While working on a project or document, it's always a good idea to save the file to a location you can remember later, such as your Desktop of a specific folder. Sometimes mistakes happen however, and it can be difficult to locate a saved file. Click the appropriate operating system below to view instructions on how to find missing files you have saved to your device.
There are a few different methods of locating saved files on a Windows 7 computer.
- Search for the file name using the File Explorer.
- Open the File Explorer (the manila folder icon on your taskbar), and select Computer from the list of locations on the left.
- Alternatively, you can press Windows key + E.
- Type your file name or a keyword into the Search Computer box in the upper right corner
- Wait a few moments for the search to complete. Any files with that title or keyword in its name will appear in this box.
- If you have a large number of files in this folder, you can filter them by selecting Date Modified from the label bar above the first file. This will put the files in order, with the most recently modified file being at the top of the list.
- Open the File Explorer (the manila folder icon on your taskbar), and select Computer from the list of locations on the left.
- View recent files from the Start Menu.
- You may need to adjust your settings to enable this option. To do so, first right click the Start Menu and select Properties.
- In the Start Menu tab, select the Customize button.
- Scroll down and place a check in the box next to Recent Items.
- Click OK, then OK again in the remaining pop up window.
- Click the Start Menu icon and hover your mouse over the program you used to create the file you’re looking for. Any recent files will appear to the right.
There are a few different methods of locating saved files on a Windows 8/8.1 computer.
- Search for the file name using the File Explorer.
- Open the File Explorer (the manila folder icon on your taskbar), and select This PC from the list of locations on the left.
- Alternatively, you can press Windows key + E.
- Type your file name or a keyword into the Search This PC box in the upper right corner
- Wait a few moments for the search to complete. Any files with that title or keyword in its name will appear in this box.
- If you have a large number of files in this folder, you can filter them by selecting Date Modified from the label bar above the first file. This will put the files in order, with the most recently modified file being at the top of the list.
- Open the File Explorer (the manila folder icon on your taskbar), and select This PC from the list of locations on the left.
- Check the Recent Items folder.
- To view this folder, you will first need to create a desktop shortcut to its location.
- Right click on your desktop.
- Select New from the menu list, then Shortcut.
- In the “Type the location of the item” box, enter: %userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Recent\
- Click Next.
- Name the shortcut to “Recent Items” or any name you prefer.
- Click Finish.
- Click the folder icon from your Desktop.
- Any recent files you have worked on will be listed here.
- If you have a large number of files in this folder, you can filter them by selecting Date Modified from the label bar above the first file. This will put the files in order, with the most recently modified file being at the top of the list.
- To view this folder, you will first need to create a desktop shortcut to its location.
There are a few different methods of locating saved files on a Windows 10 computer.
- Search for the file name using the File Explorer.
- Open the File Explorer (the manila folder icon on your taskbar), and select This PC from the list of locations on the left.
- Alternatively, you can press Windows key + E.
- Type your file name or a keyword into the Search This PC box in the upper right corner
- Wait a few moments for the search to complete. Any files with that title or keyword in its name will appear in this box.
- If you have a large number of files in this folder, you can filter them by selecting Date Modified from the label bar above the first file. This will put the files in order, with the most recently modified file being at the top of the list.
- Open the File Explorer (the manila folder icon on your taskbar), and select This PC from the list of locations on the left.
- Check Recent Files
- Open the File Explorer (the manila folder icon on your taskbar).
- Click Quick Access from the menu on the left.
- Once the box loads, scroll down to view Recent Files.
There are a few different methods of locating saved files on a Windows 11 computer.
- Search for the file name using the File Explorer.
- Open the File Explorer (the manila folder icon on your taskbar), and select This PC from the list of locations on the left.
- Alternatively, you can press Windows key + E.
- Type your file name or a keyword into the Search This PC box in the upper right corner.
- Wait a few moments for the search to complete. Any files with that title or keyword in its name will appear in this box.
- If you have a large number of files in this folder, you can filter them by selecting Date Modified from the label bar above the first file. This will put the files in order, with the most recently modified file being at the top of the list.
- Open the File Explorer (the manila folder icon on your taskbar), and select This PC from the list of locations on the left.
- Check Recent Files
- Open the File Explorer (the manila folder icon on your taskbar).
- Click Quick Access from the menu on the left.
- Once the box loads, scroll down to view Recent Files.
There are a few different methods of locating saved files on a Mac computer.
- Search for the file using Spotlight.
- Click the magnifying glass in the upper right corner of the menu bar, or press Command and the space bar. This will open Spotlight.
- Type keywords or the title of your document into the search bar.
- Search for a file using the Finder.
- Open the Finder and select Go.
- Select All My Files from the dropdown list.
- Click the settings icon at the top of the box (appears as a gear symbol).
- Hover your mouse over the Arrange By option, and choose how you would like to view the files below. You can filter by date modified, date last opened, size, name, etc.
- You can also search for specific files using the Search box in the upper right corner of this page.
Showing Hidden Files
Occasionally you may need to locate a file that is hidden or not visible when searching for it using the (Windows) File Explorer or (Mac) Finder options. Click the appropriate operating system below to view instructions on how to adjust your settings to show hidden files.
- Open the File Explorer (the manila folder icon on your taskbar), and select This PC (depending on your operating system, it may be titled as “My Computer”) from the list of locations on the left.
- Alternatively, you can press Windows key + E.
- This step will differ depending on your operating system:
- If you are using Windows 7, click Organize in the upper left corner.
- If you are using Windows 8 or 10, click the View tab at the top of the window and then select Options.
- If you are using Windows 11, click the three dots in the upper right corner and select Options.
- In the Folder Options window that appear, select the View.
- In the Advanced settings section, scroll until you see Hidden files and folders.
- Place a check in the box next to Show hidden files, folders, and drives.
- Click Apply, then OK.
- Open the Finder and select Go.
- Select All My Files from the dropdown list (or select whichever folder you would like to see hidden files in).
- Press the shift+command+period keys on your keyboard to toggle hidden files.
Locating Files to Upload to the LMS
When uploading a document to the LMS, it may be difficult to find the file in a folder that is congested. Click the appropriate operating system below to view instructions on how to sort the files.
- After clicking Browse/Upload in the LMS, navigate to the folder you would like to search in.
- Click on the View Icon at the top right corner of the upload window.
- Select Details.
- You can sort the files by selecting Name or Date Modified from the label bar above the first file.
- After pressing Browse/Upload in the LMS, navigate to the folder you would like to search in.
- Click on the View Icon at the top left corner of the upload window.
- Select List under the “Show items as” section.
- You can sort the files by selecting Name or Date Modified from the label bar above the first file.