How to Create a New Folder in Windows (Incl. “mkdir”)

Create a New Folder in Windows

Want to keep your files organized and neat? Instead of having them all in one big and unsightly directly, you can place them in a hierarchy of folders. Find out here how to create a new folder in Windows using Windows Explorer and “mkdir” at a command prompt.

First, a Frenchman Steps before the Camera in 1937 Britain

It is Thursday night on Jan 21, 1937. A Frenchman steps in front of the BBC camera for 15 minutes and produces an—omelet.

This was only the first of five dishes, of course, that Marcel Boulestin, a chef and romancer originally from Poitiers, would explain how to prepare in also the first cooking show (“talk”) on TV. (The other dishes included pipérade and sauce hollandaise. Not bad for 15 minutes each.)

Now, want to whisk up not a new dish but a new folder tonight? Let’s step in front of the screen:

How to Create a New Folder in Windows Using Explorer and “mkdir”

Using File Explorer on Windows 11

Time needed: 3 minutes

To add a new folder to keep files in Windows using File Explorer:

  1. Open File Explorer.

    Here’s how: Search for an open File Explorer using the Start menu.
    Windows keyboard shortcut: Press Windows E to open Explorer.

  2. Navigate to the folder in which you want to create the new file folder.

    That’s how: You can use the folder tree in the sidebar to select the folder to hold the new one.
    Online drives: Creating a new folder works with local hard drives, of course, and just the same with all kinds of online drives that integrate with Windows Explorer (OneDrive, Google Drive, iCloud Drive…) and networked drives.

  3. Select New in the toolbar and choose Folder.

    Windows “new folder” keyboard shortcut: You can also press Ctrl Shift N to create a new folder in the current directory.
    Context menu: To start creating a new folder with the context menu, right-click anywhere in the folder’s empty area and select New | Folder from the menu.

  4. Type the name for the new folder over the boilerplate New folder.

    Default folder name: If a folder with the name New folder already exists in the current directory, Windows will tack a version number to the end to make the default name New folder (2), New folder (3), etc.

  5. Press Enter to set the name.

    Name a new folder on Windows 11

Using Windows Explorer on Windows 10

To add a folder to Windows 10 using Explorer:

  1. Open the Start menu and select Documents from the menu.
  2. Go to the folder that will contain the new folder.
  3. Go to the Home tab in the toolbar’s ribbon interface.
    Expand the toolbar: If you do not see the full Explorer toolbar initially, click Home in the collapsed toolbar on top.
  4. Click New folder.
  5. Write the new folder’s name over New folder.
  6. Press Enter.
    Create a new file folder with Windows Explorer

Create a New Folder in Windows Using the Command Line

to make a new folder using the Windows cmd command prompt:

  1. Open a Windows command prompt.
    Here’s how: You can open the Start menu, for instance and search for command prompt, then start Command Prompt.
    PowerShell: You can also open Windows PowerShell, of course.
  2. Change to the directory to contain the new folder.
    Here’s how: Use the cd <path to the folder> command to change directories.
    Example: Use cd C:\Documents to open the Documents folder on the C:\ drive.
    Drag and drop: You can type cd  , (dot) and then drag and drop a folder from Windows Explorer to insert its full path.
  3. Type mkdir <new folder name>.
    Example: Type mkdir Ladedu to create a new folder named Ladedu.
    Saving a few characters: Instead of mkdir, you can also type md.
  4. Press Enter.
    Add a folder using the Windows command line

How to Create a New Folder in Windows Using Explorer and “mkdir”: FAQ

If a folder is selected in Explorer, will the new folder be placed in the that folder or the current one?

Windows Explorer always creates new folders in the directory displayed. Whether files or folders are highlighted makes no difference.

Can I quickly create a folder structure?

Yes and no.

While it is not possible to quickly create an entire path of folders and sub-folders using Windows Explorer, you can do so from the command line.

To create a folder structure using the Windows command line:

  1. Press Windows R to open the Windows Run command.
  2. Type cmd /E:ON.
    Why “E:ON”: The additional parameter enables command extensions for command line programs; for the mkdir command, this allows for creating paths.
  3. Type mkdir <full directory path>.
    Example: To create the folder “Ladedu” inside the “Documents” folder at the C:\ drive’s root, type mkdir C:\­Documents\­Ladedu.
  4. Press Enter.

The mkdir command will now create the folder structure.

(How to create a new folder in Windows with Explorer and mkdir tested with Windows 11 Version 22H2 and Windows 10 Version 21H2; updated March 2024)

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