This page tells you how to copy files from a source (the file or data to be moved) to the target (final destination of the file or data). For more information on using a CD, see Burn Files to CD.
Note: The sections below discuss how to copy files from a location on your computer to a flash drive or CD drive. If you do not wish to use a flash drive or CD drive, you can easily copy files from one location on your computer to another location on your computer (e.g., from the C: drive to the H: drive). For this process, the steps below are the same: instead of dragging and dropping or copying and pasting items onto a flash drive or CD, simply find the location on the computer that you want to copy files into and then complete the "drag and drop" steps or "copy and paste" steps to get files into that location.
To Copy Files via "Drag and Drop":
- Insert the target flash drive or CD.
- Go to "Start" > "Computer" (in Windows 10, click "File Explorer" > "This PC.")
- Double-click the USB drive, CD drive, or netwok drive that contains the source file. The contents of the drive should now be visible.
- Open a second "Computer" window and open the target folder. (You should now have two folder windows open: the window with the source file and the window with the target folder.)
- Select the files you wish to copy from the source drive and folder > Drag them over to the target drive and folder > Drop them into the folder.
To Copy Files via "Copy and Paste":
- Insert the target flash drive or CD (see USB Drive Letter Assigner for assistance).
- Go to "Start" > "Computer" ( (in Windows 10, click "File Explorer" > "This PC.")
- Double-click the USB drive, CD drive, or network drive that contains the source file. The contents of the drive should now be visible.
- Select the files you wish to copy.
- Right-click on the files >Select "Copy." (Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+C.)
- Navigate to the target folder > Right-click and select "Paste." (Alternatively, you can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+V.)