Digital literacy foundations: files, folders, cloud storage and sharing
For people who are new to using a computer at work, or who have always got by without being sure where their files go. No prerequisites: you need to be able to sign in and open an app. You learn what file name extensions tell you, how to name files so they save and sync, how to find your way around folders and paths in File Explorer, when to copy, move or create a shortcut, what the OneDrive cloud and tick icons mean, and how to share a file or send a zipped folder. Examples use Windows 11 with OneDrive and Google Drive; your company's rules decide where work files must be kept and who you may share them with. Next step: the course on cloud files, sharing, versions and recovery.
- Level
- Beginner
- Length
- About 70 minutes
- Contents
- 4 lessons · final exam
- Status
- Published · updated 10 Oct 2026
Skills you'll practise
- Identify a file's type from its extension and name files so they are valid on Windows and OneDrive
- Navigate folders and paths in File Explorer and choose between copying, moving and creating a shortcut
- Explain where a OneDrive file is stored from its status icon and what deleting or freeing up space does
- Choose a sharing link and permission, or a zipped folder, that fits who needs the file and what they need to do
Course outline
- 1.Identify file types and name files wellLesson · 12 min
- 2.Navigate folders and choose copy, move or shortcutLesson · 12 min
- 3.Explain where synced cloud files liveLesson · 12 min
- 4.Choose how to share and send filesLesson · 12 min
- 5.Digital literacy foundations: files, folders, cloud storage and sharing: knowledge checkKnowledge check · 14 questions
- 6.Digital literacy foundations: files, folders, cloud storage and sharing: practical exerciseKnowledge check · 1 question
- 7.Final exam8 questions · passing it completes the course, so people who already know the material can test out
Sources it draws on
The lessons and questions are written from these references, so learners can go back to the original.
- Microsoft Support: File Explorer in Windows
- Microsoft Support: Common file name extensions in Windows
- Microsoft Learn: Naming Files, Paths, and Namespaces
- Microsoft Support: Restrictions and limitations in OneDrive and SharePoint
- Microsoft Support: Save disk space with OneDrive Files On-Demand for Windows
- Microsoft Support: Share OneDrive files and folders
- Google Drive Help: Share files from Google Drive
- Google Drive Help: Organize your files in Google Drive (folders, moving, shortcuts)
- Microsoft Support: Zip and unzip files
See it with your own jobs and topics
Tell us about your team and we'll walk you through setup, from choosing jobs to your first skills check.