How to get more out of the finder on your mac (i)

When you first purchase and turn on your Mac, Finder is the first thing you see. However, you may barely use it throughout the day. Despite this, the truth is that it is a key tool on the Mac. If you take some time, you will be able to see how the Finder can help you with multiple daily tasks, being much more than a "window" or a place to save that fantastic wallpaper that you just downloaded. If you want to know more about how to take advantage of the Finder, don't miss this post, and the one that will arrive tomorrow.

One Finder, multiple views

All Mac users use the Finder, however, each of us has a different way of doing it, either due to specific needs or due to ignorance of its full potential. This is fantastic, as it indicates that it is an adaptable tool for all users, but often, once we configure it by releasing our equipment, we can get lost in the tumult of options. In fact, they do not stop growing. With macOS Mojave, in addition, Apple introduced some new features that are only available in certain views. But as we said above, the Finder is much more than it seems.

So let's start with those different views that we have in the Finder. Whether you prefer icons, or organize yourself better in a list format, in the Finder you will find what you need. Below we show you four views that give us a subtly different vision of our documents and files. And sometimes it's very helpful to switch from one to the other

Different views of the Finder on Mac. Above left: list view. Top right: icon view. Bottom left: Gallery. Bottom right: Columns.

The list view, which you can see in the upper left, shows us a greater number of files and / or folders, and also provides us with more information about them. Compared to this mode, the icon view, in the upper right part of the upper image, is much more pleasant when it comes to finding what you need., It shows the largest number of items in the current folder, but then the view of icons at the top right makes it much clearer what is what. And this is not due solely and exclusively to the fact that the icon appears larger, but rather because the folders are accompanied by their name with a small iCloud symbol. Thus, this view is also the clearest to quickly know if an item is physically stored on your Mac or if it has been copied to iCloud and remains secure there. These icons are present in all views, but the truth is that they are more visible in this icon view.

In the case of the new Quick Actions that Apple introduced with the launch of the current macOS Mojave, these are more visible in the Gallery View, which you can see in the lower left part of the previous image. This option shows us a view of the current folder, but the emphasis is on the currently selected file; In addition, it includes a panel with more details about it. And if that were not enough, in that panel where the aforementioned "Quick Actions" are located, thanks to which you can work on a file without having to open it, from the Finder itself.

But neither option will give you a better idea of ​​where your documents are located or what a folder contains than Column View. Click on a folder and a panel will open on the right, displaying, also in column format, all the files and folders it contains, and so on, from the top to the bottom level, from left to right.

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