Need a fresh start in 2025? Here’s how you can organize your laptop.

You probably spent most of December psyching up for that healthy January rebrand. You know the drill – we all promise to be a new and improved version of ourselves going forward. Whether it’s opening up the long-neglected Duolingo app, swapping the sweets for carrots, or becoming a regular at your local gym, the new year is a fresh start (New Year, New me right?) But even when you’re eager to make lifestyle changes and overhaul those health and fitness routines, one area often gets neglected – our tech.

If you’re someone who uses your laptop regularly, you probably have a mountain of disorganised files. And you know what they say. A messy computer often aligns with a messy brain, making it a lot harder for you to locate the info you need when you’re in a time crunch. The chaos of having scattered documents, and old downloads? So 2024.

So, why not use the new year refresh as an opportunity to manage your files? If you’re not sure how to start, here’s our handy guide. 

Back up your data

Number one, and the cardinal rule. Before you decide to hit hard refresh, remember to back up your data. We’ve all got files buried in the depths of our hard drives that we’re sure we’ll never need to use but emptying out your computer before checking could mean you losing that crucial file you’d saved for a rainy day. Use an external hard drive or online Cloud storage, like Dropbox or Google Drive. This ensures nothing accidentally gets lost when clearing through your files. 

How to organize your documents

Patience, dear child. Have a sift through everything before making any drastic changes. If your hard drive is currently looking as hectic as Oxford Circus during the sales, a less strenuous way of looking through them is by sorting according to when you last opened the file, or by file size. That way, you’ll be able to see the main offenders that are taking up much-needed space, which is especially helpful if you’re working with limited storage on your device.

Create a system that works for you

When you’ve identified all of your folders, sort them by whatever grouping makes the most sense to you. It can be by date, type, name, client – whatever you want, but make sure it’s a system that you’ll be able to understand, will make sense to you long-term, and will help you locate what you’re looking for at a later date.

Avoid clutter

Digital clutter makes for a dusty device, we say. The most common areas where files tend to be disorganised are photos, desktops, and downloads. We’re all guilty of downloading a funny meme and leaving it in our drive, never to be opened again (you probably still have those cat pics from 2012). If your desktop is cluttered, we suggest putting it in list view. Have a look at what needs purging and what can be moved into another labeled folder. You can also make use of Cloud storage here too, by uploading photos into folders there.

Think of your desktop as the chair you put all your clothes on after you do your laundry. The files should be there only temporarily until it’s time to neatly put them into their folders.

Use third-party software

If the idea of managing your own files seems far too daunting, you can try using a third-party app. Before committing to using any additional software, assess what your needs are to decide which tool is best for you. Do you need a simple tool for organising a few files? Do you have a massive amount of media that needs specific management? Get to know the function of each software before committing, especially if there’s a cost attached to downloading it.

There’s a bunch of software out there that can do all the grunt work for you and manage a large volume of files. One of our favourites is the classic Total Commander. It’s been kicking around for 25 years, but has modern integration such as cloud storage support. Xplorer² is a newer offering and good if you’re super meticulous, coming with handy features like colour coding and identifying duplicate files. And if you want something more bespoke, Directory Opus software that allows you to customise its interface to suit your needs. All of these platforms come with a free trial, so you can try before you buy.

How to maintain organization after cleaning

Just like cleaning your home, organizing your laptop isn’t a one-and-done process - the maintenance needs to be ongoing. Though a deep clean isn’t necessary every week, it’s a good idea to do a device audit every few weeks to avoid having too many unwanted files. By doing a semi-regular clean, you won’t need to do a massive time-consuming one every new year. 

So don’t just restrict “new year, new me” to pumping iron and drinking kale smoothies, make keeping your laptop clutter-free the resolution that you stick to all year.