How to Make One Folder Out of Multiple Folders

By Alan Sembera

Combining folders can help keep your computer organized.
i Marili Forastieri/Photodisc/Getty Images

Combining multiple folders into one can make it easier to find a specific document or picture on your computer. While you can always cut and paste files from one folder to another, this method is impractical if your files are scattered among dozens or even hundreds of separate folders. To simplify the process, use Windows' search feature to quickly display the files from multiple folders, and then consolidate them all at once.

Step 1

Press "Windows-E" on your keyboard to launch Windows Explorer.

Step 2

Create a new folder that will hold the files from the other folders. Alternatively, use a folder that already exists.

Step 3

Navigate to the main folder that contains the subfolders you want to consolidate. For example, if your My Pictures folder contains multiple subfolders, and you want to consolidate all the pictures into one folder, select "My Pictures" in the left pane. Alternatively, move the folders you want to consolidate into a new folder, and then select the new folder.

Step 4

Type "." into the search bar (without the quotes), and then press "Enter." Windows searches the current folder and its subfolders, and displays all of the files from those folders in the right pane. The results also include entries for the subfolders.

Step 5

Click the "View" tab, and then select "Details." This setting displays the filenames and their attributes, allowing you to more easily manage a large number of files.

Step 6

Right-click the "Name" column header and select the "Type" option if it is not already checked. This creates a new column that shows the type of each file.

Step 7

Click the "Type" heading to sort the results by file type. This also separates the subfolders from the files in the results.

Step 8

Highlight all the files in the right pane, leaving out the subfolders. To more easily select a large numbers of files at one time, click the first file in the list, scroll down to the last file, and then hold down the "Shift" key while clicking the last file.

Step 9

Right-click the highlighted files and select "Cut," and then right-click the new folder or the main folder and select "Paste." Windows moves all the files from the subfolders to the destination folder. Alternatively, move the files by dragging them to the destination folder and then releasing the mouse button.

Step 10

Delete the subfolders in the search results if you no longer need them.

×