Windows 10 & File Management
Become the boss of your desktop! Learn every part of the Windows 10 screen, keep your work tidy in files and folders, rescue deleted files from the Recycle Bin, and zip around with shortcut keys.
1Windows — a GUI operating system
An operating system (OS) is system software that works as a link (interface) between the user and the hardware. It makes the computer work, runs other programs and manages all its activities — just as a principal manages everything in a school.
When you switch on a computer, the operating system is loaded into the main memory (RAM). This starting process is called booting.
Windows is an operating system made by Microsoft. The first version was Windows 1.0; later came Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10 and 11. Other operating systems are macOS, Linux and Android.
GUI — Graphical User Interface
You work with pictures: icons, windows, menus and buttons, using a mouse or touch. Windows is a GUI operating system.
CUI — Character User Interface
You must type commands as text. Old MS-DOS worked this way. Much harder to learn!
Windows is software (an operating system), not hardware. And it was made by Microsoft, not Google. MS Word is application software that runs on Windows.
2Features of Windows 10
- User-friendly interface
- Works on desktops, laptops and tablets. You can change the background, colours and theme to your liking.
- Task View
- Shows all the apps running on your computer and lets you create more than one desktop. Click the Task View button on the taskbar (or press ⊞ Win + Tab). You can drag an app from one desktop to another.
- Snap Assist
- When you drag (snap) a window to the left or right edge of the screen, Windows shows small pictures (thumbnails) of your other open apps to fill the other half — so you can use two apps side by side.
- Microsoft Edge
- The default web browser of Windows 10, with a reading mode that hides distractions.
- Action Center
- A slide-out panel on the right side showing notifications, and Quick Action buttons for brightness, Bluetooth, tablet mode and more.
- Windows Hello
- Microsoft's biometric sign-in: log in with your face, fingerprint or iris (needs the right hardware).
- Microsoft Store
- A place to get apps for music, videos, photos, maps, mail and more.
- Copilot
- A newer AI assistant from Microsoft that can rewrite, summarise or explain your content.
Task View = see all open apps + make many desktops. Snap Assist = arrange two windows side by side. Windows Hello = sign in with face or fingerprint. Match the job to the name.
Which Windows 10 feature lets you sign in with your fingerprint or face?
3The desktop & icons
The first screen you see after the welcome (login) screen is the desktop. It has a background picture called the wallpaper, icons, and the taskbar at the bottom.
| Icon | What it does |
|---|---|
| This PC | Shows the drives (C:, D:, pen drive…) and their contents. Double-click a drive to see its files and folders. |
| Recycle Bin | A folder that holds deleted items. They can be restored or deleted permanently. |
| Application icons | Pictures that give quick access to a program, like Scratch or Tux Paint. |
| Shortcut icons | A direct route to an app, file or folder. A small arrow in the bottom-left corner marks a shortcut. Deleting a shortcut does not delete the real file. |
Icons are small pictures that stand for files, folders and programs. Double-click an icon to open it. You can move icons around the desktop by dragging them.
The three buttons of every window
At the top-right of every window: Minimize (—) shrinks the window to an icon on the taskbar; Maximize (☐) makes it fill the screen (then it becomes Restore Down); Close (✕) shuts it. The bar at the top showing the window's name is the title bar.
Aman clicks the Minimize button of his Paint window. What happens?
4The taskbar, Start menu & notification area
The taskbar is the long horizontal bar at the bottom of the desktop. It has the Start button on the left, the Notification area on the right, and the Quick Launch Bar in the middle. You can drag the taskbar to any of the four sides of the screen.
- Start button
- Opens the Start menu, which lists all installed apps and settings — the main place to start programs. Shortcut: the ⊞ Win key or Ctrl + Esc.
- Search box
- Next to the Start button; type to search for files, folders and apps.
- Task View button
- Shows all open apps and virtual desktops.
- Quick Launch Bar
- The middle area between the Start button and the Notification area. Keep your favourite apps here (Edge, Word, Tux Paint…) and open them with a single click. A running app shows a light-coloured bar under its icon; click the icon to minimize or restore it, and to switch between apps.
- Notification area
- On the right. Shows the date and time (system clock) and small icons for things running in the background: antivirus, updates, speaker (volume), battery, Wi-Fi.
- Show Desktop
- The thin strip at the far right end. Click it to hide all windows and see the desktop (same as ⊞ Win + D).
Customise the taskbar
- Right-click an empty part of the taskbar → Taskbar settings.
- Turn Lock the taskbar on/off to stop or allow moving it.
- Turn Automatically hide the taskbar in desktop mode on/off to hide or show it.
Change the date and time
- Click Start → scroll to the Windows System folder → Control Panel (or type Control Panel in the Search box and press Enter).
- Click Clock and Region → Date and Time. The Date and Time tab is selected.
- Click Change date and time. Use the arrows on the calendar to choose the month and year, then click the correct date.
- To change the time, select the hour in the box below the clock and use the arrows (same for minutes and seconds). Click OK.
Set the volume
- Click the Speaker icon in the Notification area.
- Drag the slider right to increase or left to decrease the volume.
The speaker icon and the clock are in the Notification area, not the Quick Launch Bar. The Quick Launch Bar is for opening favourite programs with one click.
Where on the taskbar will you find the system clock?
6Files, folders & File Explorer
Information is stored in a computer as files — a story, a drawing, a song. Related files are grouped inside a folder, just as you keep related papers in one file-cover. A folder can hold other folders too: a folder inside a folder is called a subfolder. Organising files in folders makes them easy to find.
