Nine Easy Tweaks to Improve the Finder in OS X. Path Finder Features

Almost everyone uses the Finder just to view some files and arrange them according to folders. However, the capabilities of the OS X file manager are not limited to this. Below we will describe 4 very useful functions that will save you a lot of time and will certainly make your life easier.

Reasonable folders (smart folders)

Files are often scattered across different parts of the disk. To find them, we use the search function, and it does an excellent job with its task. These search requirements can be saved as "smart folders", which will be automatically updated with the appearance of fresh files that match the specified search criteria. To create such a folder, just click on the "Save" button.

Your own request can be increased by additional aspects ... To reduce the search area, click on the "Add" (+) button in the upper right corner (to the right of "Save"). You can add those parameters that you think are necessary. As you add, you'll be pleasantly surprised at just how powerful the Finder is.

By default, the Finder will find files that fit all of the above. You will be able to form the logic of your query more difficult. To do this, hold down the Alt / Option key. Instead of "+", 3 dots will appear. Click on them to launch a new category of conditions. Choose which of the criteria listed here must meet the request (any, all, or none).

New folder from matched files

As soon as a lot of files accumulate, the first method of solving the problem that comes to mind is to arrange them according to folders. The Finder has a very convenient feature that allows you to mark a certain number of files by holding down the Cmd key, press the right mouse button and create a new folder from the selected files.

Unfortunately, this function works only within one folder. It turns out that you will not be able to mark a certain number of files from different folders.

Present results from Spotlight to Finder

The quickest way to find something on your Mac is to use Spotlight search. You can open the search line by pressing Ctrl + Space. After typing a query, use the arrows to navigate to the result you are interested in. To show the found file in Finder, press Enter while holding down the Command button. If you just press Enter, the selected file will open in the default program for these files.

Quick navigation

In addition to the usual method of navigating through folders, there is another method in Finder that is much faster. In order to use it, click on the title of the window of the selected document or Finder while holding down the Command key. A drop-down menu will open, from which you can easily open any of the parent folders.

For example, if the document will be located in the username / Documents / Work folder, then by moving the cursor and clicking on your home folder (username) from this drop-down menu, a Finder window will open with the Documents folder highlighted. If you select the very first item, the Finder will open with a highlighted document. This will be very convenient if, for example, you need to send it by mail.

Today we're going to take a look at the basic settings of the Mac OS X Finder, which is more common to a Mac OS X user than any other Apple utility.

If not quibble, then the default settings are fine, but we will not, like everyone else, and try to make it even more convenient to use. This will help us save a lot of time and get rid of unnecessary unnecessary mouse clicks. In the course of our acquaintance, we will also come across hot keys, which will help us a lot in some situations.

Finder Basic Settings

So what is Finder? Finder is part of the Mac OS operating system. Which is analogue of Explorer Windows (we won't argue about who got it before), it organizes and displays in various forms files and folders located on the computer and any external media connected to it. You can also search and organize information using the Finder.

The main Finder preferences can be accessed from the top bar of OS X, with the Finder window active.

Once in the setting window, several tabs become available:

In the first tab "General" we can configure what should be displayed on the desktop. And which folder will open at startup. By default, the Finder is set to "My files", which seems to me not very convenient when working, because I still have to go to the desired section afterwards. Therefore, I select the top item in the drop-down list with the name of my account, and upon the next login, I already go directly to the selection of a partition or media.

But we may not stop there and immediately change the type of ordering available by right-clicking on the Finder window. Having set the order by type, we get such a window, which is several times more convenient for me. In this case, such a display will be saved only for this item, when moving to other sections, the order will be standard, which is also quite convenient when there are many different files and folders on the disk.

In the next tab, we have access to the setting of tags that can be assigned to files and folders. You can also use these tags for quick access from the Finder sidebar. Each file and folder can be assigned not one but several tags, which makes the search as flexible as possible.

Everything in this window is standard. "+" - add a new one, "-" - delete accordingly. In the settings, you can choose your own color for each tag, unfortunately the number of colors is limited, nothing was provided to the user.

Side checkboxes indicate which tags will appear in the Finder sidebar.

The next tab is responsible for customizing the display directly in the sidebar. Here we can choose what we want to see in it, and what can be removed from it.

