Keeping an organized file system helps prevent losing files or filling up the storage space on your computer. Like with any work area, it's easy for computers to get cluttered with files and folders. Especially when planning to move to a new computer, it's a good idea to make sure your file system is organized and free of unnecessary clutter so that nothing important gets lost in the move.
Here are some tips for keeping things organized:
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Clean up the Desktop
A computer's Desktop, like its namesake, is a convenient place to keep files and folders that you want easy access to. Also like its namesake, it can become cluttered.
Go through the items on your Desktop, deleting any that you no longer need and moving the rest into your Documents folder.
If there are files or folders that you want to appear on your Desktop, you can move them into your Documents folder and create shortcuts that will appear on your Desktop.
On a Windows computer:
In the File Explorer, right click on a file or folder. Hover over "Send to" and select "Desktop (create shortcut)."
The shortcut will automatically appear on your Desktop.
On a Mac:
In the Finder window, right click on a file or folder and select "Make alias." The alias file will appear in the same folder. Click and drag it onto the Desktop.
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Organize scattered files in Documents
Look through the files in your Documents and move them into folders. If needed, create new folders to group similar files together.
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Remove duplicate files
As you edit, move, and share files, you may end up with several copies of the same file. If you see duplicates of files, delete all but the most recent copy.
You can use the file browser's view settings to help determine which version of a file is the most recent.
On a Windows computer:
In the View tab, change the Layout style to Details.
On a Mac
At the top of the Finder window, select the list option. You may need to click on the layout icon to show the option.
If you notice multiple versions of the same file, use the "Date modified" column to determine which is the most recent revision. Open the file to double-check before deleting the duplicates.
Note that copies of the same file often appear in different folders.
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Clean up your Downloads folder
Look through your Downloads and move any items you'd like to keep into your Documents folder.
Note that even if OneDrive is set up to back up your Documents, Pictures, and Desktop folders (see the guide here), it will not back up your Downloads folder.
Many items in your Downloads may be temporary installation files or documents you only needed to view once. There may also be duplicates of items you've downloaded more than once. You may clear these out as needed.
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