Learn the Mac Finder In 5 Minutes

Hi, this is Gary with MacMost.com. Let me show you how to use the Finder on your Mac. 

So the Finder is a tool on your Mac that lets you work with your files. The primary interface for working with the Finder is the Finder Window. If you don't already have one opened clicking on the Finder on the left side of the Dock will open a Finder Window. Or if you switch to the Finder you go to File and then New Finder Window. The Finder Window shows you the contents of a folder on your Drive. You can see the name of the folder up here at the top. In the main area of the window you'll see the contents of that folder. 

There are actually four different ways to view the contents of a folder. The first is the Icon View. Then there is List View where it shows everything in a list. Column View is also in a list where you select an item the contents of that folder appears in another column. There is also Gallery View which is great for viewing a folder filled with images. I recommend using either List View or Column View most of the time. 

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You can dive down into a folder by double-clicking on the folder or the name. I can go back up by Command Clicking here and going back up a level or using Go and then Enclosing Folder. The keyboard shortcut is simply Command and Up Arrow. I can also use the Reveal Triangle to the left of the folder to open the folder up and see the contents of the folder in the same list. I can even go further down into other folders as well. In Column View I will see the list of folders I will be able to click on an individual folder and see the contents in a new column. I can click on a folder in there to open up yet another column with the contents there. 

Now the main thing you may want to do with a file is to Open it. Just double-click the file and it will open it in a default app for that file type. Renaming a file can be done by selecting it and going to File, and then Rename. But most people instead will just select the file and then press the return key to enter Rename mode. 

To Move a file if you can see the destination of the file you can simply Drag & Drop, like that. If you can't see the location you can always open up a second Finder Window. Just go to File, then New Finder Window. In this Finder Window go to that second location. So I'll go here into this folder, for instance. Then you can Drag & Drop a file from one Finder Window to another to move it. 

If you want to move multiple files or delete multiple files at the same time you can select multiples by selecting the first file, then holding the Command Key down and selecting other files. If you want to select a range instead select the first file, hold the Shift Key down and select the last one in the range. It will select all of those in-between. Then you can drag all of them together to move them or move them to the trash. 

If you want to create a new folder first make sure you're in the location you want. If I want to create a new folder inside Current Stuff I would go down to that folder. Then you go to File, and New Folder or Shift Command N. You will create a new folder and select the name so it is ready for you to Rename it to something else. 

To Delete a file you can either drag it to the Trash on the right side of the Dock and drop it in there. Or, with it selected, you can go to File and then Move To Trash or Command and the Delete Key on your keyboard. You can click on the Trash here and here you can click the Empty Button to empty it. But what most people should use today is under Finder Settings, go to Advanced and set the Trash to Remove Items From the Trash after 30 Days. So it just becomes a safety net, a temporary holding place for a file that is automatically deleted 30 days later. You never have to worry about emptying the Trash. 

If you want to Preview the contents of a file before opening it you can select the file and then press the Spacebar to open up a Quick Look window to show you the contents. You can also go to View and then select Show Preview and this opens up the right sidebar with a little preview for whatever file is selected. 

When you are in List View it is easy to Sort the files that you see. The Sort Order is whatever column is bolded. In this case Name. You can reverse the order by clicking on the little Up or Down arrow to the right of that. 

The Left Sidebar is simply a convenient way to access locations on your Drive. You can customize what is there by going to Finder Settings and then go into Sidebar. You can also add your own folders to the Favorites Section. Now to get to that folder quickly you can easily select it. Also you can Drag & Drop files to that location using the left Sidebar as well. 

If you want to Search for a file, first make sure you are at the folder where you want to start the search. Then click the little Magnifying Glass here or use Command F and type the Search term. Then pay attention to what is under here. You can search for Name Contains..... or the Contents of the File Contains...... 

The Finder is a very powerful tool for working with your files. I've only scratched the surface here showing you the basics. There's a lot more you can do with it once you master that. Hope you found this useful. Thanks for watching.