How to create a folder on a Windows PC or Mac

A folder is a labelled place to keep related files together. If your Downloads folder is full of receipts, letters and holiday plans, you do not need a special organising app. Windows and macOS already have the tools you need.

Start with one folder and one file. This guide shows you how to create a folder, put a file inside it and find it again. The Windows instructions are for Windows 11; the Mac instructions use Finder.

Before you start

Choose an ordinary location you recognise, such as Documents. Avoid organising inside system folders or application folders. If the location is shared with other people, or belongs to OneDrive or iCloud Drive, changes may also affect what appears elsewhere. For your first attempt, use a file you can afford to practise with rather than your only copy of an important document.

Creating an empty folder does not move anything into it automatically. Think of it as putting a new labelled envelope in a filing cabinet: you still need to put the paperwork inside.

Create a folder in Windows 11

1. Press the Windows key + E to open File Explorer, the app for browsing your files.
2. Open the location where you want the new folder to live, for example Documents.
3. At the top of File Explorer, choose New, then Folder. Alternatively, press Ctrl + Shift + N.
4. Type a short, recognisable name, such as Holiday plans, then press Enter.

Double-click the new folder to open it. It will be empty until you add something. Use the back arrow in File Explorer to return to the location you started from.

Put a file in your Windows folder

1. Find the file you want to move and click it once to select it.
2. Choose Cut in File Explorer.
3. Open your new folder, then choose Paste.
4. Check that the file now appears inside the folder, and open it to make sure it is the one you intended.

A move changes where the file lives. If you want to keep the original where it is, choose Copy instead of Cut. Be aware that this leaves two copies to keep track of.

Create a folder on a Mac

1. Click the Finder icon in the Dock.
2. Open the location where you want the folder, such as Documents.
3. Choose File > New Folder from the menu at the top of the screen. The keyboard shortcut is Shift + Command + N.
4. Type a name, such as Holiday plans, and press Return.

Put a file in your Mac folder

For a straightforward first try, create the folder beside the file you want to organise. Drag the file onto the folder and release it. Double-click the folder and check that the file is inside.

To keep the original and put a copy in the folder, hold Option while dragging. Dragging to a different disk normally copies rather than moves, so do not assume every drag removes the original.

A simple naming system that is easy to keep up

Use names that answer the question you will ask later. Holiday plans is more useful than New folder 3. For a single trip, you might use York November 2026; for household paperwork, Appliance receipts. These are suggestions, not rules.

You can create a folder inside another folder using the same steps. But start small: one clearly named folder is easier to use than a maze of nearly empty ones. You do not have to sort your whole computer in one sitting.

If something does not look right

• The new-folder command is unavailable: check where you are trying to create it. On a Mac, a dimmed New Folder command means you cannot create a folder in that location. Try an ordinary personal location such as Documents.
• A file with the same name already exists: stop and compare the files before choosing any option that replaces one. Do not overwrite something just to finish tidying.
• You cannot find the file: check inside the folder you just used. If you copied instead of moved, the original will still be in its earlier location.
• You want to rename it later: see our guide to renaming files for the Windows and Mac controls.

Organising is not the same as backing up. Moving a file into a folder on the same computer does not create a separate safety copy.

If the files you want to organise came from a website or an email attachment, start with how to find downloaded files on a Windows PC or Mac.

Sources and scope

Instructions checked on 12 November 2026 against Microsoft’s folder-creation guidance, its File Explorer guide, its folder shortcut guidance, and Apple’s guide to organising files in folders. Menu appearance can vary with your software version. This is a documentation-based guide, not a claim of hands-on testing.