Keep Your Work Safe

What is a file?

When you write a story in your exercise book, the story lives on the page. When you write a story on a computer, where does it live?

It lives in a file.

A file is a package of information saved on a computer. It could be:

• A story or letter you typed.
• A picture or photo.
• A song or sound.
• A video.
• A game.

Everything on a computer, phone or tablet is stored as files. When you take a photo on your mother's phone, the phone makes a new file.

Try this: Name three files you think might be on a phone at home.

A file is like a paper

Think of a file as one sheet of paper with something on it.

• One typed story = one file.
• One photo = one file.
• One drawing = one file.

Just like paper, a file can be:

• Made (created).
• Named, so you know what is on it.
• Put away somewhere safe (saved).
• Found and opened again later.
• Changed and saved again.
• Thrown away (deleted).

The difference from paper: a computer file does not get wet, torn or lost under the bed. But it can be lost if you do not save it properly. That is what this book is about.

Try this: Think of one thing you have on paper that you would like to keep as a computer file.

Every file has a name

A file needs a name, or you will never find it again.

Imagine 50 exercise books with no names on the cover. Finding yours would take all morning! Files are the same.

A good file name says what is inside:

• my-story is better than document1.
• ama-science-homework is better than untitled.
• class-photo-sports-day is better than IMG_4521.

When you make a new file, the computer gives it a boring name like "Untitled" or "New Document". Always change it to something that tells you what it is.

Try this: You have written a poem about rain for English class. Write three possible names for the file. Which is the clearest?

Rules for good names

Here are rules for naming files well.

1. Say what it is. maths-fractions-work, not stuff.
2. Keep it short. Three or four words is enough.
3. No spaces in the middle if you can help it. Use a dash - or underscore _ instead: kofi-letter or kofi_letter.
4. No strange symbols. Do not use / \ : * ? " < > |. Computers do not allow them in names.
5. Add your name if other people use the same computer: abena-story.
6. Add a date if you make the same thing often: reading-log-march.

Try this: Which of these are good names, and which are bad? Say why.

• my story?
• kwame-social-regions
• aaaaa
• science_water_cycle

The file extension

Look closely at a file name and you may see a dot and a few letters at the end: story.docx, photo.jpg, song.mp3.

The letters after the dot are the extension. They tell the computer what kind of file it is and which program should open it.

Common extensions:

• .docx or .odt — a typed document
• .txt — plain text
• .jpg or .png — a picture
• .mp3 — a sound or song
• .mp4 — a video
• .pdf — a document that looks the same everywhere

The computer usually adds the extension for you. Do not delete it when you rename a file, or the computer may not know how to open it.

Try this: What kind of file is homowo-festival.jpg? What about my-song.mp3?

Saving: the most important habit

Here is the thing beginners learn the hard way.

When you type on a computer, your words are not saved yet. They are only in the computer's short-term memory. If the power goes off, or the program closes, or someone trips over the cable, your work is gone.

To keep your work, you must save it. Saving writes the file onto the computer's storage, where it stays even when the power is off.

Think of it like this: typing is talking. Saving is writing it down.

The rule: Save early, save often. Save as soon as you start, and save every few minutes after that.

Try this: Say the rule out loud three times: "Save early, save often."

How to save

Most programs save in the same way.

Method 1: The menu.

1. Click File at the top left.
2. Click Save.
3. If it is the first time, type a name and choose where to put it.
4. Click Save.

Method 2: The keyboard. Hold Ctrl and press S. (On a Mac, Cmd + S.) This is the fastest way. Learn it!

Method 3: The icon. Many programs have a small picture of a floppy disk at the top. Click it to save.

After the first save, the file has a name and a home. Every save after that just updates the same file.

Try this: Open a writing program. Type your name. Press Ctrl + S. Name the file and save it.

Why is the save icon a floppy disk?

The save button in most programs looks like a small square with a sliding metal piece. It is a floppy disk.

Floppy disks were how people saved files a long time ago, before you were born. Each one held very little, less than one photo from today's phones! You pushed the disk into the computer, saved your file onto it, and carried it home in your pocket.

Nobody uses floppy disks any more, but the picture stayed. Now it just means "save".

It is like the telephone icon on a phone, which looks like an old handset even though phones no longer look like that.

