From darci.hanning at slo.oregon.gov Wed Apr 1 08:30:45 2026 From: darci.hanning at slo.oregon.gov (HANNING Darci * SLO) Date: Wed, 1 Apr 2026 15:30:45 +0000 Subject: [techtalk] WINDOWS - Tag Your Files to Find them Faster In-Reply-To: <1142309869504.1100778316270.1024428825.0.601535JL.2002@synd.ccsend.com> References: <1142309869504.1100778316270.1024428825.0.601535JL.2002@synd.ccsend.com> Message-ID: Welcome to the latest issue of Tech-Talk! Reminder: When accessing resources at the Tech-Talk website, use ORLIBTECH for both the username and password when prompted. Tech-Talk is a paid subscription service for staff of Oregon libraries and is supported in whole by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) through the Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), administered by the State Library of Oregon. [https://files.constantcontact.com/ee1208b4001/c453716f-d2de-4a2b-91bf-1a983735252a.png?rdr=true] [fall leaves on lake] [https://files.constantcontact.com/ee1208b4001/e25f6bcf-26a8-4e59-91f2-cc248962042d.png?rdr=true] Webinars for You NOTE: Webinars begin at 3 pm ET / 2 pm CT / 1 pm MT / 12 Noon PT and are one hour long. April 8: [GRAPHICS] Unlocking Canva Features Without the Overwhelm. Why Attend? ?You?d like to gain a better understanding of how to use Canva. April 22: [WORD] The Secret Productivity Tool in Creating a Table of Contents. Why Attend? You?re eager to show off your long documents as super professional. May 6: [SECURITY] Scrub Your Name from the Web: How to Reduce Your Digital Footprint. Why Attend? You?d like to remove your data from broker sites and secure your online presence. ?May 20: [ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE] Discovering AI: What to Know, What to Use, What to Avoid. Why Attend? You want confidence using AI wisely, safely, and effectively. View Webinars and Register Here WINDOWS - Tag Your Files to Find them Faster Intermediate [A laptop on a desk displays a search page with the heading "Keywords" and tags like Content, Marketing, SEO, SEM, Online, Words, and Campaign. A green mug, camera, and books are in the background.] Do you ever wish you could group like files together without moving them into different folders? What if every document related to a project or topic could be connected?even if the files are saved in various locations? That?s where tags come in! They let you label files with keywords so you can group similar documents together?without moving anything. Instead of using only folders or file names, you can add descriptive words to find files faster. Think of them as digital sticky notes that travel with your document wherever it goes. Tags (also called keywords or metadata) are searchable labels you attach to a file. Unlike folders, these tags allow a file to belong to multiple categories at once. If you?ve ever spent too much time searching for a file you know is there, this simple habit can save you a lot of frustration. How to Create Tags for Office Files Here?s how to create keywords for an Office document (Word, Excel, and PowerPoint). 1. First, create the document. 2. Name and save it. 3. Go to File and select Info on the left. 4. Look for Properties on the right. Below it, you?ll see Tags. 5. Click next to Tags. A box will open where you type your keywords. [A screenshot of the Info page in Microsoft Word shows document properties and options. The "Properties" and "Tags" sections are circled in red on the right side. The "Info" tab is selected on the left menu.] You can also add tags right in the file name when you save it. It can be part of the title or you can put the tags in square brackets. Example File Title: 5 Ways to Increase Readership [class] [outline] [engagement] Tag Files Directly in Windows Windows lets you to add tags to many file types?not just Office documents. You can tag photos, PDFs, and even some audio and video files. NOTE: Not every file type supports tags in Windows, so don?t panic if you don?t see the option. You?ll just need to organize it by a different method. [Screenshot of an image properties window showing the "Details" tab. The "Tags" field is highlighted and contains the word "waterfall." The "Remove Properties and Personal Information" link is visible below.] To tag a file: 1. Open File Explorer and find the file you want to tag. 2. Right-click on the file and choose Properties. 3. Select the Details tab. 4. Look for the Tags field. 5. Click next to it and type your keywords. 6. Press OK. What Types of Keywords Might You Use There are all kinds of ways to think about how you find a document later, not just the obvious. For instance: ? ? Your team or workgroup name ? By department ? accounting, marketing, sales, etc. ? Your name ? Project name ? And of course, core words related to the content ? Add any word that will help you remember the file later. When you start grouping like files together using keywords, you save time and work faster. Instead of recreating something you already made, you can find it in seconds. Finding Files with Tags Once you add tags, you can easily search for files in File Explorer. This is how you can view and find files you?ve saved onto your computer. To search for files based on tags: 1. Open File Explorer. 2. In the top-right search bar, type the keyword you used as a tag. 3. Once you press enter, your results will show in the window. Note: File Explorer searches more than just tags. It looks at file names, tags, and author information. You might see some files that weren?t tagged but still contain that word somewhere else. [A Windows file explorer window shows a search for "waterfall" in Documents. One image file, "IMG_8385," appears in the results with the tag "waterfall" highlighted. The file details are visible.] [https://files.constantcontact.com/ee1208b4001/e565d7d1-215e-487a-8e78-f332113e7825.jpg?rdr=true] Communications: Power Words "Would you consider..?" If you have ever wanted to ask someone to do something, and you think you might get opposition, using this word works magic: ?Consider? It is very difficult to say no to ?considering? something. (Considering opens the door to more info, more time, more ideas.) To ?consider? something doesn?t cost anything and shows a willingness to cooperate. (And yet, you?re not committing to doing something. You?re just considering it.) Examples: ? ?We need a new chairperson for this committee. How about you?? ? ?Would you consider being the new chairperson for this committee?? ? ?It would be nice to have another youth program. Will you do it?? ? ?It would be nice to create another youth program, will you consider doing it?" ? ?I believe the way you are thinking about this new process is limiting.? ? ?Would you consider changing how you think about this new process?? Sure, it you are simply assigning a task, and there is no wiggle room for accepting, asking for consideration might not be the right approach. However, there are situations where you can start by asking someone to consider an idea, as IF they had a choice, because it is a gentler way to get them to take on the task, or to think in a new way. ?Would you consider?? [https://files.constantcontact.com/ee1208b4001/e8848d0d-4903-48da-85d0-7903dddee893.png?rdr=true] Copyright 1996-2026 Shared Results International. Published weekly. Distribution is limited by license. For information on how to include additional recipients, contact support at tech-talk.com 585-615-7795. Cheers, Darci Hanning, MLIS (she/her/hers) Public Library Consultant / CE Coordinator Continuing Education Resources: https://slo.oregon.gov/conted/ State Library of Oregon | Library Support and Development Services 971-375-3491 | darci.hanning at slo.oregon.gov | www.oregon.gov/library [State Library of Oregon (Logo)] ? -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: image001.png Type: image/png Size: 15548 bytes Desc: image001.png URL: