Digital organisation: files, backups, passwords and 2-step verification

Losing a coursework file the night before a deadline, or having your email hacked, can wreck a week. A few simple systems protect your work and your accounts at school, at university and beyond.

Organise your files

• Create one main folder per year, then subfolders by subject, for example 'Year12 > Biology > Coursework'.
• Put the most useful information first in file names, because computers sort names character by character (Harvard Medical School Data Management).
• Use dates in the format YYYYMMDD so files sort in order, for example '20261015_Biology_Essay_v02.docx'.
• Avoid spaces and special characters: use dashes, underscores or capital letters to separate words, and keep names short (Harvard suggests 40 to 50 characters).
• Use version numbers such as v01 and v02 instead of names like 'final_FINAL_really_final'.

Back up what matters

• The NCSC recommends backing up your most important data, such as photos and key documents, to an external drive or cloud storage.
• Turn on automatic syncing for your school folders so changes are saved without you remembering.
• Once a month, check that you can actually open a backed-up file.
• Keep coursework in more than one place before big deadlines, for example cloud storage plus an emailed copy to yourself.

Strong passwords without the headache

• Use three random words to create a password that is long and hard to crack, such as the NCSC's example 'applenemobiro' (do not use that one).
• Avoid common passwords, birthdays, favourite teams, and family or pet names, which can often be found on your social media (NCSC).
• Swapping letters for look-alike characters, such as 0 for o, does not make a password much stronger because criminals know these tricks (NCSC).
• Give your email account its own strong, separate password: criminals who get into your email can reach many of your other accounts (NCSC).
• A password manager can create and remember strong passwords for you. Writing a password down is acceptable if you keep it somewhere safe (NCSC).

Turn on 2-step verification (2SV)

• 2SV, also called two-factor authentication (2FA) or multi-factor authentication (MFA), keeps criminals out even if they know your password (NCSC).
• After setup, you confirm it is you with a code by text or email, an authenticator app, a fingerprint or face scan, or a separate device (NCSC).
• Turn it on first for your most important accounts: email, banking, social media and online shopping (NCSC).
• Look in each account's security settings for 2SV, 2FA or MFA. The NCSC says setup takes only a few minutes.
• Never share a verification code with anyone who contacts you, even if they claim to be from the company. See the Scams and Fraud module for common tricks.

Keep devices up to date

• Install the latest software and app updates: they include fixes that protect your devices from attackers (NCSC).
• Turn on automatic updates on your phone, laptop and apps.
• Lock every device with a PIN, password or biometric, and do not leave school laptops logged in and unattended.