In this part 16 of my Windows 7 tutorial I’ll continue with part 4 of a tour of Windows Explorer.

Open any sub folder of your documents folder that includes a number of text files e.g., Word.

In the upper right-hand corner of the subfolder pane is ‘Arrange by: Folder’. If you click on the little down triangle to the right of ‘folders’ you can rearrange the files in the subfolder by Date Modified, Tag, Type, and Name. An expeditious way to arrange your files to simplify finding a particular file.

Example: You forgot the name of a file but you do remember the approximate date you created the file. By clicking on ‘Arrange by: Folders’ and clicking on ‘Date Modified’, all the files will be listed by their modification date. Then by clicking on the ‘Show the preview pane’ on your Organize bar, you can quickly view their content and hopefully find the file you’re looking for.

Music files can be arranged by Album, Artist, Song, Genre, and Rating, Pictures files by Month, Day, Rating, and Tag, and Videos by Year, Type, Length, and name by clicking on ‘Arrange by:’.

If you’re of the super organized persuasion, rather than using ‘Arrange by:’ you can right click on a folder’s column header bar (by default it will have ‘Name’ as the first column header) and select from over 250 different ways to arrange your files.

Note: To be able to access the many file arranging options, your Documents, Music, Pictures and Video folders must be viewed in ‘Details’ view. To adjust your view to ‘Details’ view, click on ‘View’, ‘Details’ on your Menu bar or ‘Change your view’ on your Organize bar.

To arrange the order of your column headings regardless of the number of column headings you have selected, place your Pointer over the column to be moved and holding down your left mouse button relocated it as far left or right as you want. Or, right click on the Column bar, click on ‘More’, check the column headings you want displayed and use the Move Up and Down buttons to relocate the particular column heading you have selected to the place on the Column bar you want it.

Just a reminder. On July 14th at 6:00 PM at Lee Memorial Hospital Auditorium on Cleveland Ave, my Windows 7 seminar will be dedicated to demonstrating all you’ll need to know about Windows Explorer and its Libraries, Folders and Files. No registration required. First arrive, first seated.

Here’s wishing you a Good Boot.