How to Select Multiple Files in Windows 10 (quick & easy ways)

There are several different ways to select multiple files in Windows 10. Here are some of the must-know ways to select multiple files.

As part of daily usage, there will be times when you need to select multiple files in a folder on your Windows 10 system. There may be any number of situations like the need to copy and/or move multiple files, open multiple files at once, select multiple files to upload, etc. No matter the reason, the ability to select multiple files in Windows 10 is fundamental for using your computer effectively.

In this quick and simple guide, I will show three different ways to select multiple files at once in Windows 10. Knowing or learning these three ways is essential for managing your files in File Explorer. The good thing is, once you know the below methods, you can use them on any mainstream operating system.

So, without further ado, let me show the ways to select multiple files in Windows 10 operating system.

1. Select all files in a folder

One of the most common things people do is select all the files and folders in a directory or folder. For example, if you have multiple files in a USB drive that you need to copy, you can simply select all the files and folders and copy & paste them into your hard drive.

Open the folder and press the “Ctrl key + A” keyboard shortcut to select all files in a folder. As soon as you press the shortcut, Windows will select all the files in that specific directory or drive.

Once selected, you can copy or cut them with the “Ctrl + C” or “Ctrl + X” shortcut and paste them in a different folder with the “Ctrl + V” shortcut. Of course, you can also drag and drop the selected files in a different directory.

2. Select multiple files in a specific range

Other than selecting all the files, there might be a situation where you need to select files in a particular range.

For example, if you have files named 1 through 100, you might want to select files 1 to 10, or, 70 to 100, or, 5 to 45. In those cases, rather than selecting all the files and deleting the ones you don’t need one by one, you can just select the files you want in the range you need. In case you are wondering, yes, the file names can be anything you want.

To select multiple files in a specific range, open the folder where the files are located. Select the first file in the range with your mouse pointer. Now, hold down the “Shift” key on your keyboard and select the last file in the range. As soon as you do that, Windows will select all the files and folders in that range. Take a look at the below image for quick reference.

3. Select multiple files in a folder (in random order)

Apart from selecting all files or selecting files in a specific range, you can also select specific files in random order. For example, if you want to select specific photos in your Pictures folders, this is the best method. After all, the photos you want to select might not be next to each other.

To select multiple files, open the folder, hold down the “Ctrl key” and select the files by clicking on them with your mouse pointer. After selecting, you can copy or cut and paste them where needed.

That is all. It is that simple to select multiple files in Windows 10. If you are stuck or need some help, comment below and I will try to help as much as possible.

Learn how to add checkboxes to files in File Explorer to make file selection easy.