In File Explorer, I typically transfer pictures from my mobile phone to my PC by copying and pasting the files into a specific sub-folder, such as MY PICTURES (FOLDER) > 2024 (SUBFOLDER). This process includes handling conflicts, such as duplicate files, which I choose not to copy, as illustrated in the attached screenshot:

In a different project, I backed up my data by copying folders and files to an external HDD. Here’s an example of how the file structure was organized:

My Files (FOLDER) > My Documents (SUBFOLDER) > Bank Statements (SUBFOLDER) > Individual Files…
My Files (FOLDER) > My Documents (SUBFOLDER) > Creditors (SUBFOLDER) > Individual Files…
My Files (FOLDER) > My Documents (SUBFOLDER) > Debtors (SUBFOLDER) > Individual Files…
etc.

When I attempt to copy several folders like Bank Statements, Creditors, and Debtors simultaneously, I hope that Windows will only add new individual files without duplicating any existing files or subfolders. However, it’s challenging to track this accurately.

To manage this, I sometimes arrange the subfolders by ‘Date modified’ to determine when new subfolders or files should be added. This approach helps avoid copying and pasting everything again, but I’m still unsure if it’s the most efficient method.

Yesterday I had 1TB of videos to copy to an existing copy of the original folder but I am still not sure if Windows overwrote some of the existing folders and files or if it just added changed files…

​In File Explorer, I typically transfer pictures from my mobile phone to my PC by copying and pasting the files into a specific sub-folder, such as MY PICTURES (FOLDER) > 2024 (SUBFOLDER). This process includes handling conflicts, such as duplicate files, which I choose not to copy, as illustrated in the attached screenshot:  In a different project, I backed up my data by copying folders and files to an external HDD. Here’s an example of how the file structure was organized:My Files (FOLDER) > My Documents (SUBFOLDER) > Bank Statements (SUBFOLDER) > Individual Files…My Files (FOLDER) > My Documents (SUBFOLDER) > Creditors (SUBFOLDER) > Individual Files…My Files (FOLDER) > My Documents (SUBFOLDER) > Debtors (SUBFOLDER) > Individual Files…etc.When I attempt to copy several folders like Bank Statements, Creditors, and Debtors simultaneously, I hope that Windows will only add new individual files without duplicating any existing files or subfolders. However, it’s challenging to track this accurately. To manage this, I sometimes arrange the subfolders by ‘Date modified’ to determine when new subfolders or files should be added. This approach helps avoid copying and pasting everything again, but I’m still unsure if it’s the most efficient method. Yesterday I had 1TB of videos to copy to an existing copy of the original folder but I am still not sure if Windows overwrote some of the existing folders and files or if it just added changed files…  Read More

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