Tech

How To Organize Files On Laptops

W orking on laptops has become a daily routine for students and employees. This often results in numerous junk files and unwanted clusters of documents and presentations. As the pile of unwanted files grows, these useful tips on how to organize files on laptops can be the messiah that saves your laptop. 

Eventually, even a brand new laptop will suffer a drop in performance in a few months if you don’t tend to it. 

  1. Start By Making The Main Folders

The main folder or root folder makes it easy for you to jump to the task you intend. Main folders allow you to organize various types of files and documents in broad categories, such as family pictures, friends, music, movies, official documents, etc. 

Make sure to have “root folders” to virtually sort downloads according to categories.

  1. Create Smaller Subfolders

After creating main folders, you should create a few subfolders to station your files in a more specific and organized manner. The main folder of pictures can be categorized by years and names of events. 

Similarly, official documents can be allocated in subfolders made on the name of the respective projects. Following similar lines, you can sort out the excessive cluster in main folders.

  1. Delete Duplicate Files

Be it your phone or your laptop, duplication of files happens all the time. Mistakenly downloading the same file, storing multiple photos in the same pose, or resaving the same file with different names can all lead to duplication of files. 

Having decided to finally get your laptop organized, make sure you take some time to carry out a major cleaning process in your laptop. That means sending duplicate feels to the recycle bin and then hitting shift + delete to send them to neverland.

  1. Change The View Of Files

It's better to change the view of files to ‘details.’ The clear representation of files with dates, types, and sizes speeds up your operations and allows you to detect the unwanted files for deletion. 

  1. Make A Pictures Backup

Pictures like other files accumulate over time. You might delete some pictures to clear up the mess, however, many pictures are hard to delete as they carry plenty of memories. We recommend using external storage in such matters. 

A hard drive or a clouds backup might serve the purpose for you. Besides, you can also upload photos on your google drive for storage.

  1. Take Some Time Out To Devise File Names

Avoiding the proper naming of files is quite common. This habit might owe its credit to wrapped-up day schedules or simply lethargy. However, one has to pay the price in the long run in the shape of a slow laptop and huge unorganized piles of documents. 

No matter how much of a rush you are in, always take your time to devise an appropriate name for your file which will help you to get back to it in the future. Trust us, your future self will thank you.

Thought-out names would allow you to conveniently categorize your files in the respective subfolders.

  1. Create A Folder For Draft Work

Some files are more important than others. Though the quick access options in File Explorer serve the purpose, however, we would recommend you to form a Draft Work folder, given your job involves dealing with multiple orders at a time. 

Even if a particular file is overshadowed in the quick access view, you will be assured of its presence in the Draft Work folder in this way.

Moreover, remember to organize files even in the Draft Work folder as your work passes through several stages. The files should then be named accordingly, for instance, outline, rough body, first review, second review, final, etc. This will not only assist you in accessing version history but also allow you to quickly delete unwanted files once you are done with the task.

  1. Plan A Weekly Check

Finally, after applying all the above tips your last focus should circle back to yourself. For keeping your laptop organized you require a consistent habit rather than an urge to act upon helpful tips. 

Your laptop might end up in the same position again if you fail to allocate enough time to its cleaning. If not daily, at least plan a weekly schedule where you assign an hour for the purpose

No one likes to wait 10 minutes for their laptop to start and a further five minutes for it to arise in a state of being responsive to commands. The world is shrinking so is your time. Hence, bring these eight tips on how to organize files on laptops in practical use and watch your productivity levels surge whether you are a student, a person with a day job, or a freelancer.

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