs. move (know the difference)

• Copy creates a duplicate: the original stays where it is, and a second copy is placed elsewhere.
• Move relocates the item: it is removed from the original location and placed in the new one.

Drag-and-drop (use with caution)

Dragging files is fast, but it’s easy to drop them into the wrong folder without noticing.

• Before releasing the mouse, look at the highlighted destination folder.
• If you’re dragging to a different drive (for example, from C: to a USB drive), Windows often performs a copy by default.
• If you’re dragging within the same drive, Windows often performs a move by default.

Safer alternative: Use Copy/Cut and Paste so you can clearly control whether you’re copying or moving.

Delete vs. Recycle Bin

Deleting usually sends items to the Recycle Bin, where they can be restored if you change your mind.

• Delete (to Recycle Bin): good for normal cleanup; you can restore later.
• Permanent delete: some actions (or some removable drives) may delete without using the Recycle Bin. Treat deletes on USB drives as potentially permanent.

Practical habit: After a cleanup session, check that you didn’t delete something important before emptying the Recycle Bin.

Use Properties to confirm type, size, and location

Properties helps you verify what a file is and how large it is, and it shows the exact location.

1. Right-click a file or folder and choose Properties.
2. Look for:

• Type of file (for example, PDF document, JPEG image, Application).
• Size (useful when storage is tight or when emailing attachments).
• Location (confirms the folder path so you know where it lives).

Practice: Organize Sample Files Like a Real Cleanup

Practice setup: create a small “messy” folder

1. Open Documents.
2. Create a folder named File Explorer Practice.
3. Inside it, create these folders:

• 01 Documents
• 02 Pictures
• 03 Installers
• 04 Archive

Why the numbers? They keep folders in a consistent order in most views.

Step-by-step: sort a mixed set of files into folders

Imagine your practice folder contains these files (you can use any similar files you already have, or create a few test files):

• resume.docx
• photo1.jpg
• photo2.png
• setup_app.exe (or .msi)
• notes.txt
• old_invoice.pdf

1. Switch File Explorer to Details view so you can see Type and Size.
2. Select the document-type files (for example .docx, .pdf, .txt) and move them into 01 Documents.
3. Select image files (for example .jpg, .png) and move them into 02 Pictures.
4. Select installer files (often .exe or .msi) and move them into 03 Installers.
5. Anything you don’t need daily but want to keep can be moved into 04 Archive.

Check your work: Click each folder and confirm the contents match the folder name. Use the address bar to ensure you’re in the correct location before moving more items.

Step-by-step: rename files consistently

Consistent naming makes searching easier and keeps related files grouped together.

Example goal: rename photos to a pattern like 2026-01-ProjectAlpha-01.jpg, 2026-01-ProjectAlpha-02.png.

1. Open 02 Pictures.
2. Click a file, choose Rename, and apply the pattern.
3. Repeat for the remaining files, keeping the numbering consistent.

Tip: If you’re unsure about a file, open Properties to confirm its type and size before renaming or moving it.

Step-by-step: use Downloads to locate and move an installer or document

The Downloads folder often becomes a pile of installers and documents. The goal is to move important items to a long-term location and remove what you no longer need.

1. Open Downloads.
2. Switch to Details view.
3. Sort by Date modified to find the most recent download.
4. Identify one item to keep long-term:

• If it’s a document (PDF, DOCX), move it to an appropriate folder in Documents (for example, Documents > File Explorer Practice > 01 Documents).
• If it’s an installer (.exe or .msi), decide whether you need to keep it. If yes, move it to Documents > File Explorer Practice > 03 Installers. If not, delete it (Recycle Bin) after you’re sure it’s not needed.

1. Use Properties on the item you moved to confirm:

• The Location is now the correct folder.
• The Type matches what you expected (document vs application).
• The Size looks reasonable (helps spot incomplete downloads).