How to Create a New Folder in Windows 10

Do your files and documents need better organization? Group related files into distinct folders on your laptop or desktop and you’ll always easily find what you need. You can also change the icon size to make it more visually pleasing. Here are a few ways to quickly create a new folder in Windows 10, and after you master this, learn how to password protect a folder in Windows 10.

Method 1: Create a New Folder with a Keyboard Shortcut

The fastest way to create a new folder in Windows is with the CTRL+Shift+N shortcut.

1. Navigate to the location where you want to create the folder. You can create a new folder at any location on your hard drive or within another folder (creating a subfolder) in File Explorer. You can also create a new folder on your desktop with this method.

2. Hold down the Ctrl, Shift, and N keys at the same time. Windows will immediately create the new folder with the not-very-imaginative suggested folder name of «New folder.»

3. Enter your desired folder name. It takes just seconds to create a new folder this way, but be sure to immediately begin typing your folder name when the folder first appears, because if you click on the folder or click away from File Explorer, the folder name will be «New folder» and you’ll have to rename it.

Method 2: Create a New Folder by Right-Clicking

If you don’t remember the keyboard shortcut or you prefer using the mouse:

1. Navigate to the location where you want to create the folder.

2. Right-click on a blank space in the folder location. Take care with this: If you right-click on an existing item in the folder, you’ll get the wrong menu.

3. Select New then Folder from the contextual menu. Windows will create the new folder at your current location.

4. Enter your desired folder name to replace «New folder» and hit Enter.

You can create folders on the Desktop using this method too. Right-click on a blank space on the Desktop, then go to New > Folder.

Method 3: Create a New Folder from the Ribbon Menu

Another simple way to create a new folder is to use the New folder button in the File Explorer menu.

Just navigate to the place you want the folder and click or tap «New folder» in the Home tab

In addition to the methods above, you can create a new folder in Windows 10 by using the Command Prompt (navigate to the location you want your folder in and type mkdir foldername, replacing «foldername» with your folder name). These three methods, however, are the simplest and quickest ways to create a new folder, so you can get right to organizing your files.

The Easiest Way to Create New Folders in Windows Using Shortcuts

Those of us who come from the days of typewriters rather than keyboards know all about shortcut keys. This was/is a method of speeding up your work routine and is still very prevalent today. For those of you who are not shortcut key users, don’t worry. There is always another way to do everything in Windows.

Leave it to Microsoft to change some of the shortcut keys from one operating system to another. This must be one of the ways that they are always «improving» and therefore selling a new, upgraded version of their software. But let’s get back on task.

Shortcut Key Notes

• Whenever shortcut keys are listed, with a plus sign ( + ) in the string, such as Ctrl+C, this indicates that the Ctrl key is held while the letter C is pressed.
• When a shortcut key is listed with commas separating the string, such as Alt+F, W, F, the Alt key is held while the letter F is pressed, but then both these keys are released while the W and F keys are pressed one after the other.
• You can use either upper or lower case letters in these shortcut key combinations. Uppercase letters are just shown in this article for clarity.

Windows XP Shortcut Keys to Create a New Folder

The keyboard shortcut key combination is this: Alt+F, W, F. Translated that means:

• Hold down the Alt key while pressing the letter F.
• Let go of both the Alt key and letter F and then press the letter W followed by the letter F in quick succession.

Keyboard and Mouse Combination

The mouse and keyboard shortcut key combination is: Right-click, W, F. Translated that means:

• Right-click in the window and then press the letter W followed by the letter F in quick succession.

Shortcut Keys to Create a New Folder for Windows 7, 8, and 10

This shortcut key combination is more obvious and much easier to remember:
Ctrl+Shift+N

How to Create New Folders Using Keyboard Shortcuts in Windows 10

And now something for all of you who like to use keyboard shortcuts more than moving and clicking the mouse. In this short article, we’re going to show you how to easily create a new folder with just a few keyboard buttons.

Shortcut keys to create new folders in Windows 10

You can create a new folder on Desktop by right-clicking on it > New > Folder, but there’s even a quicker way to create a new folder in Windows. Just press Ctrl + Shift + N and the new folder will automatically be created on your Desktop, ready to be renamed or to store some of your important files.

This shortcut doesn’t work just on Desktop, because you can create a new folder in the File Explorer, as well. The method is the same, just open the File Explorer or location where you want to create a new folder, press Ctrl, Shift and N at the same time and the new folder will be created in seconds.

How to create a new folder in File Explorer

Here’s another useful tip: if you want to create a folder in the File Explorer, and then you also want to create it on your desktop, just press Windows key + D, and all folders or programs will be minimized, leaving you just with Desktop open. Then just do as we showed you in this article, and you’re good to go.

