Monitor all changes to Windows folders

Most of you already know the enormous importance of these contents that we are talking about. All of them together make the system work as it should, as well as the programs that we have installed in it. And we cannot forget those files and folders that we have stored in the Pc and that we have created over time. These may correspond to documents of text, spreadsheets, photos, videos, PDF, etc.

Errors that can occur when modifying files or folders

All this is basic for the PC and for our work with it, so we must control all these elements in the best possible way. At the same time we must know that these files and folders are in a constant state of flux in the operating system. With this we want to tell you that sometimes they are created, other times they are deleted, or they are modified. In fact all these actions are normal in Windows, as you know.

On certain occasions, when a file is modified, that change can cause instability in another application that depends on it. It can also be a problem for a project of your own, or a problem for the operating system. That is why perhaps in these cases we could use a software solution with which to control these changes in folders.

This is something that becomes especially problematic if there are several users who use the same PC. If one of them acts maliciously, or is new to Windows, it can wreak havoc on your modify certain folders, for example. But this is something that we can control, and even solve if we have backup copies. Next we will show you how to monitor changes in Windows folders. Thus, once the source is located, we can return it to its original state by only recovering the modified content from the backup we have saved.

How to monitor changes to folders

As we told you, this control and monitoring system that we are talking about can be very useful. More if there are several who, in one way or another, work on the same Windows PC throughout the day. We have several proposals to carry out all this that we comment on, something that we will talk about next.

For example, we can use one of the best known in this regard, such as Folder Monitor. It is actually a free program for Windows computers that allows us to monitor the changes made to the folders. First of all we will tell you that you can download it from this link.

Folder Monitor Operation

Once we have downloaded and run them on the computer, the first thing we do is tell the program the folder or folders that we want to control. This is done through a simple yet intuitive user interface. Thus, the program is already in charge of looking for changes in them when they occur over time. Of course, it should be mentioned that it is a portable program, so when it starts up, without installation, it is hidden in the Windows task bar. Right-clicking on the icon, we can open it. In order to add new folders or complete paths to control, we just have to right-click on the Interface of the program.

Thus, this program allows us to have control over different events on the indicated folders. We refer to actions as common as creating or deleting folders. It is also able to notify us about the changes produced, in various ways. On the one hand we find the extraction function that lets us monitor certain folders so that the compressed files are extracted automatically.

On the other hand, it should be noted that we will have the possibility of monitoring as many folders as we want, by events. The program also lets us control only executable files, or see when content is created, modified, renamed, or programs run.

Monitor your folders on Windows with FolderChangesView

All this that we have told you, monitoring the changes of Windows folders, is something that we can also carry out with FolderChangesView. This is another interesting program that will be of enormous help to us in these tasks that we comment on and that you can download from here. It also presents us with a user interface with which we will have no problems when using it. The reason for this is that it is very simple and affordable for most.

In this way, once we have downloaded and installed it in the system, we find a simple application that monitors the folder or the disk drive that we choose. Once we have specified this, the screen lists all the file names that are modified, created or deleted while the folder is being monitored. It’s that simple, all without complex settings or anything like that.

It is also interesting to know that FolderChangesView works with any local disk drive or those shared on the network. Of course, for the latter we need to have read permissions for the selected folder.

How Directory Monitor on Windows can help us

In the event that we want to try another solution of the same type, we can also try Directory Monitor. This is a program for Windows that we can download from this link and that it has a somewhat more complex and current interface. This is a solution that helps us in monitoring certain folders, both local and shared on the network.

Thus, the software itself is responsible for notifying us about changes, access to files, deleted items, modifications or the arrival of new files. All this is notified in real time and we can know the users and processes that make these changes.

On the other hand, or we count that the application as such, also provides us with text records or automation through the execution of scripts. It has support for sending emails, writing to a database, or sound notifications for changes.