How to Copy a Digital Movie

Digital movies can be taken anywhere, making them perfect for vacations.

Digital movie files are an efficient way to store movies. They can be transferred between computers quickly and easily, streamed across a home network to a television or other device, and even taken with you on trips without adding to your luggage. However, they are also easily deleted or corrupted. If you know how to copy a digital movie, you won't lose your favorites.

Things You'll Need

• Digital movie file

Instructions

1. Browse through your computer's files to find the digital movie you want to copy. For example, digital movies downloaded from iTunes will be stored in the "iTunes/iTunes Music/Movies" folder. By default this is inside the "My Documents/My Music" folder on personal computers with Windows software or in the "Music" directory on Macintosh computers. Files downloaded from other sources may be stored elsewhere, such as in a "Downloads" or "My Documents" folder.

2. Right-click on the digital movie's file listing. This will open a pop-up menu. Select the "copy" function.

3. Open the folder to which the movie is to be copied. You may have to open a new window in Windows Explorer or Finder to see the folder you want.

4. Right-click inside the folder. Select "Paste." This will make a copy of the movie file in the desired location. To copy the file to a CD or DVD, insert the disc into the hard drive and click the "Burn disc" or "Burn now" button. If you do not burn the file to the disc, the copy you created will be remain just a temporary file on your hard drive.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have downloaded the movie using software such as iTunes but you not sure where it is stored, check the "Preferences" option, which is usually found in the software's file menu on Windows or the software menu (the menu named after the software) on the Mac. This will show the name of the folder in which the software stores files.

• This process only copies the file, creating a duplicate of it on your computer. It does not remove the original file. As a result, you will now have two copies, taking up twice as much file space. This may cause problems when you copy large files, as they can fill lots of hard drive space quickly. To remove the original file when copying a movie, select "Move" instead of "Copy" from the file actions menu.

References

• Microsoft: Copy a File or Folder