How to Organize Your Flash Drive
Find a USB port on your computer., Plug your flash drive into your computer., Open your computer's file management program., Find your flash drive's name., Double-click your flash drive's name., Find a file or folder you wish to move to your flash...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Find a USB port on your computer.
USB ports resemble horizontal, rectangular slots with a thin bar of plastic at the top of the slot.
USB ports may be in several different places, depending on the type of computer you have:
Laptops
- You'll typically find USB ports on the sides of the laptop's housing, though you may occasionally find ports on the front or back of the housing.
Some Mac laptops do not have USB ports.
Desktops
- Desktop USB port locations vary extensively.
Places to look include the sides of the keyboard and the front and back of the CPU (the box that connects to the monitor). -
Step 2: Plug your flash drive into your computer.
You'll need to make sure that the plastic bit on the inside of the flash drive's plug is opposite of the plastic bit on the inside of the USB port when you do this. , For a Mac, this will entail double-clicking the Finder, which is a blue-faced icon in the row of options on the desktop; Windows users will open This PC, which is a computer-shaped icon on the desktop.
If you can't find This PC on Windows, open the Start menu by clicking the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen (or pressing the ⊞ Win key), type "this pc" into Start, and click the top option that appears.
You can skip to the next part if your flash drive opens automatically after plugging it into your computer. , The flash drive's name will usually be a combination of the flash drive's brand and its size (e.g., "SanDisk 28GB"), though the model number may be in the name as well.
The flash drive's location varies between Mac and PC:
Mac
- On the left side of the Finder window, just below the "Devices" heading.
You'll see an "Eject" icon to the right of the flash drive's name.
PC
- Below the "Devices and drives" heading in the middle of the page. , Doing so will open the flash drive's window, where you can proceed with organizing your flash drive's files. , You can browse your desktop for files, or you can navigate to your computer's pictures folder, documents folder, or any other place that contains information you wish to copy onto your flash drive.
As long as the file's or folder's size in bytes does not exceed your flash drive's capacity, you can move any file or folder onto your flash drive.
You can check the size of an item by using two fingers to click it and then clicking Get Info (Mac), or by right-clicking it and then clicking Properties (PC).
You'll find the file's size near the middle of the resulting window. , You may see a + icon appear near the folder or file as it enters the flash drive's window. , This will drop the file or folder into the flash drive's window, which will prompt the files to begin copying to the flash drive.
The files will not be removed from your computer in the process. , Doing so will invoke a drop-down menu. , This will delete your selected file or folder from the flash drive. , Doing this will invoke a drop-down menu. , It's at the top of the drop-down menu. , This name should correspond to the kind of content for which you intend to use this folder.
Certain symbols (such as "/") aren't usable in a folder's name. , Doing so will create your new folder.
You can place other folders or files inside of this folder by clicking and dragging them onto the folder's icon and then dropping them there. , A drop-down menu will appear. , You'll see a menu pop out to the left or right of the drop-down menu. , This option, which is at the top of the pop-out menu, will add a new folder to your flash drive. , Since you're organizing your flash drive, this folder's name should serve to describe the kind of content you'll be putting in it.
You won't be able to use symbols like "/" in your folder's name. , This will create your folder in the flash drive.
You'll be able to place other folders or files inside of this folder by clicking and dragging them onto the folder's icon and then dropping them there. , You can double-click the folder you wish to organize, or you can remain on you flash drive's main page to organize everything there.
The organizational tools you'll find here are the same for any folder you can open in your flash drive. , This will invoke a drop-down menu. , Doing so prompts a pop-out menu with different display options for your flash drive's files and folders. , These respective options ensure that you can view your files' and folders' details as you arrange them. , These tabs are arranged in a toolbar above the flash drive's main window.
Clicking one of these will arrange your files accordingly:
Name
- Click this tab once two arrange your files and folders in descending alphabetical order, or click it twice to display items in reverse alphabetical order.
Date Modified
- Click this tab once to view the most recent item at the top of the flash drive's window and the least-recent item at the bottom.
Clicking it again will reverse the order.
Kind (Mac)/Type (PC)
- Click this tab to sort your files and folders by file type.
For example, all folders will be grouped together, while different file types (e.g., photos, text documents, etc.) will be grouped accordingly.
Size
- Click this tab to arrange by file size, from greatest to least.
Click it again to reverse the order. , Once your flash drive is displaying your content in your preferred way, you can eject your flash drive and remove it from your computer.
To eject your flash drive on Mac, click the arrow to the right of its name in the left-hand pane of the Finder.
To eject from a PC, right-click your flash drive's name in "This PC" and click Eject. -
Step 3: Open your computer's file management program.
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Step 4: Find your flash drive's name.
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Step 5: Double-click your flash drive's name.
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Step 6: Find a file or folder you wish to move to your flash drive.
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Step 7: Click and drag the file or folder into the flash drive window.
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Step 8: Release the mouse button.
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Step 9: Two-finger click (Mac) or right-click (PC) a file/folder you wish to delete.
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Step 10: Click Move to Trash (Mac) or Delete (PC).
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Step 11: Use two fingers to click the flash drive window.
