OS X Mavericks: Organize your files in the Finder
Represented by the blue icon with the smiling face, the Finder is home base for your Mac. You use it to organize and access almost everything on your Mac, including documents, images, movies, and any other files you have.
The Finder offers many ways to work and organize your files, so getting access to your most important items is quick and easy.
| Use folders... or don’t |
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| If you like working in a folder structure, you can do that. With OS X, it’s easy to create new folders and subfolders, in your home folder or on your desktop, and then organize your files as you like. If you’d rather avoid folders, use All My Files, where your items are organized for you and you’ll find a quick, efficient way to browse all your information. |
| Make files easier to spot with color tags |
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| Color tags make it a snap to quickly identify all files of the same type—for example, all documents related to a work project, or all pictures of a person or place. To color-code items, select an item in a Finder window, then choose File > Tags and choose a color. |
| Rename your files |
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| You can easily rename almost any file or folder on your Mac. To rename an item, select it and press Return, then type a new name. |
| Pick a favorite way to view Finder windows |
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| You can change how you view Finder windows to suit your working style. For example, you don’t have to view your items in a list—Cover Flow lets you flip through your files and folders visually. If you choose icon view, you can pick a size for the icons, and even add a color or picture to the window background. There are many ways to view Finder windows—find the one that suits you best. |
| Keep the most important things up front and visible |
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| There are dozens of ways to make things easier to find on your Mac. Learn how to put a stack in the Dock, or an alias in the Finder window sidebar. Use Spotlight comments and Smart folders. For more ideas, see: |
| Find exactly what you’re looking for |
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| With Spotlight search, you can tailor search criteria to pinpoint and find particular documents, bookmarks, images, and other items, and then save the search as a Smart Folder. New items that meet the criteria are added automatically. Just open a Finder window, type in the Spotlight search field, then focus your search to filenames only, or particular types of items such as email messages or images. |