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Questions tagged [finder]

The default file manager used on the Mac OS, Mac OS X and macOS operating systems.

The evolution of Finder icons starting with Mac OS 7.6. :

Evolution of Finder logo

The Finder is the default file manager and graphical user interface shell used on all Macintosh operating systems. It was introduced with the first Macintosh computer, and also exists as part of GS/OS on the Apple IIGS. It was rewritten completely with the release of Mac OS X in 2001.

It's described in the "About" window as "The Macintosh Desktop Experience", Finder is responsible for the launching of other applications, and for the overall user management of files, disks, and network volumes.

The Finder icon is the smiling screen of a computer, known as the Happy Mac logo.

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Consequences of deleting .DS_Store

If I manually delete a .DS_Store file from a directory, what's the worst that can happen? What important information might I lose?
james.garriss
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9 answers

How do I get the full path for a file in finder?

I look for a file in finder, finder finds it. But, I'd like to find it's full path. How do I do that?
Breako Breako
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How can I see my home folder in the finder?

How can I go to my home folder in finder? and/or how can I navigate up a folder tree in finder I am used to Ubuntu and finding /home/name easily in the gui
Michael Durrant
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How do I browse /tmp in Finder?

I can use the command line to :- cd /tmp ls -al What is the equivalent to do so in finder? I can't seems find a way to browse to that folder using finder, (my intention is to view images which I created in /tmp) Or is there any image browser tools…
ajreal
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4 answers

How do I switch between Finder tabs with a keyboard shortcuts?

Ideally, I'd like to be able to cmd+1 == first tab, cmd+2 == 2nd tab, so on and so forth. How can I do this? Thanks!
nubela
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How do add "Recent Folders" item to the Finder sidebar?

In the menu Go > Recent Places you can get a list of recently accessed folders. I want to add this to the Finder sidebar, but I am not seeing any clear explanation of how to do this.
user5359531
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35
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2 answers

Is there a way to show the speed of copying files on a Mac?

Is there a way to show the speed of copying files on a Mac? For example, when copying a file from the hard drive to SDHC card and vice versa. The reason is that I can check out the max speed of an SDHC card on my Dell PC, but it seems that on…
nonopolarity
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Never create a .DS_Store file again

I'm tired of finder creating these .DS_Store metadata and finder view tracking files in all of my directories. How can I disable this in Finder?
Marco Ceppi
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22
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4 answers

How to delete a file using the delete key

I want to use only the delete key in order to delete files in Finder — no key combinations. So far, I have been unable to find a configuration entry or even a 3rd party app that allow me to change the default behavior of OSX. I'm using several…
deadalnix
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1 answer

How do I Get Info for multiple items in one window?

When selecting multiple items in the Finder and hitting the ⌘+I shortcut, OS X produces one window per file, which is painful when attempting to view a summary of, for example, the total size of a number of files at once. How can I view info for…
Dan J
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"Open folder in new window" for Finder?

In Finder, how do you open a folder in a new window, while the existing window keeps the same view? All file managers I've ever used (on Linux only) have something like "Open folder in new window" in the right-click menu for a folder. Does…
DarenW
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15
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3 answers

How to make Finder search within the contents of files

In Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard through at least Mac OS X 10.11 El Captain, when you typed in the search box in Finder, a silver bar would appear below it. Starting from the left side of this bar, there is the text Search: and next to it there are two…
Melab
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3 answers

Change finder thumbnails size

In previous Mac OS versions (<10.9) I was able to change the images' thumbnails in the finder by zooming or unzooming with the trackpad. Now that I run on Mavericks, I can't find a way to do it. Does anyone know a trick for that ?
Thomas Ayoub
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4 answers

Replace Finder with Forklift

Is possible to have Forklift open folders, paths, etc instead of Finder?
Marc
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6 answers

Always open the finder in new tab

I want a folder to be always opened in a tab instead of new window. The reason I want this is so that I have only one Finder window with multiple tabs. If apps keeps on opening new window you may miss the opened folder. New to mac so wondering how…
MagePsycho
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