Try this: Can you think of another icon that shows an old object we no longer use?

Save and Save As

There are two kinds of save.

Save keeps the file with the same name in the same place. Use it every few minutes while working.

Save As makes a copy with a new name or in a new place. The old file stays as it was.

When would you use Save As?

• You wrote a letter to Grandma. Now you want a similar letter for Uncle Kofi. Save As letter-uncle-kofi, then change the words. The Grandma letter is still safe.
• You want to keep an old version before making big changes.
• You want to put a copy on a pen drive.

Try this: Open a file you saved. Choose File → Save As. Give it a new name. Now you have two files. Check they are both there.

Opening a file

Saving puts work away. Opening gets it back.

Method 1: From the program.

1. Open the program (for example, the writing program).
2. Click File → Open.
3. Find your file in the list and click it.
4. Click Open.

Method 2: From the file list.

1. Open the file manager (File Explorer on Windows, Finder on Mac, Files on Linux and Chromebook).
2. Find your file.
3. Double-click it. The right program opens by itself.

Method 3: Recent files. Many programs show a list of recent files when they start. Click yours.

Try this: Close your program. Now open the file you saved earlier, using Method 2.

What is a folder?

Imagine your teacher gives back 200 pieces of work and dumps them in one pile on the floor. Finding your maths homework would be hard.

Now imagine the work is in folders: one for Maths, one for English, one for Science. Much easier!

A folder on a computer is the same idea. It is a container that holds files and other folders. Folders do not hold any information themselves; they just organise files.

On screen, a folder usually looks like a small cardboard folder, often yellow or blue.

Try this: Look at the picture. What colour are the folders on your school computer?

The folder icon

Computer folders are drawn to look like the paper folders in the picture on the last page.

The idea is simple: the picture reminds you what it does. A folder holds things. You open it to see what is inside.

Folders usually show:

• The folder icon (the little picture).
• The folder name underneath or beside it.
• Sometimes a number of items or an arrow that opens it.

When a folder is empty, the icon may look flat. When it has files in it, the icon may look fuller. Some computers show a tiny preview of what is inside.

Try this: Draw the folder icon from your school computer from memory. Then check. How close were you?

Folders inside folders

A folder can hold other folders. We call these subfolders.

Here is how Ama organises her school work:

Ama-School
├── Maths
│   ├── fractions-homework
│   └── times-tables
├── English
│   ├── rain-poem
│   └── letter-to-grandma
├── Science
│   └── water-cycle-drawing
└── Social
    └── regions-poster

Ama-School is the main folder. Maths, English, Science and Social are subfolders. The files are inside the subfolders.

This is called a tree, because it branches like one. The main folder is the trunk.

Try this: Draw a tree for how you would organise your school work. Add at least four subfolders.

Making a new folder

Making a folder takes a few seconds.

On Windows:

1. Open File Explorer and go where you want the folder.
2. Right-click on an empty space.
3. Choose New → Folder.
4. Type a name and press Enter.

On a Mac: Right-click → New Folder.

On a Chromebook or Linux: Right-click → New Folder.

On a phone or tablet: In the Files app, tap the + or menu, then New folder.

Name the folder clearly, just like a file: Kofi-English, not New Folder (3).

Try this: Make a folder with your name. Inside it, make four subfolders: Maths, English, Science, Social.

Saving into the right folder

When you save a file for the first time, the computer asks where to put it. This is your chance to put it in the right folder.

The save window shows your folders. Click through them: Kofi-School → Science. Then type the name and click Save.

If you do not choose, the computer puts the file in a default place, often "Documents" or "Downloads". It will still be saved, but you may struggle to find it later.

Many lost files are not really lost. They are just in the wrong folder!

Try this: Save a new file called test-file inside your Science subfolder. Then open the file manager and check that it is really there.

Where files live: the storage

Files are saved on storage. This is a part of the computer that remembers things even when the power is off.

Kinds of storage:

• The hard drive or SSD inside the computer. This is where most files go.
• A pen drive (USB flash drive). Small, carried in a pocket, plugged into any computer.
• A memory card, used in phones and cameras.
• The cloud: storage on big computers far away, reached through the internet (for example, Google Drive).

The main places on a computer have names like Documents, Pictures, Downloads, Desktop and Music.

