In the Browser Panel you can see the files that are available for adding.
Go to the Browser Panel on the left side
Click through the files as if it is a Windows Explorer
Click on the file you want to add and drag it to the map window. The cursor will change to a plus sign when you can drop the file
To the utmost left of the Qgis screen you will find various buttons to add different types of files, such as Add Vector Layer, Add Raster Layer, etc.
Click on the Add Vector Layer button, for example
Click on Browse and go to the right file
Double-click on the file (in the case of shapefiles, select the file with the extension ‘.shp’)
Click on Open
Many organisations create ready-made digital maps and geodata files for Qgis users. You can make these accessible by activating the relevant Plugin.
Go to Plugins in the Menu Toolbar
Click on and select Manage and Install Plugins
On the left side, choose All, and enter the desired Plugin in the top bar, for instance the PDOK services plugin
Click on it and choose Install Plugin at the bottom right
Close the window
When you now click on Plugins, you can choose the PDOK services plugin in the Menu Toolbar. This is where you will find all sorts of geodata files, including digital maps and aerial photographs which you can use as backgrounds.
Many organisations offer geodata on the internet for general use. You can add these as a map layer to your Qgis project by making a connection with the geoportal where the web service is offered. There are different types of web services, for instance a web map service or WMS (a digital map). Or a web feature service, a WFS (data file). To add a WFS, complete the following steps:
Click on the Add WFS Layer button to the utmost left or click on Layer in the Menu Toolbar and select Add Layer and then click on Add WFS Layer
A window called ‘Add WFS Layer from a Server’ will now open
Choose New: now the window will open in which you can create your connection
At name, you select a name that is related to the geoportal and the data file
For the URL, you will search for the right service on the internet
Go to the geoportal (e.g. nationaalgeoregister.nl) and click on the desired WFS
Keep clicking until the screen displays a mishmash of scarcely legible letters and the term ‘Getcapabilities’ is shown in the search bar
Copy the URL to the search bar and paste it in Qgis in the bar behind ‘URL’ (in the Create a New WFS Connection window)
Click on OK
Click on Connect
Activate the desired layer by clicking on it