How can I get a list of drive files into a spreadsheet?
Q I’d like to be able to get a text output list of all the files on one of my external hard drives when I connect it to my Windows 10 computer, so I can then copy the list into a spreadsheet. Do you know of a program that can do this? Allan Smith
A First, try this hidden Windows trick. Plug in your drive, then navigate to it in Explorer. Press Shift and right-click at the same time, then select ‘Open command window here’. In the Command Prompt window that opens, type dir >contents.txt (we’ve used ‘contents’ but you can name the file anything, as long as it’s one word), then press Enter. Windows instantly creates a text file containing a list of files in that directory, including names, sizes and dates created. The text file is saved in the folder. This trick also works with any folders on your PC.
This still means a lot of spreadsheet-typing work for you. To automatically open the list in Excel, use Directory List & Print ( www.snipca.com/24069). Click Download then English to get the installer, which is junk-free. Don’t worry about the ‘(Pro)’ label - it’ll always be free unless you decide to stump up $20 (£16) for the paid-for version. The free version is probably sufficient, but we found it tricky. Click Help, then Manual or Website if you get bogged down.
The paid-for version of Treesize Free (see page 54) also lets you export an Excel spreadsheet of drive contents, and it’s much easier to use than Directory List & Print. At ₣ 44.95 (about £38.40), Treesize Professional ( www. jam-software.com/treesize) is expensive – but you can use it free for 30 days. Click ‘30-day free trial’ to install it. You won’t have to hand over any payment information. When the month is up, the paid-for features will stop working. For more free trials worth signing up for, turn to page 55.