Computer files are organized into

The goal when naming files is to be able to tell what the file is about without having to open it and look. How will you know who the letter is to without opening it? If you are sharing files via email or portable devices you may want to have the file name include more specific information, since the folder information will not be included with the shared file. The best time to file a document is when you first create it. So get in the habit of using the "Save As" dialogue box to file your document as well as name it, putting it in the right place in the first place.

If there are folders or files that you use a lot, force them to the top of the file list by renaming them with a!

Sometimes what's old is obvious as in the example of the folder named "Invoices" above. If it's not, keep your folders uncluttered by clearing out the old files. Do not delete business related files unless you are absolutely certain that you will never need the file again.

Instead, in your main collection of folders under your root folder, create a folder called "Old" or "Inactive" and move old files into it when you come across them. Whether you're copying your files onto another drive or onto tape, it's important to set up and follow a regular back up regimen.

Managing electronic documents should be part of an overall document management strategy for your business. A proper document management plan should include all aspects of handling documents, including storage, retrieval, backups, and security.

The search function is a wonderful thing but it will never match the ease of being able to go directly to a folder or file. If you follow these file management tips consistently, even if you don't know where something is, you know where it should be - a huge advantage when it comes to finding what you're looking for.

Seagate Technology. The most important thing is creating an organized file structure as described above. Here are some simple rules for how to manage your computer files and folders. Before we get into the details of directory organization, we have some very useful services to manage the files, such as Dropbox, file sync, and other similar services. The structures and strategies can be used on your local file system or synced to the cloud if you place the folder structure in the special folder for your service of choice.

If you happen to do both work and personal tasks on your computer, you should create two folders to separate your personal and business items. It could look like this:. A very basic split could be Education , Family, Finance, Health, and travel.

There could then be a moderate amount of subfolders under these. For example, if you are managing information for both your children and your parents, you may want to split up Family:. The general rule to follow is to pick a folder structure that matches how you mentally organize things.

If you use a task management system, it's probably not a bad idea to mimic the structure you use there. Your business documents and how you organize them will largely depend on your occupation, industry, company, and job position. If you are in a large organization, you will likely be working from a shared drive, in which case the directory structure will usually be pretty set, so you don't have to worry about it too much.

If you are a small team or organization, it can be helpful to work together to create the file structure. You'd be more likely to have buy-in if the people on the team were a part of the decision-making process. If you decide to store some files locally or if you're not working from a shared drive, it largely comes down to what you do. For example, say you're a business analyst doing project work. Your directory structure could be organized like this:. Each project would then have subfolders related to logical units of organization, like the type of work, stakeholders, or who you're reporting to.

In contrast, say you're an online marketer working from your laptop, you may have something more like this set up:. How you organize your business-related directories comes down to how you decide to divide up your business or job into logical units. Then group related activities into logical groupings. Once you start analyzing how you work with files and folders, you may notice that you have certain folders and subfolders that you use repeatedly.

This is especially true for financial documents, client work, and project work. It can be very helpful to pre-create a folder template with the structure you want to use. Then every time you come to a new financial period, onboard a new client, or start a new project, you can copy over that folder template.

Here are the two advantages for organizing with templates:. To create a folder template, just set up your sample folder structure. Then when you need it, you can copy it in Finder on macOS or File Explorer on Windows and paste it into your new client or project folder. Once your folder structure is set up, you can gain a huge productivity boost by setting up an automated organization tool like Hazel on Mac or DropIt on Windows. If you have to organize recurring files and build rules for them, you can use these tools to auto-file the documents for you.

All you need to do is scan or download the document, and your tool will rename it and store it in the appropriate folder. JavaTpoint offers too many high quality services. Mail us on [email protected] , to get more information about given services. Share those guidelines with your team and post them somewhere convenient for future reference. For folders with leadership-only access, remember to revoke access as soon as an employee leaves. Organize large amounts of files by years or quarters.

It can be overwhelming to organize thousands of files, but there are tools to help you. Move all of them from one year into their own folder.

If you like, create subfolders for each month or quarter. If you need to rename a lot of files, there are apps for bulk file renaming , some of which are free. Then you can add details to file names, such as the year. If you have too many year folders, you can always create a folder titled Archive for folders from more than a few years ago. Tell your organization how to organize digital files. Make it easy for your coworkers to name files correctly and save them in the right place.

Make sure everyone knows to back up their files regularly. If people must save files on their computers, make sure they save a backup copy.

You might excel at organizing digital files, but others might not, so try not to stress about it. Schedule recurring file maintenance time to move misplaced files—and gently explain to people what the correct location is. Or designate someone on your team as the go-to person for all file-organizing questions.

Encourage people to ask first, rather than possibly saving something in the wrong place. Check in with your team by to see whether your organization system is working and adjust as necessary. Finally, congratulate yourself on finishing a daunting project that will save your organization a lot of time!

Hope these easy digital clutter tips have inspired you to organize computer files! We recently moved to a new home and did a complete furniture swap.

The only furniture that made the new-home cut was our existing master bedroom furniture and dining table. And we did it all on a budget. Want easy DIY wall art ideas? Kids say the darnedest things, am I right?! Want to declutter your house without getting overwhelmed? Try removing just ONE bag of clutter a day! Use this printable 30 Bags in 30 Days Decluttering Challenge to stay on track! Learn how to organize your medicine cabinet in just a few simple steps!

Use some of these category ideas for medicines, ointments, and toiletries to organize stuff so you can actually find it! You can make your own storage bin labels in just a few simple steps… Hello, cute and super organized spaces!

Labels, and tags, and organization perfection… oh my! If scrolling through Pinterest or Instagram, gushing over….