This shortcut also works in Windows 8 and Windows 7, as Microsoft decided not to change it in Windows 10, but it won’t work in Windows XP. If you want to create a new folder on Desktop in Windows XP, using just keyboard shortcuts, you’ll have to try a different combination of keys. To create a new folder in Windows XP, you have to hold Alt + F keys first, and then release them and quckly press W key, followed by F.

That would be all, now you know how to create a new folder in Windows, using just a couple of keys of your keyboard.

Using keyboard shortcuts is very useful as you can get things done more quickly. Of course, you need to know what key combinations to use in order to get the result you want. In case you’re not very familiar with the most useful keyboard shortcuts supported on Windows 10, here’s a guide that you can use to learn more about Windows shortcuts.

Let’s suppose that you no longer want to use keyboard shortcuts on your computer. Well, there are a few methods that you can use to disable these shortcuts. For example, you can turn off hotkeys, use a dedicated script for your Registry or you can disable absolutely all the keyboard shortcuts on your machine using the Windows Registry. For detailed instructions on the steps to follow, you can use this guide.

Unfortunately, you keyboard may break sometimes and you won’t be able to use it. Luckily, we already tacked this issue and we compiled a few lists of solutions to help you out:

If the solutions above didn’t work, and you still can’t use your keyboard, maybe it’s time to get a new one. If you don’t know what are the best keyboards to buy for your Windows 10 computer, you can check out these lists:

There you go, we hope this guide offered you all the information that you needed.

How do I create a new folder using a keyboard shortcut?

Does anyone know the shortcut key to create a new folder in Windows Explorer and in Finder?

Also, does anyone know the shortcut key to create a new folder on the desktop?

(I’m using windows vista and mac os x)

3 Answers 3

Windows

Ctrl + Shift + N : Create a new folder in Windows Explorer.

Alternatively, use ALT + F + W + F on older Windows versions and MENU + W + F on the desktop.

Mac OS X

Create a New Folder shortcut using the System Preferences -> Keyboard & Mouse -> Keyboard Shortcuts panel. The system won’t let you choose Cmd — N , but it will let you choose Cmd — Shift — N . Use that.

Desktop

The shortcut key should work there too.

On Windows 10
Windows 10 offers an alternative way that I just found. You can configure it yourself. It was standard setting on my system so most people might already have it working this way.
Then the shortcut is Alt + 2 (note not F2 )

This refers to the index of the items at the top bar of the windows explorer:

It can be configured by clicking the arrow next to it to show the item on top (screen shot from german system):

I have created an autohotkey script to remap Ctrl+Shift+n to Capslock+F12. You can remap it to any other key you want.

The key below is context-sensitive, meaning it will only work in Windows Explorer AND Windows Explorer file dialogs (open/save as).

To understand the syntax above, see below example,

Keyboard shortcut for creating a new folder or file? (Windows)

Does anybody know if there’s a keyboard shortcut equivilant to the right click -> New context menu in explorer?

Given that I suspect that there isn’t, does anybody know of an explorer extension that offers something similar? It would be great to have a key combination that yielded an intellisense style dropdown (or similar) of the available file types!

6 Answers 6

The «simple way»:

You can use the keyboard accelerator keys: Alt + F to bring up the file menu, and then W for the New menu, and then F for new folder. So your shortcut key sequence ends up being F + W + F with the Alt key held down. (Try it out)

Note: this combination depends on the language of your Windows system.

Alternative way 1:

Script you have to hot key:

NOTE: «Display full path in title bar» must be checked in «folder options» of Windows Explorer.

^N:: WinGetActiveTitle aTitle InputBox, FolderName, Create New Folder, What would you like to name the folder?,

MsgBox «%FolderName%» has been created in «%aTitle%». Return

Alternative way 2:

It enables defining the shortcut key for creating new folder and making possible to change some other «create new folder» behaviours like default new folder name. This version works only with 2k/xp/2k3 (no nt 4.0 and 9x — sorry).

There are some useful features added like auto enter into just created folder.

Ctrl Shift N creates a new folder in Windows 7.

You can use the keys in the context menu:

Or with the mouse:

Right-click » N » F

Ctrl+Shift+N to Create a new folder

This is a legacy command from win95, so it is available in all versions of windows since 95. Best place for window shortcuts is the window help and support file. Just open Help and Support then search for keyboard shortcuts, it is just that easy. I print them out and give them to my older PC students to help them understand the OS better. Works every time.

For Windows 8:

• Right click on the ‘New item’ button (on the right to the ‘New folder’ button)
• Select ‘Add to Quick Access Toolbar’

Now the icon from the ‘New item’ button should appear on the top-left corner of the explorer window.

Numerous small letters and number should appear at the top of the window. The small icons on the top-left corner of the explorer window should be indicated with numbers: 1, 2, 3, .

Usually, the ‘New item’ button should have the number 3 assigned.

• Now you can just press [Alt]+3 and the New item popup menu will appear.