Alister Education / Computer Education / Files and Folders
COMPUTER EDUCATION · LESSON 08

Files and Folders

Learn how digital files are organized, what folders and file extensions mean, and how to manage files safely.

BeginnerDigital Skills6 min
COMPUTERdata + instructionsINPUTOUTPUT

What is a file?

A file is a named collection of digital data stored by a computer system.

A document, photograph, song, video or program can be stored as a file. The file name often includes an extension such as .pdf, .jpg, .docx or .mp3.

What is a folder?

A folder is a container used to organize files and other folders.

Folders help you group related information. For example, a student might create a folder called Class 10, with folders for Science, Maths and English.

File paths

A path describes where a file is located. For example, a simplified path might look like:

Documents → School → Science → Electricity.pdf
Each folder is a step toward the file.

Good file-management habits

  1. Use meaningful file names.
  2. Keep related files in folders.
  3. Do not keep everything on the desktop.
  4. Back up important work.
  5. Check before permanently deleting files.