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Your desktop is an easy place to put files and favorite programs for easy access, and that’s OK if you use it as a temporary holding area. But if you let files accumulate there, you can run into two problems: It gets hard to find what you’re looking for; and it can actually slow down your computer, since you’re using more of the computer’s memory.

If your desktop looks like this, you’re probably running into trouble.

Image courtesy of RuthOrtiz

One reason you may have desktop clutter is because tackling it seems like a very big task. Where do you even start when there are so many files to organize? Follow this tutorial to get rid of what you don’t want and better organize what you do want to keep.

Step 1: Put Everything on Your Desktop Into One Folder

Make it easier to start the process by creating a folder. You could name it something like “Stuff on Desktop.” Then, highlight everything on your desktop and drag it into the folder. Once you can see what your desktop actually looks like without all the visual clutter, it will be less overwhelming to finish this process so you can keep it that way.

How to move files into a folder on a PC

1. Right click anywhere on your desktop.

2. Scroll down to New and then select Folder at the top of the list that appears.

3. A new folder will appear on your desktop, and you can immediately begin typing to rename it.

4. Next use the mouse to draw a square over all the items and icons on your desktop. This will highlight them all at the same time (you’ll notice they turn a darker color).

5. Drag the highlighted items into your folder.

6. You may have to repeat steps 4 and 5 a few times to move everything.

How to move files into a folder on a Mac

1. Hold the control key down, and click anywhere on your desktop

2. Select New Folder

3. A new folder will appear on your desktop. Double click the words to rename it.

4. Next use the mouse to draw a square over all the items and icons on your desktop. This will highlight them all at the same time (you’ll notice they turn a darker color).

5. Drag the highlighted items into your folder.

6. You may have to repeat steps 4 and 5 a few times to move everything.

Step 2: Throw Out Everything You Don’t Need

You probably don’t need everything that was on your desktop. Just like tidying up your home, an important step in tidying up your desktop is throwing out the junk. On your desktop, this may include pictures or files that you downloaded and no longer need.

Putting things in the trash on a PC

On a PC, you’ll want to select the file you want to trash by clicking on it and dragging it to the Recycle Bin on your desktop.

1. Open the folder on your desktop.

2. Go through each item. If there is something you don’t need, click on it once, then drag it to the recycling bin.

Putting things in the trash on a Mac

On a Mac, you’ll want to select the file you want to trash by clicking on it and dragging it to the Trash bin at the far right of your dock.

1. Open the folder on your desktop.

2. Go through each item. If there is something you don’t need, click on it once, then drag it to the trash can icon.

Emptying Your Trash

But just because you put something in the trash doesn’t mean it goes away forever. You also need to empty the trash, which will clear up space on your computer so it can run more efficiently.

How to empty trash on a PC

1. When you are finished dragging everything you don’t need to the recycling bin, double click the recycling bin.

2. At the top of the window, click Empty Recycle Bin.

How to empty trash on a Mac

1. When you are finished dragging everything you don’t need to the trash can, double click the trash can.

4. Right click on the window that opens up, and select Empty Trash.

Step 3: Create New Organizing Folders on Your Desktop  

Now that you’ve thrown out everything you don’t need, you can work on organizing everything that’s left. The best way to do this is to create folders for each group of items. This is just like filing important papers into physical folders at home. For example, you might have a lot of family photos; you could create a new folder just for photos.

To do this, create a new folder on your desktop, as you did in step 1 (for Mac or PC), and name it something like “Family Photos.” Then, double click on the “Stuff on Desktop ” folder that you created. Drag all the photos from that folder to the “Family Photos” folder.

Create as many folders as you need to organize your different types of files. If you don’t have a place for some items, create a “Miscellaneous” folder for them.

By the time you’re finished, you should have no files left in your “Stuff on Desktop” folder. You might have some applications left, such as your browser (Like Safari, Firefox, or Microsoft Word). Since you may frequently use these programs, feel free to drag them back to your desktop so you can access them easily when you turn on your computer.

Step 4: Finish Tidying Up Your Desktop

Now you have things organized into folders, but you’ve added a few folders to your desktop, so it might still look a bit cluttered. Fortunately, there is a feature on both Mac and PC to arrange everything nicely and neatly in columns and rows.

How to arrange your desktop on a PC

1. Right click anywhere on your desktop

2. Click View, then scroll down to Auto Arrange Icons

How to arrange your desktop on a Mac

1. Right click anywhere on your desktop

2. Select Clean Up. If you have a newer Mac or newer operating system, you will have options on how to organize.

Keep Your Desktop Organized!

It’s easy for clutter to quickly take over your desktop again, so make sure you continue to use your trash to get rid of what you don’t need and file what do you want to keep in your folders.

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