A file is an item that contains information—for example,
text or images or music. When opened, a file can look very much like a text
document or a picture that you might find on someone's desk or in a filing
cabinet. On your computer, files are represented with icons; this makes it easy
to recognize a type of file by looking at its icon. Here are some common file
icons:
A folder is a container you can use to store files in. If
you had thousands of paper files on your desk, it would be nearly impossible to
find any particular file when you needed it. That's why people often store
paper files in folders inside a filing cabinet. On your computer, folders work
the same way. Here are some typical folder icons:
Folders can also store other folders. A folder within a
folder is usually called a subfolder. You can create any number of subfolders,
and each can hold any number of files and additional subfolders.
When it comes to getting organized, you don't need to start
from scratch. You can use libraries, a feature new to this version of Windows,
to access your files and folders, and arrange them in different ways. Here's a
list of the four default libraries and what they're typically used for:
- Documents
library. Use this library to organize and arrange word-processing
documents, spreadsheets, presentations, and other text-related files.
- By
default, files that you move, copy, or save to the Documents library are
stored in the My Documents folder.
- Pictures
library. Use this library to organize and arrange your digital pictures,
whether you get them from your camera, scanner, or in e‑mail from other
people.
- By
default, files that you move, copy, or save to the Pictures library are
stored in the My Pictures folder.
- Music
library. Use this library to organize and arrange your digital music, such
as songs that you rip from an audio CD or that you download from the
Internet.
- By
default, files that you move, copy, or save to the Music library are
stored in the My Music folder.
- Videos
library. Use this library to organize and arrange your videos, such as
clips from your digital camera or camcorder, or video files that you
download from the Internet.
By default, files that you move, copy,
or save to the Videos library are stored in the My Videos folder.
To open the Documents, Pictures, or Music libraries,
click the Start button
, and then click Documents, Pictures, or Music.
, and then click Documents, Pictures, or Music.
When you open a folder or library, you see it in a window.
The various parts of this window are designed to help you navigate around
Windows or work with files, folders, and libraries more easily. Here's a
typical window and each of its parts:
Window
part
|
What
it's useful for
|
Navigation
pane
|
Use
the navigation pane to access libraries, folders, saved searches, and even
entire hard disks. Use the Favorites section to open your most commonly used
folders and searches; use the Libraries section to access your libraries. You
can also use the Computer folder to browse folders and subfolders.
|
Back
and Forward buttons
|
Use
the Back button and the Forward button to navigate to other folders or
libraries you've already opened without closing the current window. These
buttons work together with the address bar; after you use the address bar to
change folders, for example, you can use the Back button to return to the
previous folder.
|
Toolbar
|
Use
the toolbar to perform common tasks, such as changing the appearance of your
files and folders, burning files to a CD, or starting a digital picture slide
show. The toolbar's buttons change to show only the tasks that are relevant.
For example, if you click a picture file, the toolbar shows different buttons
than it would if you clicked a music file.
|
Address
bar
|
Use
the address bar to navigate to a different folder or library or to go back to
a previous one. For more information, see Navigate using the address bar.
|
Library
pane
|
The
library pane appears only when you are in a library (such as the Documents
library). Use the library pane to customize the library or to arrange the
files by different properties. For more information, see Working with libraries.
|
Column
headings
|
Use
the column headings to change how the files in the file list are organized.
For example, you can click the left side of a column heading to change the
order the files and folders are displayed in, or you can click the right side
to filter the files in different ways.
(Note that column headings are available only in Details view. To learn how to
switch to Details view, see 'Viewing and arranging files and folders' later
in this topic.)
|
File
list
|
This
is where the contents of the current folder or library are displayed. If you
type in the search box to find a file, only the files that match your current
view (including files in subfolders) will appear.
|
The
search box
|
Type
a word or phrase in the search box to look for an item in the current folder
or library. The search begins as soon as you begin typing—so if you type
"B," for example, all the files with names starting with the letter
B will appear in the file list. For more information, see Find a file or folder.
|
Details
pane
|
Use
the details pane to see the most common properties associated with the
selected file. File properties are information about a file, such as the
author, the date you last changed the file, and any descriptive tags you might have added to the file.
For more information, see Add tags and other properties to files.
|
Preview
pane
|
Use
the preview pane to see the contents of most files. If you select an e‑mail
message, text file, or picture, for example, you can see its contents without
opening it in a program. If you don't see the preview pane, click the Preview
pane button in the toolbar to turn it on.
|
When you open a folder or library, you can change how the
files look in the window. For example, you might prefer larger (or smaller)
icons or a view that lets you see different kinds of information about each
file. To make these kinds of changes, use the Views button in the toolbar.
Each time you click the left side of the Views button, it
changes the way your files and folders are displayed by cycling through five
different views: Large Icons, List, a view called Details that shows several
columns of information about the file, a smaller icon view called Tiles, and a
view called Content that shows some of the content from within the file.
If you click the arrow on the right side of the Views
button, you have more choices. Move the slider up or down to fine-tune the size
of the file and folder icons. You can see the icons change size as you move the
slider.
What is
a folder and how is it different from a library?
A folder is a container for your files. Every file
is stored in a folder or a subfolder (a folder
within a folder). You can access all your folders by clicking Computer
in the navigation pane (the left pane) of any open folder.
In some ways, a library is similar to a folder.
For example, when you open a library, you'll see one or more files. However,
you can't store files or folders in a library. This is a subtle, but important,
difference. In libraries, you can include folders
from different locations so that you can see the files in one place. This is a
good way to keep your files organized so you don't have to search multiple
locations to find what you're looking for.
Create
a new folder/file.
A folder is a location where you can store your files.
You can create any number of folders and even store folders inside other
folders (subfolders). Here’s how to create a new folder:
1. Go to the location (such as a folder or
the desktop) where you want to create a new folder.
2. Right-click a blank area on the desktop or
in the folder window, point to New, and then clicks Folder/File.
3. Type a name for the new folder/file, and
then press Enter.
The new folder will appear in the location you
specified.
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