How to organize computer files in 4 easy steps

If you’re having trouble keeping up with your electronic files at work, this post on how to organize computer files will lend you a helping hand.

It’s hard to keep track of electronic files, especially when you have thousands of them. It’s also difficult because you now have local file, meaning files stored on your computer’s hard drive, as well as files stored in your business’s cloud storage.

So what’s the secret on how to organize computer files? Let us break it down for you.

Deleting useless files

We all have an embarrassing number of useless files saved on our computers. Heck, most of you probably have a folder called “Random” or “Miscellaneous” filled with files you’ll never use but didn’t have the heart to delete.

Well, now is a good a time as any to get started. Go through your desktop files and delete all the unimportant documents that are taking up space for no reason.

Once you’ve decluttered, you can move on to the next step.

Creating folders

Creating folders is a great way to organize computer files. But you don’t want to overdo it, either.

For example, if you want to save the Word version of your blog posts, you don’t need a folder for each and every one of them.

Create a general folder called “Blog,” then sub-folders where you can group your blog topics together (e.g., project management, leadership, tips & tricks, personal document management, etc.).

Using relevant file types

You should also consider using relevant file types, meaning some files should be saved as Word docs, some as PDF files, some as HTML files, etc.

If you need a good PDF file converter, Soda PDF is the way to go. You can convert your files to PDF for free.

Using cloud for business

There’s no problem with saving some of your files to your desktop, but you should definitely save all your important files to the cloud.

If your business has access to cloud storage, make sure you create your folders in there. That way, if something happens to your computer, your files will stay intact.

Plus, you get the added bonus of being able to access your files anytime, anywhere. So if you get home from work one night and remember you forgot to submit that important report, you can log in to your business cloud, access your file, and submit away.