Windows 10: Find and List Compressed Files and Folders in Windows 10

How to: Find and List Compressed Files and Folders in Windows 10

How to Find and List Compressed Files and Folders in Windows 10


Windows 10 supports compression of individual files and folders on NTFS volumes using NTFS compression.

While NTFS file system compression can save disk space, compressing data can adversely affect performance. NTFS compression has the following performance characteristics. When you copy or move a compressed NTFS file to a different folder, NTFS decompresses the file, copies or moves the file to the new location, and then recompresses the file. This behavior occurs even when the file is copied or moved between folders on the same computer. Compressed files are also expanded before copying over the network, so NTFS compression does not save network bandwidth.

Files or folders saved into an existing compressed folder will automatically be compressed.

NTFS compressed files and folders will have double blue arrows overlay on their icon at the top right corner to indicate that they are compressed. However, you can also scan to find and list compressed files and folders.

This tutorial will show you how to find and list files and folders compressed with NTFS Compression in Windows 10.


CONTENTS:

• Option One: To Find and List Compressed Files and Folders and Output List in Command Prompt
• Option Two: To Find and List Compressed Files and Folders and Output List to a Text File

EXAMPLE: Files and Folders compressed using NTFS Compression









OPTION ONE [/i] To Find and List Compressed Files and Folders and Output List in Command Prompt
1. Open a command prompt.

2. Type the command below into the command prompt, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)
*Arrow compact /s:"Full path of directory"

*note Substitute Full path of directory in the command above with the full path of the folder and drive you want to scan for compressed files and folders in it and its subfolders.

For example: compact /s:"C:\Users\Brink\Pictures"

3. Windows will now search for all compressed files and folders in the specified directory and its subfolders, and will output a list in the command prompt.









OPTION TWO [/i] To Find and List Compressed Files and Folders and Output List to a Text File
*note This option is useful when you have a long list of compressed files and folders to review in a text file.
1. Open a command prompt.

2. Type the command below into the command prompt, and press Enter. (see screenshots below)
*Arrow compact /s:"Full path of directory" > "%UserProfile%\Desktop\Compressed_Files_and_Folders.txt"

*note Substitute Full path of directory in the command above with the full path of the folder and drive you want to scan for compressed files and folders in it and its subfolders.

For example: compact /s:"C:\Users\Brink\Pictures > "%UserProfile%\Desktop\Compressed_Files_and_Folders.txt""




3. Windows will now search for all compressed files and folders in the specified directory and its subfolders, and will output a list to the Compressed_Files_and_Folders.txt file on your desktop. (see screenshot below)





That's it,
Shawn


Related Tutorials

• How to Enable or Disable NTFS File Compression in Windows
• How to Compress or Uncompress Files and Folders in Windows 10
• Change or Remove Double Blue Arrows Icon on Compressed Files and Folders in Windows 10
• Turn On or Off Show Encrypted or Compressed NTFS files in Color in Windows 10

:)

 

Windows 10 Tweaks

Pressing “Windows+Pause Break” (it’s up there next to scroll lock) opens the “System” Window.

Windows 10: In the new version of Windows, Explorer has a section called Quick Access. This includes your frequent folders and recent files. Explorer defaults to opening this page when you open a new window. If you’d rather open the usual This PC, with links to your drives and library folders, follow these steps:

• Open a new Explorer window.
• Click View in the ribbon.
• Click Options.
• Under General, next to “Open File Explorer to:” choose “This PC.”
• Click OK

credit to Lifehacker.

 

Generating a .txt based file list in Windows 7

I want to be able to generate a .txt file that lists all the files and folders in a specific folder on my PC, but don't know the name of any programs that do that. Searched on google a bit and came up with this guide, but it's for XP and I can't seem to find some of the folder options to modify the .bat file. Any suggestions? Thanks

http://www.theeldergeek.com/file_list_generator.htm

EDIT: The .bat file will do what I want if it is in the folder I want to do it in, but the option I want to add is having the right click option that it shows.

 

Recent File List

Remove-ItemProperty -Path "Registry::HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
\Applets\Paint\Recent File List" -name file1

Remove-ItemProperty -Path "Registry::HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
\Applets\Paint\Recent File List" -name file2
Remove-ItemProperty -Path "Registry::HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
\Applets\Paint\Recent File List" -name file3
Remove-ItemProperty -Path "Registry::HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
\Applets\Paint\Recent File List" -name file4
Remove-ItemProperty -Path "Registry::HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
\Applets\Paint\Recent File List" -name file5
Remove-ItemProperty -Path "Registry::HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
\Applets\Paint\Recent File List" -name file6
Remove-ItemProperty -Path "Registry::HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
\Applets\Paint\Recent File List" -name file7
Remove-ItemProperty -Path "Registry::HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
\Applets\Paint\Recent File List" -name file8
Remove-ItemProperty -Path "Registry::HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion
\Applets\Paint\Recent File List" -name file9
...

you get the idea. ( too lazy to put it in a for loop and test it.

or just open regedit and remove all the fileX from that key.

 

So I used KGB Archiver to compress a 10gb file into a 40mb file...

Exactly. Most compression programs change a series of 1s and/or 0s to a couple of digits, and stores the total file in a table of contents/index. If you've got a file with TONS of repeating digits, sure, but pictures? No way to get that kind of compression in the real world.


from an article on "How To Geek"

First, we installed Bastion and compressed its folder — about 863 MB in size of music, graphics, executable files, and various different types of documents:

• Zip (Windows 8.1): 746 MB (86.4% of the original size)
• Zip (WinZip): 745 MB (86.3% of the original size)
• RAR (WinRAR): 746 MB (86.4% of the original size)
• 7z (7-Zip): 734 MB (85% of the original size)

Next, we compressed Hotline Miami, which is 654 MB of data:

• Zip (Windows 8.1): 316 MB (48.3% of the original size)
• Zip (WinZip): 314 MB (48% of the original size)
• RAR (WinRAR): 307 MB (46.9% of the original size)
• 7z (7-Zip): 301 MB (46% of the original size)

I would not expect a great deal of change from those numbers in November of 2014 to now, nor would I expect any real-world files to come any where NEAR the compression rate of .4%.

 

making file lists

ok i have tried it and i got it to work thanks

but my next problem is it only lists the folders not the files??