---
title: "Where a File Lives: Folders, Names and Backups"
description: "Files sit inside folders inside other folders, and the path is the address that says which one. A name that describes the work, a place that makes sense and a second copy elsewhere are what make work "
canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/computing/where-a-file-lives-folders-names-and-backups-mt_UvLO9CA3BY
source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/computing/where-a-file-lives-folders-names-and-backups-mt_UvLO9CA3BY.md
retrieved: 2026-09-12
---

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# Where a File Lives: Folders, Names and Backups

Files sit inside folders inside other folders, and the path is the address that says which one. A name that describes the work, a place that makes sense and a second copy elsewhere are what make work findable later.

Subject: Computing · Area: Digital Literacy · Ages 9 to 11
Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/computing/where-a-file-lives-folders-names-and-backups-mt_UvLO9CA3BY

## Ready when they can

- 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
- Say what the extension tells the machine, and what having only one copy risks

## Lesson: Know where your file lives

Every file lives at an address called a path. The path lists each folder you pass. Folders sit inside folders, like boxes in boxes. Read the path to find your work.

**Example.** Copying makes a twin. The first file stays put. A new twin lands in the new place. Moving takes it away. After a move it lives in one place only.

The tail of a name is the extension. A .jpg file is a picture. A .bat file lists jobs to run. The tail tells the machine which app should open it.

**Tip.** Name your work for what it is. Keep it in a folder that fits. Hold a second copy in another place. Two copies in two places beats one.

**Recap.** Read the path, name things well, and keep a second copy elsewhere.

## Practice

8 questions on this page, each with its working shown.

## Needs first

- [Typing Without Looking at the Keys](https://lightmysky.com/learn/computing/typing-without-looking-at-the-keys-mt_BJ_yVASyuV)

## Opens up

- [Memory and Storage: RAM, ROM and the Backing Store](https://lightmysky.com/learn/computing/memory-and-storage-ram-rom-and-the-backing-store-mt_AiXGJioO_S)
- [Passwords, Logins and Keeping an Account Yours](https://lightmysky.com/learn/computing/passwords-logins-and-keeping-an-account-yours-mt_ohI6ct6tO4)