
The method of enabling the checkboxes differs based on the operating system. Once you’ve selected the files, you can drag and drop them or copy them to another folder. Clicking will put a check mark in the item checkbox, denoting that a file is selected. You can use checkboxes to select files simply by clicking on them for each file. If you’re using Microsoft Surface or a touchscreen device that runs Windows 11 or 10 (the feature is also available on Windows 7, 8, and Vista), it might be easier to enable checkbox selection for selecting multiple files easily. Select Files on a Touch Screen Windows Device Note that clicking on a blank space will deselect all files, and since this method may require some time picking files from a long list, this can be frustrating. To start selecting, hold down Ctrl and left-click on the files you want to select. Essentially, the Ctrl key helps you pick specific files from a list of files, so this method is helpful when you only have a handful of files to select from a long list of files. While Ctrl + A selects all files, you can also use the Ctrl key for selecting specific files by using the mouse.

Doing this will select all files between the two files you clicked on. Then, press-hold the Shift key and use the left mouse button to click on the last file where you want to end the selection. Select the first file from which you want to begin selecting. If you don’t want to repeatedly use the Shift + Arrow key until you’ve selected all files, there’s a handy keyboard shortcut.

If the folder is set to display files with thumbnails, the key combination will also work for selecting files horizontally.

The key combination also works the same way for selecting files upwards. Keep pressing the same key combination until you’ve selected all the files you want to select. Doing this will select the immediate file below it. You can select the first file from where you want to start selecting, and press Shift + Down arrow.

Say you want to select the five files at the center of a list of files. You can use the following key combinations to select files using the Shift key: When you need to select a group of files or folders that occur consecutively, you can use the shift key in combination with other keys. Select Consecutive Files Using the Shift Key