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Step 12: Click New Folder.
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Step 13: Enter a name for your folder.
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Step 14: Press ⏎ Return.
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Step 15: Right-click the flash drive window.
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Step 16: Select New.
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Step 17: Click Folder.
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Step 18: Type in a name for your folder.
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Step 19: Press ↵ Enter.
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Step 20: Open a folder if necessary.
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Step 21: Two-finger click (Mac) or right-click (PC) the flash drive's window.
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Step 22: Select View.
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Step 23: Click as List (Mac) or Details (PC).
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Step 24: Click an organizational tab.
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Step 25: Repeat this process for any folder you wish to organize.
Detailed Guide
USB ports resemble horizontal, rectangular slots with a thin bar of plastic at the top of the slot.
USB ports may be in several different places, depending on the type of computer you have:
Laptops
- You'll typically find USB ports on the sides of the laptop's housing, though you may occasionally find ports on the front or back of the housing.
Some Mac laptops do not have USB ports.
Desktops
- Desktop USB port locations vary extensively.
Places to look include the sides of the keyboard and the front and back of the CPU (the box that connects to the monitor).
You'll need to make sure that the plastic bit on the inside of the flash drive's plug is opposite of the plastic bit on the inside of the USB port when you do this. , For a Mac, this will entail double-clicking the Finder, which is a blue-faced icon in the row of options on the desktop; Windows users will open This PC, which is a computer-shaped icon on the desktop.
If you can't find This PC on Windows, open the Start menu by clicking the Windows logo in the bottom-left corner of the screen (or pressing the ⊞ Win key), type "this pc" into Start, and click the top option that appears.
You can skip to the next part if your flash drive opens automatically after plugging it into your computer. , The flash drive's name will usually be a combination of the flash drive's brand and its size (e.g., "SanDisk 28GB"), though the model number may be in the name as well.
The flash drive's location varies between Mac and PC:
Mac
- On the left side of the Finder window, just below the "Devices" heading.
You'll see an "Eject" icon to the right of the flash drive's name.
PC
- Below the "Devices and drives" heading in the middle of the page. , Doing so will open the flash drive's window, where you can proceed with organizing your flash drive's files. , You can browse your desktop for files, or you can navigate to your computer's pictures folder, documents folder, or any other place that contains information you wish to copy onto your flash drive.
As long as the file's or folder's size in bytes does not exceed your flash drive's capacity, you can move any file or folder onto your flash drive.
You can check the size of an item by using two fingers to click it and then clicking Get Info (Mac), or by right-clicking it and then clicking Properties (PC).
You'll find the file's size near the middle of the resulting window. , You may see a + icon appear near the folder or file as it enters the flash drive's window. , This will drop the file or folder into the flash drive's window, which will prompt the files to begin copying to the flash drive.
The files will not be removed from your computer in the process. , Doing so will invoke a drop-down menu. , This will delete your selected file or folder from the flash drive. , Doing this will invoke a drop-down menu. , It's at the top of the drop-down menu. , This name should correspond to the kind of content for which you intend to use this folder.
Certain symbols (such as "/") aren't usable in a folder's name. , Doing so will create your new folder.
You can place other folders or files inside of this folder by clicking and dragging them onto the folder's icon and then dropping them there. , A drop-down menu will appear. , You'll see a menu pop out to the left or right of the drop-down menu. , This option, which is at the top of the pop-out menu, will add a new folder to your flash drive. , Since you're organizing your flash drive, this folder's name should serve to describe the kind of content you'll be putting in it.
You won't be able to use symbols like "/" in your folder's name. , This will create your folder in the flash drive.
You'll be able to place other folders or files inside of this folder by clicking and dragging them onto the folder's icon and then dropping them there. , You can double-click the folder you wish to organize, or you can remain on you flash drive's main page to organize everything there.
The organizational tools you'll find here are the same for any folder you can open in your flash drive. , This will invoke a drop-down menu. , Doing so prompts a pop-out menu with different display options for your flash drive's files and folders. , These respective options ensure that you can view your files' and folders' details as you arrange them. , These tabs are arranged in a toolbar above the flash drive's main window.
Clicking one of these will arrange your files accordingly:
Name
- Click this tab once two arrange your files and folders in descending alphabetical order, or click it twice to display items in reverse alphabetical order.
Date Modified
- Click this tab once to view the most recent item at the top of the flash drive's window and the least-recent item at the bottom.
Clicking it again will reverse the order.
Kind (Mac)/Type (PC)
- Click this tab to sort your files and folders by file type.
For example, all folders will be grouped together, while different file types (e.g., photos, text documents, etc.) will be grouped accordingly.
Size
- Click this tab to arrange by file size, from greatest to least.
Click it again to reverse the order. , Once your flash drive is displaying your content in your preferred way, you can eject your flash drive and remove it from your computer.
To eject your flash drive on Mac, click the arrow to the right of its name in the left-hand pane of the Finder.
To eject from a PC, right-click your flash drive's name in "This PC" and click Eject.
About the Author
Christopher Hernandez
Experienced content creator specializing in crafts guides and tutorials.
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