Copy a file instead of moving it
Make a second copy of a file and leave the original where it is.
Two commands sit side by side on every computer, and they do very different things.
Move takes the file out of one place and puts it in another. There is still one file. It simply lives somewhere else now.
Copy makes a second one. The original stays put and an identical twin appears in the new place. From that moment they are separate. Change one and the other does not change.
This matters most when you are about to experiment. Before you edit a document heavily, before you hand a file to somebody else, before you put photos on a flash drive, copy first. The untouched original is your way back.
Dragging a file with the mouse is where people get surprised. On many computers, dragging within the same drive moves it. Dragging to a different drive, like a flash drive, copies it. Using the Copy and Paste commands instead removes the guesswork entirely.
Key points
- Move leaves one file. Copy leaves two.
- Copy before you edit something you cannot replace.
- Dragging on the same drive usually moves.
- Copy then Paste is the reliable route.
- A vanished file is often just at a new address.
What to remember
- Copy and Paste is the reliable way to end up with two files.
- Before any edit you might regret, make a copy and work on that one.
- If a dragged file vanishes from its old home, look for it in the folder you dragged it to.
Try this
Pick one document you would hate to lose, copy it, and paste that copy into a folder you name Backup.
Practice: Copy a file instead of moving it. Your first lesson is free, with no account or card; the rest are part of a Lantern plan. Interactive lessons require JavaScript.