Though keeping our computers well-organized should be a year-round priority, many of us rarely do routine cleanups. Why clean? By ridding yourself of unneeded files and programs, you free up disk space for crucial ones and help your device to run better overall. Plus, an actual computer dusting can help it breathe better and prolong its life. Which is why National Clean Out Your Computer Day, Monday, February 8, is an excellent reminder. If your work and/or home computer is cluttered with ancient files and programs, heed these simple tips for digital tidying.
1. Find out where the problems are.
Go through your desktop and examine areas where you tend to save a lot of files. If you find folders with years and years of accumulated files/images/programs, block out some time for a good purge.
2. Figure out what you truly need.
Get ready to start cleaning up! To avoid accidentally deleting something you really need, go through files and programs one-by-one to determine what's essential. Keep the ones you regularly refer to on your computer (natch!), and save the ones you want to keep but rarely look at (may need for future use, photos to archive) on an external hard drive or a flash drive.
3. Delete old files and programs
Drag files you don't need straight to your desktop recycle or trash bin. Same goes for duplicate files and programs you never use anymore. Then empty out your trash bin (click that icon—you can do it!). Feeling bad about letting go of all those files and programs? Look on the bright side—you've opened up more space in your computer's memory.
4. Create folders to organize files.
For the remaining files, create subfolders within main folders to make it easier for you to locate them, and store files according to category. The more you can narrow down categories for files, the faster you can access them.
5. Arrange your desktop to easily access files.
Get past random arrangement and give yourself a system. Group related icons together for easy location. Then, if you tend to have a messy desktop, set a goal to do a bit of desktop cleaning at the end of each day. Before you switch off your computer, place all files you were working with in the right folders so you can start off with a neat desktop the next time you use your device.
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