You start your Windows PC, browse through endless folders on your desktop, and can’t remember where you put that file. Did you hide it by accident? Who knows. Tap or click here to use Safe Mode to diagnose problems on your Windows PC.
Windows can sometimes be difficult to navigate. Organizing your files and processes with folders can be helpful if you know how to get the most out of them.
It’s easy to get overwhelmed. We’ve put together this quick list of six simple tips to help you organize and get the most out of your folders.
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1. Delete empty folders
Everyone has empty folders on their PC. Having a few hundred empty folders isn’t a big deal and won’t slow down your PC, but these folders can interfere with your software and make it difficult for programs to run smoothly.
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You want to delete old empty folders to keep your PC nice and clean. Most of the empty folders are leftover directories from software you’ve deleted, so let’s get rid of them.
- Type this PC in the search bar next to the Windows start button. Faucet this computer to open the app.
- Click on the search tab at the top right of your File Explorer screen.
- For Windows 10 users, this will open the search menu. Click on the Cut filter and set it to empty to show empty folders.
- For Windows 11 users, you may need to enter something in the search field before Search Options appear at the top of the file explorer the window.
- Click on Search Options to open the drop-down menu, then hover Cut. You can sort by empty or file size.
Empty files are often left in temporary data folders. Over time, the size of all those empty folders can add up. Try to delete all empty folders at least twice a year to keep your PC running smoothly.
2. Make a folder secret
Do you use a public computer or a computer that your children or friends have access to? Some things shouldn’t be visible on the desktop (or through a search). You can make a folder completely secret.
Windows has a roundabout way of making your folders secret. This is called encryption and it is a complicated process. The steps to encrypt folders may be difficult for some but not impossible. Tap or click here for detailed instructions on how to get the job done.
3. Use Keyboard Shortcuts to Quickly Move Folders
You have a lot of folders on your desktop, making it difficult to quickly locate the photos, text documents, or videos you want to access.
These simple keyboard shortcuts make it much easier to navigate your desktop. Wouldn’t it be nice to save time while accessing the files you are looking for?
- Press and hold ctrl and use your mouse wheel to change the size and appearance of your folder icon.
- Press and hold ctrl and gapthen press the e key to show you all the folders above the subfolder you are browsing.
- Press and hold ctrl and gapthen press the not key to create a whole new folder and rearrange your files.
- Press and hold other and press your right arrow to visit the next folder.
Keyboard shortcuts take time to learn, but once you do, you’ll zoom into folders and files much faster than before.
4. Find out what’s taking up all your space
Large files clog up your PC’s free space and can slow it down. Deleting large files (and restarting your PC afterwards) can dramatically affect your PC’s speed. These steps are similar to our first tip.
- Click on this computer from your file explorer.
- Click on the search tab at the top right of your File Explorer screen.
- For Windows 10 users, this will open the search menu. Click on the filter and set it to large files to show your largest folders and files first.
- For Windows 11 users, you may need to enter something in the search field before Search Options appear at the top of the file explorer the window. Sort by size and set to gigantic first.
You’ll quickly find the files you no longer need, ordered from largest to smallest. Delete the files, then empty your Trash and restart your PC.
5. Change your folder layout
When you open a folder, you’re bombarded with a huge grid of all the different files inside. You can change the way files are displayed, making it easier to navigate through a whole specific folder.
- Open the case you want to access.
- Right click on the bottom of your file.
- Hover your mouse over the see drop-down menu tab.
- Choose your preferred layout from the menu.
- You can select extra large icons if you try to preview photos before opening them.
- You can also select listing Where details to display compact information about your files, making it easy to locate PDFs and Word documents.
REMARK: Sometimes Windows notices that you choose the same display layout in a new folder and may automatically apply it to other folders to save time.
6. Find folders and files you’ve hidden in the past
Have you accidentally hidden a folder in the past? This can happen by mistake. Then the folder suddenly disappears into the void of your PC. No worries, you can recover it easily.
- open up file explorer from your Windows taskbar.
- Select the See tab, then click options and change folder and search options.
- Choose the See tongue.
- Look at him advanced settings section and check the box to show hidden files and folders. Confirm by clicking OKAY.
Your hidden folders should be back where they started. If it’s been a while since you’ve seen them, you can search for the file title in your search bar under this computer section of file explorer.
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