Want to make the best out of your Finder Window?
Are you a new owner of a Mac computer? Don’t worry, switching from Windows to Mac is easier than you think! One of the most selling points of Apple devices is the simple, yet modern user experience.
The Finder is the counterpart of Windows Explorer on a Mac, but with more easy-to-use basic and advanced features. Read on how to master the art of being more productive using the mac Finder window.
1. How to Open a Finder Window on Mac
First off, let’s talk about the 2 possible methods you should know about:
The first method is to go to your desktop and tap the File tab on the upper-left of your screen. Find and click on the New Finder Window to open up the Finder window.
The alternative is to go to the Dock feature at the bottom screen and select the Finder icon (blue-white smiling face). The Dock is a handy feature that runs along the bottom edge for easy access. It’s where you can put the shortcuts of the apps and files you use often.
Does it always go straight to Recents after opening the mac Finder window? Please check out this guide on why does finder open recents and how to select the default folder.
2. How to Customize Finder Sidebar
The sidebar is a useful yet often overlooked feature on the left side of your Finder window. It’s an outline view that allows users to have quick access to commonly used folders. Setting it up based on your organizing style saves effort in finding your files each time you want them.
Here’s how you can arrange the sections and folders:
There are 4 different sections in the sidebar: Favorites, iCloud, Locations, and Tags.
If you don’t use it much, put your cursor over the section. Select the Show/Hide option on the right to expand or collapse the list of folders.
Did you know you can get rid of the entire section? Go to the top-left in the corner and click Finder menu> Preferences> Sidebar tab. Uncheck everything on the list, the section and folders will disappear on the sidebar altogether.
Arrange the folders dragging where you like to put them on the sidebar. Change the folders that will appear by going back to the Sidebar tab. You only need to unchecked the ones you don’t usually use and vice versa.
You can also put your most-used folder in the Favorites section by dragging the folder itself in the sidebar. Be sure to drop it only when you see the blue line. Otherwise, the folder you dragged is going into another folder instead.
3. How to Use Finder Tags
Finder Tags is a great yet another underutilized tool that helps to manage your files. It’s a bit tedious at first, but you can find your files much faster with this tagging system. You don’t have to worry about deleting duplicating files and navigating through your subfolder ever again.
You can put tags on any file by clicking it and find the tag button on the toolbar. Create custom tags by typing them out or clicking on the existing ones on the list. You’ll see some small colored dot beside the name file after applying the tags.
Another easier method is to move the files on the specific tag. It won’t move to another place and will only apply the tags on the files.
You can hide the tags by unchecking them on the Finder Preferences.
It’s also possible to put more than two or three tags. All the files with the tags, even from different folders, will appear on your screen.
4. How to Use Spotlight Keyword Search
If you think the tagging system is too much of a hassle, Spotlight Keyword Searches might be right up your alley. It lets you find about anything you can think of in your Mac computer with this search feature.
Go back to your desktop and select the magnifying glass icon in the upper-right of your screen. Type any words or keywords associated with the file in the search bar. The results will categorize depending on the types of files, websites, emails, and so much more.
After that, find the one you’re looking for or select any of the search results to open it up.
5. How to Rearrange Finder Toolbar
The toolbar is the group of action buttons that you can find at the top of your Finder window. It has features that serve functional uses on organizing your files. You can also change the icon looks if you only want the icons, text, or both icons and texts to display on top.
To arrange the toolbar, open the New Finder Window and right-click on any blank part of the toolbar. You can also select the View menu to access the Customize Toolbar option. Click and drag or remove any of the tools available to the toolbar.
If you don’t know much about them, here are some of the useful tools to consider:
Quick Look button allows you to preview the actual document or photo without opening it up. It offers to rotate images, use Markup, and trimming audios or videos on the actual Quick Look window.
The share button makes the process much faster when you share or send a lot of files daily.
You can connect to any external server using the Connect button. It also can store and switch between the servers you frequently use with a few clicks.
Get Info button is a great way to get the summary details and information fast. It’s also possible to view the properties of multiple files and documents at once.
How to Make the Most of Your Finder Window
Take note there might be small changes with each macOS releases from Apple. However, the basic idea behind the functions should be the same regardless.
If you want to learn more about the Finder window, check out our other posts and guides! You may even learn something about your Mac that you didn’t know about before!
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