How to Use Finder to Organize Your macOS Files

Delete Duplicate Files

The first thing you can do before organizing your files is to delete the duplicate ones first, as you wouldn’t want to waste your time organizing them when they are of no use. Various reasons are responsible for duplicate files, such as multiple downloads, email message attachments, downloading multiple versions of the same file, and much more.

Deleting these files at regular intervals is an optimal way to organize your macos files as they are of no use, yet they unnecessarily consume space on the hard drive. To search for redundant files, open the Finder app, click on File, and tap New Smart Folder. Next, click on the + button available on the top right corner of the screen. To spot duplicate files, you need to sort all the files by name.

Merge Multiple PDFs into A Single Document

PDF is one of the most utilized file formats, and you would find it on almost all computers out there. Sometimes you need to edit or join pdf files into one to share them with colleagues or customers. Navigate to the Finder to see various PDFs that you wish to merge.

Now, you can use Apple’s in-built Preview app to merge these files as well as to edit their text. To edit a PDF, open it in the Preview. Click on the thumbnails displayed on the left side of the screen. A list with different pages will appear. Go to the menu bar, click on Edit and then tap Insert. Now, click on the Page from File option and then select the second PDF file you need to merge from the window that appears.

Use Stacks to Organize Files on Desktop

Most of the time, users save their frequently used files on the desktop as it helps locate them quickly without navigating to various folders. This sometimes clutters the desktop and slows down your system performance. macOS allows you to organize your files on the desktop using Stacks.

The Stacks files management feature groups your files based on the date, type, tags, and so on. To use the Stacks to organize your macos files, right-click on your Mac desktop, go to Group Stacks, and select any of the options as per your preference. Once you select an option, all your files will be organized as per selection.

Merge Different Folders into One

When you copy a folder from one location to another, the operating system usually merges two folders with the same name automatically. This useful feature saves considerable time and manual effort. Merging different folders into one will give a much clearer and more organized structure to your files.

Organizing might not be as simple as it sounds, especially for MacBook users. If you are unaware of it, you could end up overwriting or even losing your files. However, Finder makes it easier for you. If you have two folders with the same name, pick one folder and drag it to the location where another folder with the same name is stored.

The system will ask you if you want to replace the folder or stop the process. Selecting Stop will end your process. To get the merge option, drag that file and press the Option key; you will get an option to Merge it. Select this option, and your folders will be merged.

Assign Tags to Your Files

Assigning tags to the computer files is similar to using bookmarks in physical books. Tags help you to find your files easily when needed. Initially, adding tags to files can be a lot of hard work, but once done, you will have full control of your files, and they become easily manageable.

To add tags, open the Finder, select the file you want to add a tag, right-click on it, and then select Tags. You can give multiple tags to multiple files and even use different colors for tags. Organize your macos files with tags as it helps you to keep track of your files right from the left side of the Finder window.

The Conclusion

macOS allows access to dozens of ways to organize your digital files. Not only does it make your work easier, but also you can locate the files quite quickly when you need them the most.