Comparing Icon, List and Column Views

Take a look at the advantages to using the three main Finder views: Icon, List and Column. What are the reasons you may choose one over the other?

Video Transcript: Hi, this is Gary with MacMost.com. Let's take a look at the advantages of using different Finder views. 
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Now there are three main views in the Finder that you can use to see and organize your files. You can use Icon View, List View, and Column View. What are the advantages to using each?
First let's take a look at Icon View. Icon View is the only view where you can create your own custom arrangement of your files. All the other views have to be sorted in some way. Like by name or date. Here in Icon View you can actually move the files around and position them two dimensionally anywhere you want in the window. So this works best when you have a small number of files and say you can group a bunch together like this and have maybe one or another group separate. Here's a situation where that can be particularly useful. Say there's a daily report you need to file and you've got a couple of templates. You've got a log file. Maybe you've got some supporting files for that daily report. Then you have a subfolder where you have your filed reports. It could be nice to have them in a layout like this where everything is kind of where you expect to find it. In addition you can even  set the background color. Just go to Show View Options here and under Background you can set a color or a picture. You can only do that in Icon View. This gives you a visual indicator that you're in the right place. So this can make it easier to work on a task like this. 
Another advantage to Icon View are the icons. The icons are typically larger than the ones you would see in List or Column View. So you can get previews of things like images. This can help you find a file you need faster. It's not the only way to preview files. Of course you can use Quick Look. You can use the right column preview and all of that. But it is a way that some people may prefer. In fact if you go to View and then Show View options you can change the icon's size to make it even larger and easier to preview the files. I also have to add that one of the main advantages to Icon View is people are just familiar with it. It's been around both on Windows and Macs since the beginning and a lot of people have just always managed their files this way. So if you're used to seeing your files in Icon View then switching to List or Column View takes some adjustment. If your demands aren't that heavy for actually managing files in the Finder just sticking with what you're familiar with can be a big advantage in itself. 
Now let's take a look at Column View which is actually the third view here. Column View has the advantage of easy navigation. So if you start off in a place like your Documents folder where everything is in that folder then it's very easy to navigate around and to see all of the different folders inside of there and then in addition when you have to go even deeper, like here, you can very easily go down levels. So it's very simple to navigate around. It's definitely the best for that. 
It's also very easy to see the path to a file. So this file here, for instance, you can very easily see that it is located in this folder which is then located in this folder. As you can see here it works really well with the Preview Column on the right giving you a preview of whatever file you have selected. Now you can use the Preview Column in Icon View and in List View as well but it just works very naturally here in Column View with folders and subfolders in the first columns and then the file that you've selected and then the column on the right shows the contents of that file. 
Now List View, the second view, has a bunch of advantages one of which is that you can clearly see information for each file without having to select it and get info on it. So, for instance, for this file here I can see the Date Modified, I can see the Size, and I can see the Kind. You can easily modify what information you see by just changing the columns. A quick way to do that is to Control Click, two-finger click on a trackpad, or right click on a mouse, here in one of the column headings and then you can use the checkmarks to determine which columns are shown. You could also rearrange the columns very easily. 
List View is the only view where you can see inside multiple folders at the same time. So, for instance, I could look inside this folder and I can look inside this folder and see the contents of both. I can even dig down and look inside folders, inside of folders, inside of folders all in one list. In Column View you're only looking at the contents of the last folder to the right. In Icon View you're only seeing the contents of one folder. Of course List View also makes it very easy to sort your files. You can do that in Column View and in Icon View but with List View it is just a matter of clicking on the Column heading to resort the list very easily. 
So in choosing between the different views it's important to understand a couple of things. First, it is extremely easy to switch between them. So it is not like you need to go and choose one of the Finder views and then stick with it. You could easily click these buttons up here. You can use Command 1, Command 2, and Command 3 to switch between all of the views. So you can use whatever makes the most sense in that situation. Also, there is a ton of overlap. Like I mentioned here in List View you could go to View and then Show Preview and you get the same preview sidebar here that you do in Column View. If you want to see larger icons here you can go to View, Show View Options and you can go to a slightly larger icon size or you can just use that Preview on the right side or you can use Quick Look to quickly preview the files that you're viewing. So it's not like Icon View is the only way to easily preview files. 
So there is a ton of overlap which makes it easy for someone like me to simply stick with List View, the view that I prefer, and it kind of takes care of all of my needs. But which one you prefer probably depends on what you do and just what you like. Other people may prefer Column View and I actually used Column View for years as my main view. Other people, of course, may like Icon View. As I suggested it is just something a lot of people are used to. So it is not just a matter of deciding which view is best for you, but whether you would like to stick with one view most of the time or easily switch between all three of them just to use whatever is best in the situation. 
I'd love to hear in the Comments which of the three Finder views you prefer and why. Hope you found this useful. Thanks for watching.

Comments: 4 Responses to “Comparing Icon, List and Column Views”

Dot

9 months ago

I use List View the most, but in some cases I use Column View. The only place I like Icon View is on my Desktop (which is not as uncluttered as yours!). In List View, I often sort by date, with the newest files at the top.

Evelyn

I use list view with a preview column. I used to drag my files into the folder using the list column. One day I accidentally dropped the file into the preview column and the file disappeared. I checked the file folder and there it was in the folder. Not sure if you have covered this before but it sure has helped me.

Steve

List View 99.99% of the time is my preference. After watching your video, I added the Preview column, which helps immensely when the file name isn't as descriptive as it should be. Thanks, Gary!

Clinton Hayes

I switch my views around but mainly have it on icon view and I have no idea why. As you say, probably because I've always used that view and a legacy of my Windows days. Now that I've watched your piece, I'll probably switch to Column view, which I never really use but it probably makes most sense. Thanks for the tips.

Comparing Icon, List and Column Views

Comments: 4 Responses to “Comparing Icon, List and Column Views”

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