If you have files that you need to find, move, copy or delete on your Mac, the app you will need is Finder which works just like File Explorer on Windows. In this guide, we will show you the basics of how to browse files on your Mac and how to manage them.
How to Browse Files on Your Mac With Finder
Finder is an app that comes on Macs that allows you to manage your files. You can easily open the Finder app on your Mac by simply clicking its icon on the dock of your Mac. The Finder icon is the icon that looks like a smiling blue face.
Once you click the Finder icon, the app will be launched on your Mac. The Finder app also allows you to open multiple Finder windows at once. You can do this by selecting the File tab at the top of the screen and then selecting the “New Finder Window” option. Alternatively, you can press the Command+N keys on your keyboard.
The Finder app allows you to look through files on your Mac. You can open up a folder by double-clicking it and then use the back arrow in the top left corner of the window to go back to a previous folder.
Now, while you browse through files in the Finder app, you will notice “breadcrumbs”. This is a list of folder locations in the Path Bar at the bottom of the window. You can see your current location in the Finder app by looking here. If by any chance this isn’t displayed, you can turn it on by selecting “View” and then enabling the “Show Path Bar in the menu bar” option.
If you would also like to quickly move from one location to another, you can do this by using the “Go” menu in the menu bar. The Go menu allows you to quickly navigate to a different folder in the Finder app. An example is the “Home” folder.
Another way to navigate quickly in the Finder window is by using the sidebar. The Finder app includes a bunch of shortcuts to important locations including Pictures, Downloads, and Documents in the sidebar.
Clicking on any of these shortcuts will immediately bring up the contents of that location. If in case the sidebar isn’t displayed on your Mac, you can enable it by clicking “View” and then enabling the “Show Sidebar in the menu bar” option. Alternatively, you can press Command+S on your keyboard.
The Finder app also allows you to change the way your files are displayed. You can have them displayed as a list instead of icons and thumbnails. You can do this by selecting the icons that look like small groups of squares located at the top of the Finder window. This icon also allows you to change the order in which your files are arranged such as last modified, alphabetically, or size.
And finally, if there is a specific file you are looking for on your Mac, you can perform a quick search on the Finder app by clicking the magnifying glass icon in the top right corner of the window. You can now enter the name of the file and the Finder app will display results below your query.
An alternative way you can search for files, documents, or apps on your Mac is by opening up Spotlight. You can use Spotlight to search for anything stored on your Mac. You can access Spotlight by clicking the magnifying glass icon in the menu bar. You can also open up Spotlight by pressing the Command + Space keys on your keyboard.
How to Copy and Delete Files on Your Mac
Moving, copying, and deleting files on Mac is very easy using click and drag techniques. If you want to move a file from one folder to another, have both folders open in two different Finder windows and then drag the file icon from one window to the other. If you drag a file or folder from one folder to another folder on a different drive (such as one in the sidebar), your Mac will create a new copy of the file or the folder while the original file or folder remains in its original location.
Another way you can copy files is by right-clicking the file in the source folder and then selecting the “Copy” option. Now, go over to the destination folder, right-click and select the “Paste” option.
If you want to delete a file in Finder, you can do this by dragging the file’s icon from the Finder Window over to the trash icon in your dock. You can also select the file, go to the File tab at the top of the window and then select the “Move to Trash in the menu bar” option.
And that is all the basics you need to browse and manage files on your Mac using the Finder app. If you’ve got any questions, feel free to let us know in the comments below.
