Have you ever needed to find something in a folder that had hundreds of files in it? Well, you usually know something about the file. If it's the name, then you're all set. But maybe you're not sure of the name, although you do know it was created in the last day or so. Or maybe you know what type of file it is, just not the name or the last time it was modified.

What about trying to select all the same types of files in a folder? You know, maybe you want to take all the JPEGs out and stick them in another location. Well, it would take awhile if they weren't all together.

So, what can you do?

Well, sort your columns, of course!

If you click the top of any column in Windows Explorer, it will list the contents of that folder in order based on that column.

For example, if you click the Modified column, you'll find that it lists the files in the folder based on the last date they were modified. It will sort A-Z the first time you click, then Z-A on the next click. The example above shows the columns sorted by size.

This trick also works with other programs. For example, if you click the column headings in Outlook Express, you can sort your e-mail by the column heading (i.e. subject, date received, etc). I use this little trick all the time to help me locate e-mail.

OK, most of us know that you can resize the columns in Windows Explorer. You just grab the little black column separators at the top and drag them to the size you need.

Well, there's actually a better way.

If you double-click in the little space between columns, you'll find that the column automatically resizes itself so it shows the complete name of every item in the column.

Oh, this little trick works with most programs that use columns of information (Outlook, Excel, etc).

Also, here's some Column Sorting fun...

Have you ever needed to find something in a folder that had hundreds of files in it? Well, you usually know something about the file. If it's the name, then you're all set. But maybe you're not sure of the name, although you do know it was created in the last day or so. Or maybe you know what type of file it is, just not the name or the last time it was modified.

What about trying to select all the same types of files in a folder? You know, maybe you want to take all the JPEG's out and stick them in another location. Well, it would take awhile if they weren't all together.

So, what can you do?

Well, sort your columns, of course!

If you click the top of any column in Windows Explorer, it will list the contents of that folder in order based on that column.

For example, if you click the Modified column, you'll find that it lists the files in the folder based on the last date they were modified. It will sort A-Z the first time you click, then Z-A on the next click. The example above shows the columns sorted by size.

This trick also works with other programs. For example, if you click the column headings in Outlook Express, you can sort your e-mail by the column heading (i.e. subject, date received, etc). I use this little trick all the time to help me locate e-mail.