Your Computer's Filing System
Your Computer's Filing System
Mac, Windows, Linux, and iOS are all operating systems that run applications and store your files. The operating system is the Graphical User Interface (GUI) that gives life to your files. Icons represent what you have typed, stored, and created. Your files take up storage space, usually measured in bytes, like Megabytes or Gigabytes. The GUI allows you to organize your files much like you would in the physical world. Files go in folders, folders can be "nested" inside other folders, and so on. Special folders, like the operating system library, are part of the operating system. It's best to leave them as they are. But, for the most part, you can organize your computer files the way that makes sense to you.
How to Organize Your Files
Your digital files can be organized much like your paper files can be organized in a filing cabinet. On a Windows computer, the main program for storing your files is Windows Explorer. On an Apple computer, the program is called the Finder. When organizing files, start with main file folders built around broad categories. In these main folders, add subfolders. These subfolders can hold your individual files.
Filing Categories
Categories such as "Personal" and "Work" may be your first level of folders.
Your next level of subfolders is where the category gets narrower. Each level of subfolders contains more narrow categories than the folder that contains it. The nice thing about organizing digital files in this way is that you can create many more subfolders with narrower categories than you would want to do in a paper filing system where space would become an issue.
The videos below show a couple of examples of computer filing systems that can help you get started. Watch the first video from Cool Cat Teacher in which she shows us filing concepts that apply to Mac and PC.
Watch the next video to learn more filing concepts, this time on a Mac.
Spring Cleaning
Read the article "Spring Cleaning Links to an external site." to learn about how to clear up the digital clutter slowing down your computer.
If you want to keep your house clean, you need to dust it regularly; if you want your car to run well, you should service it annually; and if you want your computer to stay speedy and responsive, it needs its own maintenance—a digital spring clean.
(https://www.popsci.com/spring-cleaning-your-computer Links to an external site.)