MacMost: Finder

The Finder is easily controlled with a mouse or trackpad, but if you prefer to use your keyboard you can access most functions if you know the right keys to press.

In most apps you can choose to Duplicate the current document, or use a hidden Save As command to do something very similar. What are the differences between the two commands and what other alternatives are there?

Most apps you use to create documents on your Mac have the same core commands in the File menu. Learn how to use New, Open, Close, Save, Duplicate, Save As, Rename and Move To. Plus, lots and lots of useful tips and tricks!

While it may not seem like you can use wildcards in a Spotlight search on a Mac, you can use a variety of options to get the same result with a normal search, and then regular wildcard searches when using Raw Query as your search type.

Drag-and-drop is a basic Mac skill, but there are many advanced techniques that most users don't know about. Learn how to use drag-and-drop with multiple desktops, the App Switcher, text selections, URLs, and even between Macs with Universal Control.

When you save a file, the dialog that appears allows you to choose the name and location of the new file. There's a lot of hidden functionality in the File Save dialog that youc an use to improve your productivity.

If you have a file you need to open often it could be worth it to set up a special quick way to access that file. Here are 10 suggestions for super fast access to one or more important files.

You can use the Terminal to list files and folders, restrict the lists to only large files and folders, and also just show the ones that use the most space.

Merging two folders can seem difficult or impossible until you learn this trick. While it is easy to drag and drop new files into an existing folder, you'll need to decide which ones to keep and which to replace on a file-by-file basis. However, a hidden feature of the macOS Finder lets you merge the files in folders, keeping the newest versions.

If your hard disk is full and you need to clear out some space fast, here are 20 places to look. In macOS Monterey you can use the Storage Manager to clear out a lot of unneeded files, plus I'll show you some places to look in your Library folder, Applications, Photos, Documents, iCloud and more.

The search feature in macOS is very deep, including the ability to search metadata in media files, dimensions of images, fonts used, file origins, and much more.

The Go To Folder function in the Mac Finder got a face lift in macOS Monterey. Go To Folder makes it easy to navigate in Finder windows using only your keyboard with some knowledge of your folder structure.

Starting with macOS Monterey, you can now bring up the path bar temporarily using the Option key. You can also click it to view sibling folders and use the context menu to access other functions.

See how I organize my files and folders, use iCloud Drive and local files, an Archive drive, Finder views and more.

Here are 10 features of macOS that will save you time if you use them. Learn how to use keyboard shortcuts, Hot Corners, autocomplete, dictation, Recents and more.

There are some strange and hidden features in macOS. Here are 10 that are also somewhat useful. Learn how to make uyour Mac speak the time, summarize articles, speak in odd voices, show hidden Finder sorting columns and more.

WHen trying to find images or other files to use, many new Mac users try to use the Preview app to view these files to pick one. Despite its name, Preview is not the ideal app for previewing files. Instead use Quick Look or one of two other methods.

There are many small ways to customize the Mac Finder that may get rid of small annoyances for some users. Check out these settings and techniques.

The Recents item in the Finder isn't that useful. But you can create your own Smart Folders to replace it that fit your needs and show you the files you really want to see. You can also use Spotlight or Siri to find recent files.

When yo uquickly save a new document, it can be easy to not pay attention to where the file was saved. You can use these methods to locate the file. This also helps when you download a file, save a mail attachment or export a file.