Windows desktop: Managing files

This short guide is a reference tool to help refresh your knowledge or practise what you have learned in the Windows desktop: Managing files online video course, including how to:

organise files into folders
personalise your desktop with a background image
change the profile picture that appears when you sign in.

Before you begin

Make sure your computer is:

plugged into mains power, switched on and showing the desktop
properly connected to a mouse and keyboard, and your home Wi-Fi
running the latest version of its operating software. If your computer is not running Windows 11, some of the steps may look different but you can still follow along.

How to organise the desktop

The desktop is the screen that appears when you sign into your computer, and it shows your files and applications with icons. If the desktop gets cluttered and things are hard to find:

Right-click on the desktop to open the context menu, then select View.
From the side panel that displays, click Auto arrange icons to organise icons into rows and columns.
To freely move icons around again, click Auto arrange icons to turn it off.
From the right-click context menu, click Sort by to group icons by name, size, type, or date.

How to create desktop folders

If you have lots of files to organise, you can group them into folders:

Right-click on the desktop to open the context menu, then click on New.
From the list that appears, select Folder.
Type a name for the folder.
Drag and drop files from the desktop into the folder to tidy them away.
Double-click the folder to open it and see the contents.
Use the View button in the bottom right to turn on thumbnail previews of images.

How to change the desktop background image

Personalise your desktop by changing the picture or colour that appears on it:

Right-click on the desktop to open the context menu, then select Personalise.
The Windows Settings panel will open, with Background on the right. Click on it to see the options.
Next to Personalise your background, select Picture from the dropdown box.
Choose from Recent images or click Browse photos to select your own.
You can use any photo or image saved on your computer.

How to set your profile picture

Your profile picture appears on the sign-in screen and in some apps:

From the Windows Settings panel, click on Accounts.
On the Your info screen, choose Open camera to take a photo of yourself or Browse files to select an image from your computer.
The image will appear in the profile circle above your name.