To copy a folder you must first have it selected, by clicking on either its folder name or its yellow folder icon. Once the folder is selected you then have the choice of two menu methods.

Fig 1.0  Select a Folder




Fig 1.1  Starting from the OPEN menu-item - Go down (or up) the menu-items until you reach COPY and then click the left mouse button

With menu method one (above); Place the mouse pointer over the selected folder and, whilst over the selected folder, click the right mouse button (right-click). Doing so will bring up the Options (context/pop-up) menu for that selected folder. Go down (or up) those menu-items with the mouse pointer until you reach the COPY menu-item. As you do this each menu-item will become highlighted, temporarily, as you go past it. When you have reached COPY and have it highlighted simply click the left mouse button to activate COPY.

COPY does not actually do anything visibly. It just makes a copy of the folder and its contents (sub-folders and files) inside the computer's memory, similar to a photocopy, ready to be put (pasted) some where later. With a photocopier it copies (makes) an exact image of what ever it sees on a piece of paper and then puts that exact image inside its memory. The exact image is then transferred (pasted) onto a new piece of paper. The same applies to COPY. It copies (makes) an exact image of a folder, and all the sub-folders and files within that folder, into the computer's memory. You can then paste (transfer) that exact image, which is a copy of the original folder and its contents, to another place (see the How To Paste A Folder section).

Technically. You did not have to select the folder first, with this menu method, as a Right-Click acts as a Double Click. So in this case the Right-Click selects the folder and then displays the Options menu.

Menu method two uses the current folder's window menu to activate COPY. Once the folder is selected (Fig 1.0 above) click on the EDIT menu, which is located towards the top-left corner of the current folder's window. In this example, towards the top-left corner of the DOCUMENTS window.

Fig 1.2  Click on the EDIT menu to continue

After clicking on the EDIT menu its menu-items will appear (below). Go up (or down) the menu-items with the mouse pointer until you reach the COPY menu-item. As you do this each menu-item will become highlighted, temporarily, as you go past it. When you have reached COPY and have it highlighted simply click the left mouse button to activate COPY.

Fig 1.3  Starting from the top (UNDO DELETE) menu-item - Go down the menu-items until you reach COPY and then do a left click

As you can see, the two menu methods are alike. And this is the case for most menus. So always check to see if there is a Right-Click, Options, menu available for the task you are doing.

Another way to copy a folder, once it is selected, is to use the CTRL and C keyboard key combination - Press the CTRL (Control) keyboard key down and, with CTRL still held down, press the C keyboard key (therefore CTRL and C). This is the quickest and easiest COPY method. Remember though. Nothing is visible with COPY.

Microsoft product screen shot(s) reprinted with permission from Microsoft Corporation.  As stated here by the Microsoft Corporation.