Try this: Open the file manager. Find the Documents and Pictures folders. What is inside each?

How big is a file?

Files take up space on the storage, just as books take up space on a shelf. We measure file size in bytes.

• 1 KB (kilobyte) is about 1,000 bytes. A short typed story is a few KB.
• 1 MB (megabyte) is about 1,000 KB. One phone photo is 2 to 5 MB. One song is about 4 MB.
• 1 GB (gigabyte) is about 1,000 MB. A film is 1 to 2 GB.

A pen drive might hold 16 GB. A phone might hold 64 GB. When it is full, you cannot save any more, and the phone gets slow.

Pictures and videos are big. Typed words are small. That is why a phone fills up with photos long before it fills up with messages.

Try this: Right-click a file and choose Properties (or Get Info). How big is it?

Sorting and viewing files

The file manager can show your files in different ways.

Views:

• Icons: big pictures, good for photos.
• List or Details: a row for each file with its name, size, type and date. Good for finding things.

Sorting: Click a column heading to sort.

• Sort by Name to find a file alphabetically.
• Sort by Date modified to find the file you worked on most recently.
• Sort by Size to find the big files that are filling up the storage.
• Sort by Type to put all the photos together.

When a folder has 100 files, sorting is faster than scrolling.

Try this: Open your Photos folder. Switch to List view. Sort by Date. Which photo is newest?

Shortcuts that save time

Keyboard shortcuts are faster than the mouse. Hold the first key and tap the second. (On a Mac, use Cmd instead of Ctrl.)

• Ctrl + S — Save
• Ctrl + O — Open
• Ctrl + N — New file
• Ctrl + C — Copy
• Ctrl + X — Cut
• Ctrl + V — Paste
• Ctrl + Z — Undo (bring back what you just changed)
• Ctrl + A — Select all
• F2 — Rename (Windows)
• Delete — Send to the Recycle Bin

Ctrl + Z is the "oops" key. Deleted the wrong line? Ctrl + Z brings it back.

Try this: Type a sentence, press Ctrl + A, then Ctrl + C, then click at the end and press Ctrl + V. What happened?

The desktop

The desktop is the first screen you see after the computer starts. It is like the top of a real desk.

You can put files and folders on it. Many people do. But be careful! A desktop covered in 100 files is like a desk covered in 100 papers: messy and slow.

Good use of the desktop:

• A shortcut to the folder you use most.
• One or two files you are working on today.

Bad use of the desktop:

• Every file you ever made.

Keep your real work in your folders. Use the desktop only for today's things.

Try this: Look at the desktop of a computer at school. Is it tidy or messy? What would you move?

Finding a file you lost

It happens to everyone. You saved a file, and now you cannot find it.

Do not panic. Try these:

1. Check recent files. Open the program and look for "Recent" or "Open Recent".
2. Check Downloads and Documents. Files often land there by default.
3. Search. Every computer has a search box. Type part of the file name. On Windows, click the search icon on the taskbar. On a Mac, click the magnifying glass. In the file manager, there is a search box too.
4. Sort by date. In the file manager, sort by "Date modified". The newest files come first.
5. Ask yourself: did I actually save it? If you closed without saving, it may be gone.

Try this: Use search to find the test-file you made earlier.

Renaming a file

Made a mistake in the name? Or saved it as "Untitled"? You can rename it.

Method 1: Right-click the file → Rename → type the new name → Enter.

Method 2: Click the file once to select it, wait a moment, click the name again, and type.

Method 3: Select the file and press F2 (Windows) or Enter (Mac).

Careful:

• Do not delete the extension (the .docx or .jpg part). If you do not see an extension, the computer is hiding it, and you are safe.
• Do not rename files that belong to the computer itself (in folders like Windows or System). That can break things.

Try this: Rename test-file to my-first-file.

Moving and copying files

Put a file in the wrong folder? Move it.

Drag and drop: Click the file, hold the mouse button, drag it onto the folder, and let go. It moves there.

Cut and paste: Right-click the file → Cut. Open the folder → right-click → Paste. The file moves.

Copy and paste: Right-click → Copy → go to the new place → Paste. Now there are two of the file: the original and the copy.

When do you copy? When you want to put your work on a pen drive to take home, but keep it on the school computer too.

