Transcription
You saved a file, and now you cannot find it. It's somewhere on this Mac, you know that much. But, is it in downloads? Is it on desktop, or did it go to documents? Most people spend more time looking for files than they spent creating them.
Your Mac has a built-in system that fixes it. It's been sitting inside finder for years, and most people never found it. So, let me show you the system, and I want you to watch me very carefully.
I'm creating two folders. Not just regular folders, two smart folders. Click this plus symbol. Choose kind. From here, choose PDF. Click plus symbol again. This time, last modified date. Within last, and here you can enter the days. So, I'll choose 30. You can give it a name, like recent PDFs for me. You can also change the default location to anywhere you want to place it to. Add to sidebar, leave it checked. Click on save. And here in the sidebar, you can find your newly created smart folder. This looks like just a folder, but it's going to behave like a live search on your Mac. Every PDF within last 30 days will show up in this folder automatically, no matter the original location, whether desktop, documents, downloads, anywhere. You do not move anything. You do not duplicate anything. Your Mac just created a live view of files you needed from the places finder can search. From now on, whenever there is a new matching file appears on your Mac anywhere in any directory, this view updates automatically. All it needs just one click.
Now, let's create another smart folder. And this time, we're going to choose tags. That matches color red, blue, yellow. Last modified date within last 30 days, 60 days, 90 days, 365 days. It's your choice. And save, give it a name, add it to sidebar. And now it collects all files you specifically marked, not just by type or date, but by exactly what you decide matters to you.
But this is not it. Let's make the full system. Let's build it properly. Now right-click any file and you see these color dots. Add red if there is an active project. Add blue means reference. You can add whatever system works for you. As you're setting it up for the first time, do it across different folders. Now every file you have tagged red from different places, Finder can search right here with just one click.
But that's not it. You're working on a project. [music] You're creating different different type of files, PDF, pages, spreadsheets, images, presentations, whatever. Just tag them. You create a customized tag for that project. And each time you're creating a file, just put a tag on the file. Now in the sidebar, if you scroll down till the bottom, expand tags, you will find your newly created tag. You click on that tag, every file you have created and tagged with that label shows up in this window, automatically filtered. No matter where you save that file, with that label, every file shows here.
Now the same thinking applies to folders. You can right-click any folder and from those color dots, you can choose the preferred color, like red folder, an active project, blue folder, maybe archived, orange, waiting for something. However, if you want to make your folders look aesthetically impressive, then you can customize the icons. Make a right click on any folder. Click on Get Info, and now click on the folder icon, and that's highlighted now. Open your preferred PNG image file in preview. [music] Command A to select all, command C to copy. Now, go back to that tiny folder icon. Click on it, and command V to paste. Now, you have a custom icon for that specific folder, and you can apply this to as many folders you want. You don't need to even read now the labels for the folder. Now, you instantly know what's inside that folder.
Now, let's make the whole system one click away. I can guarantee most people have never clicked this Finder toolbar. From here, you can directly drag any icon in Finder's toolbar. Place them conveniently. Like you can add direct delete button there, information button there, preview. You can add AirDrop. Now, you have a kind of heavily featured toolbar ready. You want to preview a file? Do it with one tab. A folder with one tab. You want to activate the preview pane? Do it from here. You wish to delete something? One tab, gone. You want to share something? One tab, and here's AirDrop.
Further, click on Finder in left side top corner, go to settings. In this tiny window, you can also customize sidebar entirely. You wish to add or remove anything from sidebar, that happens from this window. You customize your Finder just like the way you want it for the better productivity, not how Apple set it up for you.
A lot of people, when they're looking for a specific file, they will click on it, open it in preview in a specific app. Instead, they can always access preview. Now, you have two options to access preview. >> [music] >> One, we already added that tab at the top in the toolbar. The second way is simply space bar. You select a file, tap on space bar on your keyboard, and that shows you immediately the preview of that file. Space bar again, preview gone. No double click, no app opening, full preview instantly. PDFs, images, documents, video files, audios, everything you can preview with space bar.
Every time you open Finder, it shows you recent files by default. And this might not be what you like to see. So, we can customize that. While you're in the Finder window, again settings, this time general, and here new Finder window shows, click on it and select whichever the directory folder you like to see every time you click on Finder. From advanced tab, you can also show all file name and extensions. Now, every file shows its type. You can also enable remove items from the trash after 30 days if it is not checked already. If you want to see folders at the top whenever you sorting any directory, you can also check this box here in Windows when sorting by name.
Now, if you want to find something very specific, press command and F inside Finder. Make sure it's not a smart folder. It should be just a regular folder. Leave it to kind and select the type of file you finding. Last modified date, add time range, Save it, give it a name, add it to sidebar. Now it is always there, it is always current, just one tap away.
If your desktop looks like this, right click anywhere on the desktop or tap with two fingers on trackpad. Use stacks. It's still there, just grouped. Screenshots together, all images together, PDFs all together. You wish to open a specific type of file, expand that section, and there it is.
Smart folders collecting files automatically without you moving anything. Tags. Everything with that label found in one click. Folder colors and icons. You see it before you read it. Toolbar and sidebar, one click from anywhere. Quick look, no app needed. Search filters, saved forever. These tools have been sitting in your finder for years. Most people never connected them. Today, you customized most of these tools that work for you, find files for you, organize them for you.
This is pretty much it in this video. If you're ready to step up, here's the next one for you. And before you leave, don't forget to hit that like button, subscribe Crazy Edders for future tech tips, tricks, and solutions. Until next time, you take care of yourself, and I will see you in the next one.