How Do I Create a File?

Creating new files on a computer is a relatively painless procedure.

File creation is one of the most basic tasks performed by a computer's operating system. All modern operating systems let users create new files with point-and-click or right-click commands.

Microsoft Windows

One of the easiest ways to create a new file in Windows is by right-clicking on the desktop, moving the mouse cursor to "New..." and selecting the desired file type from the context menu that appears to the right of the cursor. You can also create a new file with the assistance of virtually every program installed on Windows through each program's interface.

Mac OS

Creating a file in the Mac OS Finder is a little more involved than in Windows. You can create a new folder by using the File menu and selecting "New Folder," but creating a new file in the Finder requires you to write a short AppleScript utility (instructional link in Resources). Of course, you can create files from within most applications, just as on Windows.

Linux

Linux may make creating a file easier even than Windows or Mac OS. Open a terminal window and type "touch newfile.txt" to immediately create an empty text file called "newfile" in the directory where you issued the command. You can rename the file to anything you like and can edit it with whichever file editor is appropriate for the file suffix.

References

• Microsoft Help and Support: Knolwedge Base: File Creation
• Lowfat Linux: How Do I Create Files And Directories?

Resources

• Macworld: Create a New File In The Finder