- Computers and coding
- Classes 6-8
- 5 min read
Files, folders and saving work
Learn what a file is, how folders organise files like a tree, what a file name and extension tell you, and why saving and backups matter.
Let us begin
The big idea
Every drawing, essay or photo on a computer is kept as a file. Files are put into folders so you can find them again. Knowing how this works stops you losing your work and helps you keep things tidy.
A file is a named collection of information saved on the computer, such as a story, a picture or a song. Every file has a name, like "my-poem", and usually an extension after a dot, like .txt, .docx, .jpg or .mp3. The extension tells the computer what kind of file it is and which program should open it.
A folder (also called a directory) is a container for files and for other folders. Folders inside folders make a tree. The full address of a file, such as Documents / School / Science / volcano.docx, is called its path.
While you are typing, your work lives in the computer memory (RAM), which is wiped when the power goes off. Saving copies it to storage (the hard disk or a memory card), which keeps it. Save often, and give files clear names: "science-project-volcano" is far better than "new document 3".
A backup is a second copy kept somewhere else, such as a pen drive or another computer. If one copy is lost or damaged, the other is safe. Deleting a file usually moves it to the Recycle Bin or Trash first, from where it can be brought back until the bin is emptied.
Worked examples
See how it works
Reading a file name
The file holiday-photo.jpg has the name "holiday-photo" and the extension ".jpg". The .jpg tells us it is a picture, so it will open in a photo viewer. A file called essay.docx is a word processor document.
A folder tree
Suppose the Documents folder contains two folders, School and Hobbies. School contains Maths and Science. Science contains volcano.docx. The path to that file is Documents / School / Science / volcano.docx. Three folders deep.
Why saving matters
Priya typed a two-page story but never pressed save. The power went off. Her story was only in memory, so it was lost. Rohan saved every ten minutes and also copied the file to a pen drive, so even when his laptop broke, his story was safe.
Try it at home
A paper filing system
You will need
- Four or five envelopes or folded sheets of paper to act as folders
- Small slips of paper to act as files
- A pencil
- A shoe box or a big envelope to act as the main Documents folder
What to do
- Label the box Documents. Label two envelopes School and Family and put them in the box.
- Inside School, put two smaller envelopes labelled Maths and Science.
- Write five pretend files on slips, each with a name and an extension: tables.txt, river-map.jpg, birthday.jpg, volcano.docx, song.mp3. Put each in the folder where it belongs.
- Write the full path for each slip, for example Documents / School / Science / volcano.docx.
- Ask someone to find river-map.jpg using only the path you wrote. Was it quick? That is the point of folders.
Practice sheet
Check what you learned
Practice sheet: Files, folders and saving work (Classes 6-8, Computers and coding)
- What is a file?
- In the name report.docx, which part is the extension?
- What does the extension .jpg usually tell you?
- What is another name for a folder?
- Write the path to birthday.jpg in the diagram.
- Why is work lost if the power goes off before you save?
- Which is the better file name: "doc1" or "hindi-essay-diwali"? Why?
- What is a backup?
- What usually happens to a file when you delete it?
- How many folders deep is volcano.docx below Documents in the diagram?
Answer key
Answers: Files, folders and saving work
- A named collection of information saved on a computer, such as a story, picture or song.
- .docx
- That the file is a picture (a photo).
- A directory.
- Documents / Family / birthday.jpg.
- Unsaved work is only in memory (RAM), which is wiped when the power goes; saving copies it to storage.
- hindi-essay-diwali, because the name tells you what is inside without opening it.
- A second copy of a file kept somewhere else, such as a pen drive, in case the first copy is lost.
- It goes to the Recycle Bin or Trash, from where it can be restored until the bin is emptied.
- Two folders (School, then Science).