Try this: Copy my-first-file into your Maths folder. Then move it back to Science.

Deleting a file

If you really do not need a file, you can delete it.

Right-click → Delete, or select it and press the Delete key.

The file goes to the Recycle Bin (Windows) or Trash (Mac, Linux). It is not gone yet! If you deleted it by mistake, open the bin and choose Restore.

When you empty the bin, the file is gone for good.

Before you delete, ask:

• Am I sure I do not need this?
• Is it mine, or someone else's?
• Is there a copy somewhere?

Never delete files you do not recognise. They might belong to the computer or to another pupil.

Try this: Make a file called delete-me. Delete it. Open the Recycle Bin and restore it. Then delete it again.

Keeping a tidy computer

A tidy computer is a fast computer, and a fast computer is a happy pupil.

Habits of tidy people:

• Name files clearly the moment you make them.
• Save into the right folder the first time.
• Make a folder for each subject, project or term.
• Delete rough drafts you no longer need.
• Empty Downloads every week. It fills up fast.
• Do not leave 50 files on the desktop.

Habits of untidy people:

• "Untitled (7)", "Untitled (8)", "Untitled (9)"...
• Everything in Downloads.
• Three copies of the same photo in three folders.

Try this: Spend five minutes tidying your folder. Rename anything called "Untitled". Delete anything you do not need.

Backing up

What if the computer breaks, is stolen, or gets a virus? Your files could disappear.

A backup is a second copy of your files kept somewhere else.

Ways to back up:

• Copy your folder onto a pen drive and keep it at home.
• Upload your files to the cloud (Google Drive, OneDrive) if the school has internet.
• Email important files to yourself or a parent.

Rule: anything you would cry about losing should be in two places.

Kofi lost a whole term's work when the school computer crashed. Ama had copied hers to a pen drive the week before. Be like Ama.

Try this: Which of your files would you be saddest to lose? Make a backup of that one today.

Sharing files safely

Sometimes you want to give a file to a friend or teacher.

Safe ways:

• Copy it onto a pen drive and hand it over.
• Email it as an attachment.
• Share it from the cloud with a link.
• Send it on a messaging app, if an adult allows.

Be careful:

• Pen drives can carry viruses from one computer to another. Ask before plugging a strange pen drive into the school computer.
• Do not open files from people you do not know.
• Do not share files with your personal details (address, phone number) with strangers.
• Ask before sharing a photo of someone else.

Try this: Name two safe ways to get a file from school to home.

Files on a phone

Phones have files and folders too, but they are often hidden.

• Photos you take go into a Photos or Gallery app. Each photo is a file, usually .jpg.
• Downloads go into a Downloads folder.
• A Files app (sometimes called "My Files" or "File Manager") shows everything.

The same rules apply:

• Delete photos you do not need, or the phone fills up.
• Back up photos to the cloud or a computer.
• Do not delete files that belong to the phone's system.

Many Ghanaian pupils use a parent's phone more than a computer, so these skills matter at home too.

Try this: With a parent's permission, open the Files app on a phone. Find the Downloads folder. How many files are in it?

Working on a shared computer

In many Ghanaian schools, one computer is shared by many pupils. That makes folders even more important.

Rules for sharing:

1. Make your own folder with your name and class, for example B4-Abena.
2. Save only in your folder. Never in someone else's.
3. Do not open, rename, move or delete other people's files.
4. Do not change settings or the desktop picture without permission.
5. Log out or close your programs when you finish.
6. Report any problem to the teacher instead of trying to fix it yourself.

Treat the shared computer like a shared classroom. Leave it the way you found it, or tidier.

Try this: Make your B4-YourName folder on the school computer, if you have not already.

A story: Kwame's lost project

Kwame spent two weeks typing a project on the regions of Ghana. He typed it on the school computer and never saved it into his folder. He just clicked "Save" and let the computer choose.

On the day it was due, he could not find it anywhere. He searched Documents. Nothing. He searched Downloads. Nothing. He almost cried.

Then Ama said, "Did you search for the name?" Kwame typed "regions" in the search box. There it was, in a folder called "Public Documents" that he had never heard of.

Kwame moved it to B4-Kwame/Social, saved a copy on his pen drive, and never let the computer choose again.

Try this: What three mistakes did Kwame make? What did he do right at the end?

