Where a File Lives: Folders, Names and Backups
Folders can contain files and other folders. A path gives a file's location. Clear names help you find saved work, while a usable backup on a separate device or backup service helps you recover it after loss.
What a learner can do afterwards
- Read a path and say which folder a file is in and what that folder is inside
- Move a file and copy a file, and say what is different about the result
- Explain what a file extension usually suggests, and why keeping only one saved copy risks losing the work
1 · Read
Enter file and folder names carefully. You can look at the keys while you type. A file path shows where to find a file. It gives folder names in order, then the file name. Here, / separates names. In Documents/Stories/fox.txt, open Documents, then Stories. The file fox.txt is inside Stories, and Stories is inside Documents.
A file manager shows files and folders. With a mouse, you can usually select a file with one click and open a folder with two quick clicks. Look for Copy and Paste in its menus. To copy, select the file, choose Copy, open the destination folder, then choose Paste. The source stays put. To move, use Move, or Cut then Paste if offered. A successful move removes the source file from the old folder. Earlier copies are unchanged.
An extension is the ending after the last dot in a file name. It usually suggests the format and helps the device choose an app. Format means how the data is stored. For pictures, .jpg suggests JPEG and .heic suggests HEIC. If another app needs JPEG, use a photo app's export or conversion tool to make a JPEG copy. Renaming .heic to .jpg does not change the format.
Choose a file name that describes the work. For a garden plan, garden-plan.txt is easier to recognise than stuff.txt. Save it in a folder that fits, such as Projects. A clear name and a suitable folder help you find it later.
A backup is an extra copy kept for recovery if the first is lost. Two folders on one laptop share that laptop's risks. If it breaks, both copies may be lost. Keep a backup on a separate device or a backup service. Sync alone may copy a deletion too. Ask a trusted adult to help choose storage, check that the backup opens, and update it after changes.
Follow the path, use clear names, and keep a usable backup off the original device.
Original lesson, questions and flashcards written for this learning dataset about file locations, copying, formats and backups.
Five original readings written for this learning dataset about reading paths, checking saved work, recovering backups, converting pictures and checking folder copies.
More to read
Read the whole path
A class saves moth notes at Work/Nature/moths.txt. Work is a folder. Nature is inside Work. The file moths.txt is inside Nature. Open the folders in that order to reach the file.
Now imagine another file called moths.txt inside Work/Stories. The matching names do not make these the same file. Their paths show different locations: one belongs to Nature and the other to Stories.
When you open a folder, check its location before choosing a file. A file manager may show the folder names across the top. Devices can display paths differently, but the order of the folders still tells you how the location is organised.
Check where you saved your work
Before saving a garden plan, choose a name that tells you what the work is. Garden-plan.txt gives more help than stuff.txt. Then choose a folder where you would expect to find a plan, such as Projects.
After saving, reopen the file from that folder. This checks both the name and the location. If you cannot find it, return to the app and look at the save location before creating more copies.
When you want to share the plan, use its folder location to select it. A desktop copy is not required just to find an attachment. Ask a trusted adult before sending work that contains personal details.
Check that a backup can help
Suppose a saved comic has six pages. You copy it to a separate storage device as a backup. Later, you add a seventh page to the working file. The old backup still has six pages until you update it.
A useful backup must contain work you want to recover, and you must be able to open it. With a trusted adult, check a backup copy and agree how often to update it. Leave the working file in place while checking.
A backup service can keep copies away from the original device. A folder that syncs may also copy a deletion, so ask whether deleted files or earlier versions can be recovered. Having two places helps with some risks, but it does not make every copy safe from every accident.
Make a picture copy in another format
The format of a picture file is how its data is stored. The extension in its name usually gives a clue: .jpg suggests JPEG, and .heic suggests HEIC.
A club's app might accept JPEG but not HEIC. Renaming a HEIC picture with a .jpg ending does not rewrite the data. Use a photo app that opens the original and offers JPEG export or conversion. That tool can save a new copy in JPEG format.
Keep the original while you open and check the exported picture. Check that the new file contains the picture you intended to share. Ask a trusted adult for help choosing an app. Do not upload private pictures to an unfamiliar conversion website.
Check a copied folder
An Art folder can hold drawings and another folder called Sketches. Copying Art with a file manager also copies the files and folders inside it. Moving Art changes its location instead.
To copy the folder, select it, choose Copy, open the destination, then choose Paste. Wait for the operation to finish. If a message reports a problem, the copy may be incomplete. If you are asked to replace an existing file, pause and ask a trusted adult before choosing.
Open the copied folder and check the files you need. Keep the original while checking. If the copy is meant to protect against device failure, choose a destination that does not depend on that same device.
2 · Watch
Take it off screen
Where it sits
Learn first
Nothing; this is a starting point.
Optional connections
This opens up
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.