The Purpose of Moving Files
Moving a file on your computer copies it to a new location on the hard drive and deletes it from its original location. This is a common task and you will find yourself performing it frequently as a computer owner. Moving files helps you maintain organization and quickly find the files you need.
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Moving Files in Windows
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Moving files in Windows is also called "cutting and pasting." You can move a file by positioning the mouse cursor over it, holding the left mouse button down, dragging the file to the new desired location and releasing the mouse button. You can also right-click the file, select "Cut," right-click the new desired location and select "Paste." The alternative is "copying and pasting," which involves creating a copy of a file in a new location while retaining the original file. While copying creates a second file, moving a file does not.
Organization
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The primary reason for moving files is computer organization. Moving files allows you to create a system of folders for organization and relocate content to the folders you designate. For example, one common system of computer organization is to create folders for different types of content, such as images, videos and music. Within these folders, you might create additional, more specific folders; a music folder might contain folders for the names of artists and bands.
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Storage Conservation
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Moving files from one device to another increases the space available on the first device. If your computer has two hard drives, for example, you might use one hard drive for the operating system and applications while using the second for long-term storage of less frequently used files. Because the primary hard drive has the operating system installed and has the greatest impact on system performance, moving files to a secondary device periodically can help keep the computer running at peak efficiency.
File Name Conflicts
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When moving files, Windows displays a warning message if the new location selected contains one or more files with the same name as files you are moving. You can choose to write over the conflicting files, leave the conflicting files in their original locations or change the names of the files being moved. If you aren't sure what to do, click the "Cancel" button. Two files with the same name may contain different content; if you write over one of them, you will not be able to get the original file back.
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