Practice: name these files

For each one, write a good file name. Remember: clear, short, no spaces, no strange symbols.

1. A poem about the Harmattan for English class.
2. A photo of your class on sports day.
3. Your fractions homework for Maths.
4. A letter to your uncle in Tamale.
5. A drawing of the water cycle for Science.
6. A list of the sixteen regions for Social Studies.
7. A recording of your class singing the national anthem.
8. Your reading log for the month of May.

Compare your names with a friend's. Whose are clearest?

Practice: which folder?

Ama has these folders: Maths, English, Science, Social, Photos, Music.

Where should each file go?

1. rain-poem.docx
2. fractions-work.docx
3. class-photo.jpg
4. national-anthem.mp3
5. water-cycle.png
6. regions-of-ghana.docx
7. sports-day.jpg
8. letter-to-grandma.docx

Now think about these:

• Ama's cousin sends her a video of the Homowo festival. Which folder? Is there a good one, or does she need a new folder called Videos?
• Ama writes a story for a competition that is not for any school subject. Where should it go?
• Ama takes a photo of her fractions homework to send to her teacher. Is it a Photos file or a Maths file?

There is not always one right answer. The best folder is the one where you will look first when you need the file again.

Try this: Suggest one new folder Ama should make, and say what would go in it.

Practice: what would you do?

Say what you would do in each case.

1. You have been typing for ten minutes and have not saved. The lights flicker.
2. You cannot find the file you saved yesterday.
3. You want to send your story to your teacher.
4. Your friend asks you to delete a file from another pupil's folder as a joke.
5. The computer asks "Do you want to save changes?" when you close a program.
6. You made a letter for Grandma and want a similar one for Auntie.
7. The desktop has 60 files on it and the computer is slow.
8. Someone hands you a pen drive and says "Just plug it in."

Step by step: make, save, close, open

Do this whole routine on a real computer, in order.

1. Open the file manager. Make a folder called B4-YourName.
2. Inside it, make a subfolder called Computing.
3. Open a writing program.
4. Type: "My name is ___. I am in Basic 4. I live in ___ Region."
5. Press Ctrl + S. Go to B4-YourName → Computing. Name the file about-me. Click Save.
6. Type one more sentence. Press Ctrl + S again.
7. Close the program.
8. Open the file manager, go to your Computing folder, and double-click about-me.
9. Did your sentences come back? Well done!

Try this: Now use Save As to make a copy called about-me-copy.

Words to remember

• File: a package of information saved on a computer (a story, a photo, a song).
• File name: the name you give a file so you can find it.
• Extension: the letters after the dot (.docx, .jpg) that show the file type.
• Save: write your work onto storage so it is not lost.
• Save As: save a copy with a new name or in a new place.
• Open: bring a saved file back onto the screen.
• Folder: a container that holds files and other folders.
• Subfolder: a folder inside another folder.
• File manager: the program that shows your files and folders (File Explorer, Finder, Files).
• Backup: a second copy of a file kept somewhere else.
• Recycle Bin / Trash: where deleted files wait before they are gone for good.

Try this: Cover the meanings and test yourself.

Check yourself

Tick the ones you can do.

• I can explain what a file is.
• I can give a file a clear name.
• I know what the extension is for.
• I save early and save often, using Ctrl + S.
• I know the difference between Save and Save As.
• I can open a file from the file manager.
• I can make a folder and a subfolder.
• I can save a file into the right folder.
• I can find a file using search.
• I can rename, move, copy and delete a file.
• I know how to back up my work.
• I follow the rules on a shared computer.

Go back to any page you need. Then practise the routine on the "Step by step" page until it is easy.

Learn more

• BBC Bitesize: Information technology (KS2 Computing) — short guides on using computers, saving work and staying safe
• GCFGlobal: Computer Basics — free lessons on files, folders and getting started with a computer
• Code.org — free activities to try once your files are tidy and you want to start coding

Watch more

Think about it

1. Why do you think the computer does not save your work by itself every second?
2. How is a folder on a computer like a folder in an office? How is it different?
3. What would happen in a school where nobody named their files properly?
4. Why is it a bad idea to keep your only copy of important work on one computer?
5. If you were the teacher, what three rules would you make for pupils using the shared computer?