In the tab with add-ons, we have access to settings for warnings and in which folder the Finder will search. He will search all over the Mac or only in the current folder is also quite convenient when you have a huge number of files.

How to open a new Finder tab

Beginning with Mac OS X Mavericks, tabs in the Finder window have become available to users. Agree, this is much more convenient than a cluttered desktop with many open windows.

There are two ways to trigger the opening of a new tab:

1. Right-click on a folder and select open in a new tab;
2. Command + T is for hotkey lovers.

When copying, you can simply drag from the folder to another tab, thereby opening the window where we want to place the file.

Turn the Finder sidebar display on and off

There are times when the Finder window looks rather unusual - it simply lacks side navigation. This situation can be done either by us accidentally or by making any changes to the main Finder settings.

You can solve this problem through the top menu item by enabling the sidebar display

But when the panel disappeared arbitrarily, then the items to show the side menu are not available for activation. Interestingly, the hotkeys indicated in the paragraph also refuse to work. In this case, the simple solution is the keyboard shortcut Alt + Cmd + T.

You can familiarize yourself with the top display and ordering panel.

Finder is the system file manager for Apple's Mac OS operating system. It is part of the operating system and is analogous to Windows Explorer. It organizes and displays in various forms files and folders located on computers and any external media connected to it. You can also search and organize information using the Finder. This is what a Finder window looks like:

Your folders, documents are stored here, you can view, drag and drop, change them here.

There is a menu at the top of the screen:

This menu is in every program you open.

First point (1) in the form of an apple - unchanged.

Second paragraph (2) varies depending on which application or program you open. The name of the application or program itself is written here. The picture shows Finder, therefore, the tab is signed with the appropriate name.

If you click on it, you will see this window:

When you click on a line "About the program", a window will pop up, which will contain brief information about the program that you currently have open.

The next line is "Settings"... You can open them both using the top menu and using the keyboard shortcut "Command +,"(Command and comma). When you open it, you will see this window:

There are 4 tabs here: Essentials, Tags, Sidebar, and Add-ons

In the "General" tab (it is just shown in the picture), you can customize what you need to show on the desktop. Namely: hard drives, external drives, i.e. if you connect a USB flash drive or some other external storage device, then it is displayed in your Finder as well as on your desktop.

Next tab ... Their standard names can be changed, i.e., for example, instead of "Red" can write "Important documents"... They are very easy to use.

If you want to mark an object, you simply select it, right-click on it and choose the color you want. If you want to cancel the command, then click on the cross, which is in the circle of the tag (if you move the pointer over the tag).

Next comes the tab

It is configured in the same way as , i.e. by installing checkboxes. Opposite to which line you check the box, then it will be displayed in your menu on the left.

The next tab is

Here you can customize the search function. Those. If you set a search in the Finder window, you can specify exactly where to search: either on the entire computer, or in the current folder, or in the previous search area.

The next menu item is "File" (3)

Here you can open a New Finder Window, create a New Folder, New Smart Folder. Is the search folder. How do I set it up? Open smart folder then click on sign «+» in the upper right corner. Then you can search for some specific criteria. If you choose "By type" >> "Pdf", then all pdf documents on your Mac will be displayed in your folder. it was specified by the search scope.

Also, different files can be opened in different ways. You just select the file you want, in the top menu click File -> Open in a program.

The computer itself will determine with what you can open this file and will offer you possible options. In this case, in the picture you can see how to open a media file.

If you click File> Properties, then you will see the following window:

Here you can find out the type of the file, its size, where it is located, when it was created, when it was modified, its name and extension, etc. You can also compress the file by selecting the menu File> Compress... And immediately send this file by mail, you do not need to archive it or do anything else.

You can also duplicate files, i.e. create a regular copy. To do this, click the menu File> Duplicate and you will have a copy of your file.

With a keyboard shortcut Command + Y or keys Space, you can use the function "Quick view", i.e., by pressing these keys, your picture will open immediately, you do not need to turn on any programs. This applies not only to pictures. This is how you can open any text files, pdf files, presentations.

Menu item - "Edit" (4)

If you click on it, then this window will appear:

Here you can undo the last move, copy, etc.

Item 5 - "View"

You can choose how your files will be displayed: icons, list, columns or Cover Flow. Also you can order them by name, size, etc.

