An Explanation Of The Windows 10 Folder/File System

Copy A Folder (Or Sub-Folder) Using Different Methods

To copy a folder you must first have it selected, by clicking on either its folder name or its yellow folder icon. Once the folder is selected you then have the choice of two menu methods for copying that selected folder.

Folders Creation Explained

Fig 1.0  Select (left click on) a folder to continue

With menu method one: Place the mouse pointer over the selected folder and, whilst over the selected folder, click the right mouse button (right-click). Doing so will bring up the context menu (Options menu) for that selected folder. From there move the mouse pointer down (or up) the menu-items, temporarily highlighting each menu-item as you move downwards (or upwards), until you reach and highlight the menu-item called COPY. Now click the left mouse button (left click), whilst the mouse pointer is over the word COPY, to copy the selected folder.

Folders Creation Explained

Fig 1.1  Move the mouse pointer down the menu-items until you reach/highlight the COPY menu-item - Left click.

COPY does not actually do anything visibly. It just makes a copy of the folder and its contents (sub-folders and files) inside the computer's memory, similar to a photocopy, ready to be put (pasted) some where later. With a photocopier it copies (makes) an exact image of what ever it sees on a piece of paper and then puts that exact image inside its memory. The exact image is then transferred (pasted) onto a new piece of paper. The same applies to COPY. It copies (makes) an exact image of a folder, and all the sub-folders and files within that folder, into the computer's memory. You can then paste (transfer) that exact image, which is a copy of the original folder and its contents, to another place (see the How To Paste A Folder section).

Technically you did not have to select the folder first, with this menu method, as a Right-Click acts as a Double Click. So in this case the Right-Click selects the folder and then displays the Options menu.

Copy A Folder METHOD TWO

Menu method two uses the currently selected folder's window, and more precisely its Ribbon, to activate the COPY function. A Ribbon is a sort of drop-down window or menu with buttons on it instead of traditional menu-items; such as the menu-items on a context menu.

To copy a folder using the ribbon you first need to select the folder (Fig 1.0 above). Once selected click on the HOME Tab (menu-item) of that selected folder's window, to display the ribbon (buttons menu), and then left click on the COPY button to copy the currently selected folder.

Folders Creation Explained

Fig 1.2  Click on the COPY button to continue

As you can see; The two menu methods have similar options for the selected folder, such as RENAME and DELETE. And this is the case for most menus. So always check to see if there is a Right-Click, context menu, available for example for the task you are doing; such as renaming a folder or deleting a file. Likewise, check if there is a ribbon (buttons menu) available for that task.

Another way to copy a folder, once it is selected, is to use the CTRL and C keyboard key combination - Press the CTRL (Control) keyboard key down and, with CTRL still held down, press the C keyboard key (therefore CTRL and C). This is the quickest and easiest COPY method. Remember though. Nothing is visible with COPY.