How to Use Finder on macOS

Edited 4 days ago by ExtremeHow Editorial Team

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Finder is the file management application on macOS. It allows you to access files, folders, and drives on your Mac. Essentially, Finder is the equivalent of File Explorer on Windows. Learning how to use Finder effectively can boost your productivity and help you manage your data more efficiently. This guide will provide a comprehensive understanding of how to use Finder to its full potential.

What is Finder?

Finder is the default file manager and graphical user interface shell used on all Macintosh operating systems. It is the application you use to manage files, folders, drives, and network volumes. Finder organizes your Mac's contents by displaying them in windows, allowing users to view, move, copy, and delete files.

Opening Finder

To open Finder, you can click the Finder icon, which resembles a blue and white square smiley face, usually located in the Dock at the bottom of your screen. Once you open it, you'll see a new Finder window.

Understanding Finder Windows

When you open Finder, you'll see a window containing several different components. Understanding these components is important to effectively navigate and manage your files:

• Sidebar: The sidebar, located on the left side of the Finder window, provides quick access to various folders, drives, and network locations. The default includes 'Favorites', 'Places', and 'Tags'. You can customize this sidebar by adding or removing items according to your preferences.
• Toolbar: At the top of the window, you'll find the toolbar. It contains buttons for managing your view, such as icon view, list view, column view, and cover flow. It may also include options for sharing and marking files.
• View options: Finder offers different views: icon view, list view, column view, and gallery view. You can choose the view that best suits your needs. Icon view shows file thumbnails, list view provides detailed information such as file size and type, column view is useful for searching hierarchical folders, and gallery view shows a larger preview of your files.
• Search bar: The search bar, located in the upper-right corner, lets you search for items on your Mac. Simply type what you're looking for and press Enter to see matching results.

Navigating the File System

Using Finder, you can navigate your file system to find and organize your documents, applications, and other files.

Browsing Folders

You can browse folders in the Finder by double-clicking them. If you want to go back to a previous folder, use the Back arrow in the Finder's toolbar or press Command+[ on your keyboard.

Quick glance

Quick Look allows you to preview files without opening them in their respective applications. To use Quick Look, select a file and press the Spacebar. A preview window will appear, displaying the contents of the file. Press the Spacebar again to close the preview.

Opening files and applications

To open a file or application, simply navigate to the desired location and double-click the item. This action will open the file in its default application.

Organizing files and folders

Finder offers several features to help you organize your files and folders efficiently:

Create new folders

You can create a new folder by going to the location where you want to place the folder, then choosing File > New Folder from the Finder menu bar, or by pressing Command + Shift + N. After you create a new folder, give it a meaningful name by typing it.

Renaming files and folders

Rename files and folders by selecting them, pressing the Return key, and entering a new name.

Transfer and copy files

To move a file, click and drag it to a new location. To copy a file, hold down the Option key while dragging, or simply use Command+C to copy and Command+V to paste to the new location.

Using Tags

Tags are a great way to organize files without moving them to different locations. You can give files different colors, which helps group similar files together. To tag a file, right-click on it and choose a color or tag name from the context menu.

Searching for files

If you can't find a file, use the Finder's search functionality. Type the file name, part of a file, or other file attributes in the Search bar located in the Finder toolbar. The results will show matching files, which can be further filtered using the filters below the search bar.

Customize Finder Preferences

It's often helpful to customize Finder to suit your workflow. To access Finder preferences, open Finder and choose Finder > Preferences from the top menu bar.

The Preferences window is divided into several sections:

• General: This shows options, such as new Finder windows that show specific locations, folders to show on the desktop, etc.
• Tags: Allows you to manage and organize your tags.
• Sidebar: This allows you to customize what displays in the Finder sidebar.
• Advanced: Provides options to show file extensions, warn when changes are made, etc.

Using keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts help you work more efficiently in Finder:

• Command+N: Opens a new Finder window.
• Command+T: Opens a new tab in the current Finder window.
• Command+I: Opens the Get Info window for the selected file.
• Command+Shift+G: Opens the “Go to Folder” dialog to quickly go to a specific folder by typing its path.
• Command+Delete: Moves the selected file to the Trash.

Working with external drives and network volumes

Finder also makes it easy to access and manage external drives and network volumes. Once connected, these will appear in the Locations section of the Finder sidebar.

Using the Finder's share feature

Finder allows you to share files directly without opening them in a specific application. Select a file and click the Share button in the Finder toolbar to see sharing options such as AirDrop, email, Messages, or any other installed application that supports the macOS Share extension.

Troubleshooting Finder

If Finder becomes unresponsive or you experience problems, try force closing it:

1. Click the Apple icon in the upper-left corner of the screen.
2. Select "Force Quit."
3. Highlight "Finder."
4. Click "Relaunch."

Conclusion

Finder on macOS is an essential tool that provides robust file management capabilities and a user-friendly interface. Whether you're new to Mac or an experienced user, understanding its features can significantly improve your efficiency and convenience in managing files. By mastering Finder's functionalities, you can increase your productivity and ensure you're getting the most out of your Mac experience.

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