Path 3 · Files and storage
Files, Storage and Digital Organisation
Files, folders, paths, storage devices, archives, sharing and backups: how to keep your digital life organised and safe.
By the end you will be able to
- Create, organise, find and recover files and folders.
- Read file paths on Linux and Windows.
- Use USB drives and ZIP files safely.
- Make and test a simple backup plan.
Before you start
- Recommended first: Computer Foundations
Module 10: Files and folders
How files and folders are named, arranged and found on Ubuntu and Windows, and how to copy, move, rename, delete and restore them safely.
- Files, folders, names and extensions
Learn what files and folders are, how to name them so you can find them again, and what the letters after the dot (the extension) tell you about a file.
25 min · beginner · Ubuntu/Linux · Windows
- Folder hierarchies and file paths
See how folders nest inside each other like a tree, read a file path on Ubuntu and Windows, and find hidden files. You will be able to say exactly where any file lives.
25 min · beginner · Ubuntu/Linux · Windows
- Copying, moving, renaming, deleting, restoring and searching
Do the everyday jobs of file management with confidence: copy and move, rename, delete to the Trash or Recycle Bin and restore, sort and search. You will know which actions are reversible and which are not.
30 min · beginner · Ubuntu/Linux · Windows
Module 11: Storage and removable devices
How much information storage holds, how to check free space, how memory differs from storage, and how to use USB drives and memory cards without losing data.
- Bytes, capacity, free space and the difference between RAM and storage
Understand kilobytes, megabytes, gigabytes and terabytes with real examples, check how much space you have left, and finally tell RAM (working memory) from storage (long-term keeping).
25 min · beginner · Ubuntu/Linux · Windows
- USB drives, external drives, safe ejection and formatting
Plug in and remove USB drives and memory cards safely, understand read-only devices, learn what formatting does and when it is risky, and compare physical with cloud storage.
25 min · beginner · Ubuntu/Linux · Windows
Module 12: Archives and file sharing
How to bundle files into ZIP archives, extract them safely, and share files by attachment or link with the right permissions and without exposing sensitive information.
- ZIP files: compressing and extracting
Understand what a ZIP archive is, create and extract one on Ubuntu and Windows, and learn why some files shrink a lot and others hardly at all. You will also know the safety rules for opening ZIP files from other people.
25 min · beginner · Ubuntu/Linux · Windows
- Sharing files: attachments, links and permissions
Choose between an email attachment and a sharing link, understand view and edit permissions, name and organise files so others can follow them, and take care with sensitive information before you share.
30 min · elementary
Module 13: Backups and recovery
Why data is lost, the difference between local, external and cloud backups, the 3-2-1 idea, and how to make a backup plan and test that you can restore from it.
- Why backups matter and the ways data is lost
See the real ways that files are lost, learn what a backup is and what it is not, compare local, external and cloud copies, and understand the 3-2-1 idea and version history.
25 min · beginner
- Making a backup plan and testing a restore
Decide what to back up, how often and where, set up a backup tool on Ubuntu or Windows, and prove that you can get a file back before you ever need to.
30 min · beginner · Ubuntu/Linux · Windows