File names and extensions
A file name has two parts: name.extension. The extension tells the type of file: Story.docx (Word), Drawing.png (Paint picture), Show.pptx (PowerPoint), Notes.txt (Notepad). You can tell files and folders apart by their icons.
File Explorer
File Explorer is the program used to see and manage files and folders. Open it by double-clicking This PC, clicking the folder icon on the taskbar, or pressing ⊞ Win + E.
Creating a file or folder
- New folder: right-click the desktop (or inside a drive/folder) → New → Folder → type a name → Enter. In File Explorer you can also press Ctrl + Shift + N.
- New file: right-click the desktop → New → choose an app, e.g. Microsoft Word Document.
In the folder tree above, which item is a subfolder?
7Copy, move, rename, delete & restore
First, select
- One file: click it.
- Files in a row (consecutive): click the first, hold Shift, click the last.
- Files not next to each other: hold Ctrl and click each one.
- Everything: Ctrl + A.
| Job | Mouse way (Coding Capers steps) | Keyboard way |
|---|---|---|
| Copy — make a duplicate; original stays | Right-click the file → Copy → go to the new place → right-click an empty area → Paste | Ctrl + C, then Ctrl + V |
| Move — shift it from the source to the destination | Right-click → Cut → go to the new place → right-click → Paste | Ctrl + X, then Ctrl + V |
| Rename — change the name | Right-click → Rename → type the new name → Enter | Select, press F2 |
| Delete — send to the Recycle Bin | Right-click → Delete | Delete |
| Delete permanently — skip the Recycle Bin | — | Shift + Delete |
The Recycle Bin — a safety net
- To restore: double-click the Recycle Bin icon on the desktop.
- Right-click the file or folder you want back.
- Click Restore. It returns to its original location.
Right-clicking the Recycle Bin icon and choosing Empty Recycle Bin deletes everything inside it permanently.
Plain Delete is safe — the file waits in the Recycle Bin. Shift + Delete is permanent. Also, files deleted from a pen drive do not go to the Recycle Bin — they are removed at once, so be careful!
Karan presses Ctrl + C on a file, opens his pen drive and presses Ctrl + V. Where is the file now?
8Work ethics in the computer lab
✅ Do
Save your work in your own folder with clear names. Ask permission before using someone else's files. Remove a pen drive safely. Save often.
❌ Don't
Don't open classmates' files and folders without permission. Don't change, move or rename them. Don't copy others' work and show it as your own — that is wrong, and an offence against the law.
A classmate's folder is like their school bag: look only with permission, and never take their work as yours.
Reema sees her friend's project folder on the lab computer. What is the right thing to do?
9Shortcut keys reference
Shortcut keys are key combinations that do a job instantly. Hold the first key down, then tap the second.
| Shortcut | What it does |
|---|---|
| ⊞ Win or Ctrl + Esc | Open the Start menu |
| ⊞ Win + D | Show (or hide) the desktop |
| ⊞ Win + E | Open File Explorer |
| ⊞ Win + Tab | Open Task View |
| ⊞ Win + L | Lock the computer |
| ⊞ Win + ← / → | Snap a window to the left / right half |
| Alt + Tab | Switch between open apps |
| Alt + F4 | Close the active window (on the desktop: open the Shut Down box) |
| Ctrl + C / X / V | Copy / Cut / Paste |
| Ctrl + Z / Ctrl + Y | Undo / Redo |
| Ctrl + A | Select all |
| F2 | Rename the selected file or folder |
| F5 | Refresh |
| F1 | Open Help |
| Delete / Shift + Delete | Delete to Recycle Bin / delete permanently |
| Ctrl + Shift + N | New folder (in File Explorer) |
| PrtScn / Alt + PrtScn | Copy a picture of the whole screen / only the active window to the clipboard |
| Ctrl + Shift + Esc | Open Task Manager |
The Start menu opens with Ctrl + Esc — not Ctrl + Tab. And Alt + Tab switches apps while Alt + F4 closes one.
Toggle keys reminder: Caps Lock, Num Lock and Scroll Lock turn a feature ON with one press and OFF with the next.
Which shortcut opens File Explorer?
Watch & explore
10Quick recap
- Windows (by Microsoft) is a GUI operating system — the link between the user and the hardware, like a school principal.
- Task View = all open apps + many desktops. Snap Assist = two windows side by side. Windows Hello = face/fingerprint sign-in. Action Center = notifications panel on the right.
- The desktop is the first screen after the login screen. Wallpaper = its background.
- A shortcut icon has a small arrow in its bottom-left corner. Recycle Bin holds deleted items.
- Taskbar: Start button (left) · Search box · Task View · Quick Launch Bar (middle) · Notification area (right: clock, speaker) · Show Desktop strip.
- Right-click = shortcut (context) menu. Desktop → Personalize; icon → Properties.
- Date & time: Control Panel → Clock and Region → Date and Time. Volume: speaker icon → slider.
- A folder inside a folder = subfolder. File Explorer: ⊞ + E.
- Copy keeps the original; Cut + Paste = move. F2 = rename.
- Delete → Recycle Bin → Restore brings it back. Shift + Delete or Empty Recycle Bin = permanent.
- Select in a row: Shift. Select scattered files: Ctrl.
- Never open, change or copy others' files without permission.
- Ctrl + Esc = Start · ⊞ + D = desktop · Alt + Tab = switch · Alt + F4 = close.