How to create new folder on Windows 11

Windows 11 lets you create folders in several ways, and here's how on File Explorer, PowerShell, and Command Prompt.

Windows 11 create folder options
Windows 11 create folder options
  • The fastest way to create a folder on Windows 11, use the “Ctrl + Shift + N” keyboard shortcut, confirm a name, and press Enter.
  • Another easy way to create a new folder, click the “New” menu and select the “Folder” option in File Explorer.
  • You can also right-click on the location to open the context menu, select “New,” and choose the “Folder” option.
  • On Command Prompt, run the “mkdir newFolder” command.
  • On PowerShell, run the “New-Item -Path “c:\” -Name “newFolder” -ItemType “directory”” command.

On Windows 11, folders are essential to group files and other folders to organize contents on the computer, and you have many ways to create one.

Although creating a folder may be easy for most people, it’s not the case for everyone. Also, you cannot only create folders from File Explorer, but you can also complete this task from Command Prompt, PowerShell, and even from the Desktop.

This guide will teach you five ways to create folders on Windows 11.

Create new folder in File Explorer on Windows 11

On Windows 11, you can create folders in at least three ways, while in File Explorer, you can use the command bar, keyboard shortcut, and context menu. The easiest way is to use the context menu, while the shortcut is the fastest method. Here’s how.

Context menu

To create a new folder on Windows 11 from the context menu, use these steps:

  1. Open File Explorer on Windows 11.

  2. Open the folder location (such as Documents, Desktop, etc.).

  3. Right-click on the location, select New, and choose the Folder option.

    Create folder from context menu

  4. Confirm a name for the new folder and press Enter.

Command bar

To create a new folder in File Explorer on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Open File Explorer.

  2. Open the folder location (such as Documents).

  3. Click the New menu and select the Folder option.

    Create folder from toolbar

  4. Confirm a name for the new folder and press Enter.

Keyboard shortcut

You can also use a keyboard shortcut on Windows 11 to create a folder:

  1. Open File Explorer.

  2. Open the folder location (such as Documents, Desktop, etc.).

  3. Use the “Ctrl + Shift + N” keyboard shortcut.

    Create folder with shortcut

  4. Confirm a name for the new folder and press Enter.

Once you complete the steps, the folder will be created in the location.

You can also right-click on the “Desktop” and select the “New” menu to find the “Folder” option.

Create new folder with Command Prompt on Windows 11

To create a new directory from Command Prompt on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Open Start.

  2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

  3. Type the following command to create a new folder and press Enter:

    mkdir "FOLDER-NAME"

    In the command, replace “FOLDER-NAME” with the name of the folder you want to create. The quotation marks are only necessary if the name contains spaces. This example creates the “myFiles” folder in the C drive:

    mkdir myFiles

    Create folder from Command Prompt

After you complete the steps, the directory will be created in the path, and it’ll be also accessible from File Explorer.

You can also use the explorer FOLDER-NAME command to open the location in File Explorer.

Create new folder with PowerShell on Windows 11

To create a new folder with a PowerShell command on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Open Start.

  2. Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.

  3. Type the following command to create a new folder on Windows 11 and press Enter:

    New-Item -Path "PATH-TO-FOLDER" -Name "FOLDER-NAME" -ItemType "directory"

    In the command, replace “PATH-TO-FOLDER” with the path where to create the folder and “FOLDER-NAME” with the name of the folder you want to create. This example creates the “myFiles” folder in the C drive:

    New-Item -Path "c:\" -Name "myFiles" -ItemType "directory"

    Create folder from PowerShell

Once you complete the steps, PowerShell will create the directory in the path you specified.

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].