If you click Show Path Line or Show Status Menu, these commands will be displayed at the bottom of the window:

Here you can customize the toolbar.

If you want any of the icons to appear on your toolbar, then just drag and drop it with the mouse. Conversely, if you want to delete, then drag it back and click "Finish".

You can also add, already familiar to us in Safari, "Tab Bar". To do this, go View -> Show Tab Bar, or a keyboard shortcut "Cmd + T".

Clause 6 - "Transition"

Here you can quickly jump to any item from the list: My files, Documents, Desktop, etc. You can also see recently used folders.

Item 7 "Window"

Here you can change the scale of your window and adjust it so that it is convenient to work with it. Below is what you currently have open in the side menu.

Clause 8 - "Help"

At this point, it is very convenient to search for any settings. Moreover, OS X will automatically show the location of the item that you want to find. For example, write Settings, and everything will immediately become clear to you.

Now, a quick look at the Finder sidebar.

Wi-Fi file transfer technology developed by and introduced by Apple in Mac OS X Lion. Now you don't need to know the network settings. OS X will automatically find other Macs on the network, and to copy files, you just need to drag it to the desired computer.

Example: you have two Macs and the task is to copy a file from one to the other.

Open Finder-> AirDrop on both computers. All the available Macs on the network will appear in front of you.

In this case, the bottom is your Mac, the second is on top.

We press Send. And on the second computer Save

Programs- respectively, all programs that are installed on your computer.

Desktop- what is on the Desktop.

Documentation- a folder for storing documents.

You won't be able to close Finder completely (as evidenced by a small dot under the icon), but you can reload it.

There are three ways to restart the Finder:

1 way Is to restart the Finder through the Dock (the bottom toolbar on the desktop). To do this, press the Option key (it is signed as "alt" on the keyboard) and right-click on the Finder icon in the Doc panel and select "Restart"

2 way- if the program does not respond, then you can click on the apple icon (upper left corner) and select "Force Quit". You will see a window with all open applications, from which you can choose what you need to complete.

Systems. The new firmware has many new functions for interacting with files. Here's how to use them.

How do I use the Stacks feature?

In the latest version of the operating system, Apple once again paid special attention to the macOS desktop, offering users a new way to sort files on it. Stacks organizes documents and photos on your desktop into groups based on specific criteria set by the computer owner. To take advantage of this opportunity, you need:

• Right-click on any free space on the desktop.
• Select Stacks.
• And indicate the sorting option.

You can sort by date, file type and tags. The latter option is great if the user already has a lot of files under a certain tag, but only a few of them are needed to do the current work. In this case, it is very convenient to combine all the necessary files into stacks on the desktop.

How do I use the new file display option?

Apple also showed a new option for displaying files in the Finder - a gallery. After enabling it, images and documents in the file manager will be displayed in the same way as in the "Photos" application. To enable it, you need:

• Open any folder in Finder.
• Click on the "Gallery" button in the "View" menu or press ⌘ + 4.

After enabling this mode of displaying information, access to the file metadata will appear. In the column on the right, you can find out all the necessary information about the selected photo or document, including resolution, format, size, and so on.

How do I use Quick Actions in Finder?

Also, the system now has the ability to quickly perform some actions related to making changes to documents. For example, without opening the file, you can convert it to PDF. Images can be flipped and watermarked right in the Finder or on your desktop. For this you need:

• Open Finder.
• Turn on the "Gallery" mode.
• Select the required file.
• After that, shortcuts for performing quick actions will appear in the lower right corner of the window.

They can also be accessed on the desktop by right-clicking on any file.

It is also worth noting that in addition to the built-in actions, you can add your own by creating them in advance in the Automator application.

How do I manage screenshots and other images in macOS Mojave?

In the latest version of the Mac operating system, Apple has updated Preview with annotation tools. Now, without opening the picture, you can draw something on it or crop it. For this you need:

• Select any file and press the Space key.
• Click the Markup button that appears.
• Make changes to the document and save it or send it somewhere.

The same goes for screenshots. Now, after pressing the key combination ⌘ + Shift + 4 and selecting the desired area of ​​the screen, the screenshot will appear in the lower right corner of the display. If you click on it, then the screen will display all the tools for editing images.

