Finder On Mac (macOS): 9 Useful Tips

2023 Author: Gordon Kinson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-26 08:36

The Finder provides access to files, folders, and drives on your Mac. Do you want to make your work with him as efficient as possible and save yourself a lot of time? Use the tips below.

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Default folder

If you often need the same folder, it makes sense to configure Finder so that it opens exactly that folder the first time you start it. To do this, open the program, select Finder from the menu bar, then Preferences and Show in New Finder Windows. Select the desired folder from the drop-down menu.

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Quick return to the start (home) folder

If you get lost in the wilds of the Finder, and want to quickly return to the home directory (the user's name), use keyboard commands ⌘Cmd ⇧Shift + + H.

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Quickly delete files from Finder

You don't have to drag unneeded files and folders from Finder to the Trash. A more convenient way: select unnecessary files with the mouse (when selecting multiple files, hold down ⌘Cmd or ⇧Shift), and then press ⌘Cmd + Delete. By the way: if you immediately want to permanently and irrevocably delete all files from the Trash, without even going into it, hold down ⌘Cmd + ⇧Shift + Delete (of course, the Finder window should be active).

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Customizing the Finder Toolbar

Open Finder, on the menu bar, choose View → Customize Toolbar. Drag new shortcuts to the top bar of the Finder and delete unnecessary ones. If you don’t like the final version, just drag the Finder “default” option (it is at the very bottom) to the panel. There is also another useful setting - whether to display an icon with an explanatory caption or not.

Please note that folders and applications can also be brought to the toolbar (just drag the required content to the panel).

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Quick Look Slideshow

In the toolbar, you should leave the Quick Look icon (aka Quick Look, looks like a human eye). With its help, it is easy to preview files without going into a specialized application. Quick view also works by pressing the Space key.

But did you know that if you select multiple objects (for example, photos) and click on the full screen button in the upper left of the Quick Look window, a slideshow of your pictures will start ? Another way to switch to full-screen mode is to hold down the ⌥Option (Alt) key before clicking on the Quick Look button.

Again, the easiest way to start viewing multiple images in Quick Look is to select the files you want and press the Spacebar. For a full screen slideshow, press ⌥Option (Alt) + Space.

Resize all columns at once in Finder

Do you often have to resize one column and then adjust all the others? Enough tolerating this! Hold down the ⌥Option (Alt) key and start moving one column - the rest will automatically adjust after it.

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Rename multiple files in one go

Starting with OS X 10.10 Yosemite, the Apple desktop operating system has the ability to quickly edit multiple files at once. Open Finder, select files, right-click on them and click on Rename objects (in brackets - number of objects). Through the drop-down menu you can change the current file name (Replace Text), add text to the current name (Add Text), or choose your own format (Format).

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Shortcut for adding files to the Favorites panel

Favorites - Finder sidebar, which contains the folders and files you need (My Files, iCloud Drive, Applications, etc. in the screenshots above). How do I add new content here? You can drag and drop the elements you are interested in the mouse - and you can select a file or folder and use the command ⌘Cmd + the Ctrl + T.

To remove files and folders from Favorites, simply drag and drop them from the sidebar to any other location. Another way is to right - click on the element and select Delete from the side menu.

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Smart folder

Smart folders automatically use search to collect files by type and attribute. macOS updates them immediately when you change, add, or delete files on your Mac. Why are they needed in real life? This is the same Spotlight search, only more advanced.

Through the smart folder, you can find, for example, movies - and only movies, by filtering out torrent files similar in name in the settings. For those who are constantly looking for the same thing and do not want to waste time in vain - a real find.

How do I create a smart folder? Open Finder, select File → New Smart Folder from the menu bar (or use the shortcut keys ⌥Option (Alt) + ⌘Cmd + N).

Another way is to simply open Finder and enter your search term into the search bar, this will create a smart folder by keyword.

See also:

• How to view logins and passwords stored in Keychain Access on iPhone, iPad and Mac.
• How to bring your contacts to the display of a missing Mac.
• How to create a new Spaces desktop on Mac (macOS).