Automate Folder Inventory with 1-abc.net Folder-To-TXT: Step‑by‑Step

How to Use 1-abc.net Folder-To-TXT to Generate Folder Listings

Date: February 5, 2026

1-abc.net Folder-To-TXT is a simple Windows utility that creates plain-text lists of files and folders from a selected directory. Below is a concise, step-by-step guide to install, configure, and use the program to generate folder listings quickly and consistently.

What you’ll need

• A Windows PC (Windows 7 or later)
• 1-abc.net Folder-To-TXT installed (free trial or licensed copy)
• A target folder you want to list

Installation

1. Download the installer from the official 1-abc.net site and run it.
2. Follow the installer prompts (Next → Accept terms → Install).
3. Launch Folder-To-TXT from the Start menu or desktop shortcut.

Basic steps to create a folder listing

1. Select folder: Click the Browse button (or enter the path) to choose the folder you want to list.
2. Choose depth: Set whether to include subfolders (e.g., current folder only or include subdirectories).
3. Filter files (optional): Use file masks (e.g., .docx;.pdf) to include only certain types.
4. Sort order: Select listing order (name, date, size).
5. Output options: Choose whether to include file sizes, dates, attributes, and full paths.
6. Save file: Click “Create TXT” (or similar). Choose a destination and filename for the .txt file.
7. Open or review: Open the generated TXT in Notepad or another editor to verify.

Advanced options & tips

• Recursive listings: For complete inventories, enable “include subfolders” and set no depth limit.
• Custom formatting: Use options to include or exclude columns (size, date) to match import needs for spreadsheets or scripts.
• Batch processing: If you need listings for multiple folders, run Folder-To-TXT for each folder or use a parent folder with recursion.
• Scheduling: If you need regular exports, pair Folder-To-TXT with a task scheduler or use scripting (if the tool supports command-line parameters).
• Encoding: If your file names contain non-ASCII characters, verify the TXT encoding (UTF-8) to avoid garbled text.
• File filters: Combine wildcards to create targeted lists (e.g., .jpg;.png for images).

Example: Generate a full inventory of Documents

1. Browse to C:\Users\YourName\Documents
2. Enable “Include subfolders.”
3. Set sorting to “name.”
4. Enable output options: full path, size, and modified date.
5. Click Create and save as Documents_inventory.txt
6. Open the TXT and optionally import into Excel (Data → From Text) for further processing.

Troubleshooting

• If long paths are truncated, run the program with elevated privileges or shorten folder paths.
• If non-English characters appear as question marks, re-save the TXT with UTF-8 encoding.
• If the program freezes on very large directories, split the job by subfolders or increase system resources.

When to use Folder-To-TXT

• Creating inventories for backups or audits
• Preparing file lists for migration or sharing
• Building simple indexes for archives
• Feeding lists into scripts or spreadsheets for reporting

If you want, I can produce an example command-line script or an Excel import template to work with the TXT output.