If you need a new file folder, Mac will create it easily and easily. Open the parent folder and use one of the following methods:

• Select “File” About “New Folder”.
• Press Shift + Command + N.
• Right-click on an empty space in the folder and select New Folder from the context menu.

  Then enter the name of the folder and press Enter.

If you regularly have to create new folders, add a New Folder icon to the Finder Toolbar. This can be done as follows:

1. Select View About CustomizeToolbar. Finder will display a list of available icons.
2. Drag the "New Folder" icon onto the "Toolbar" with the mouse.
3. Click “Done”.

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Utilities

Using wake-up commands on locked

screen

Various functions can be used on the locked screen using preset
wake-up commands.
To enable this feature, on the Apps screen, tap

Settings

→ Device

→ Lock screen and then drag the switch Turn on the lock screen
to the right.

S Finder

Use this app to find various items on your device, including
email messages mail, documents, pictures, music, applications and other components.
Press and hold

for start S Finder.

You can also click S Finder from the list

remote commands.
Tap the search box and enter a keyword. Or press and say the key
search word. You can also use this feature to search for handwritten content in
device.

Use this application to search content not only on the Internet, but also in
applications on the device.
Select item

Google on the Apps screen.

The availability of this app depends on the region and service provider.

Search in the device memory

Tap the search box and enter a keyword. Or tap and say
keyword.
If there are no search results for applications, a web browser opens with search results in
The Internet.

Reviews:

Download Super Finder

(for Windows operating system)

Other programs in the category Search information

Review of the best file managers for OS X

Finder is undoubtedly one of the most convenient ways to navigate quickly on Mac OS X. However, some more advanced users need something more familiar, more features and support for mouseless navigation.

01/22/13 at 05:05

Finder is undoubtedly one of the most convenient ways to navigate quickly on Mac OS X. However, some more advanced users need something more familiar, more features and support for mouseless navigation.

Disk Order

Disk Order is a file manager that allows you to work in two columns, each of which can display files as icons, list or columns. Disk Order supports network connections and content access on iOS devices. Another useful feature of Disk Order is the ability to bulk rename files.

Disk Order Functions

• Asynchronous connection to servers.
• Tabbed interface.
• Built-in multimedia file viewer.
• Built-in editor.
• FTP client with the ability to create, upload, download files, change access rights, view files, etc.
• Support for working with tar, gz, tgz, bz, bz2, tbz, zip archives.
• Drag-and-drop support.
• Ability to highlight files with color.
• Command line.
• Support for plugins that extend functions (terminal window, CD burning, archivers, etc.).
• Convenient customizable interface.
• Customizable hotkeys.

Download Disk Order from the official website. Read also the interview with the developer.

Path finder

File Manager Path Finder visually resembles the Finder interface, but has more additions. One of the unusual features is the presence of the Drop Stack panel, which allows you to drop files into it, and then move to the folder where you want to put them.

Path Finder functions

• Drop Stack files temporary storage panel.
• Bookmarks to quickly navigate to your favorite folders and files.
• Tabs with the ability to save a group of tabs.
• Bulk rename and change files.
• Hex editor.
• Built-in terminal.
• Text and image editor allowing you to create text, crop and resize photos.

Download Path Finder from the official site.

muCommander

File Manager muCommander is a classic file manager with an OS X interface. Developed over the years, this application has become one of the most popular, and is also distributed free of charge.

MuCommander Functions

• Work with FTP, SFTP, SMB, NFS, HTTP and Bonjour servers.
• Quick copy, rename files, create folders and emails with the app.
• Working with archives, creating, unpacking, viewing the contents of ZIP, RAR, TAR, GZip, BZip2, ISO / NRG, AR / Deb, LST. At the same time, ZIP archives can be instantly modified without the need to repackage.
• Multiple application windows.
• Displays free space on the partition.

Download muCommander from the official site.

Midnight commander

A well-known file manager in the Unix environment that needs no introduction.

Midnight Commander Features

• Working with images of file systems.
• FTP, SFTP client.
• Copying, moving files in the background.
• Built-in text editor with syntax highlighting.
• Console mode.
• List of directories for quick access by pressing Command +.

Download Midnight Commander with a graphical OS X installer.