How to Tag Files on Windows, Mac and iPhone

This article will show you how to Tag Files on Windows, Mac and iPhone. Anyone who uses Windows will use the search function every day. If you can’t find a specific file, you can use tags to make sure it always shows up in the search results. Taking advantage of the tag system is one of the best ways to get the most out of Windows 11/10. Tags work pretty much the same way as they do in picture libraries, social networks, and so on.

There’s no way to make tags on its own, which is a shame. You’ll have to individually add and manage them. On the other hand, that might be a good thing for you, based on how you like to organize things. If you use tags to organize your system’s files, you’ll be able to find your files faster and with more accuracy, saving you time and effort. Let’s look at how to add tags to files in Windows, Mac and iPhone.

How to Tag Files on Windows

Tag Files in the Properties Window

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Navigate to the file you want to tag and right-click it.
3. In the menu that appears, select Properties.
4. In the Properties window, select the Details tab.
5. On the Details tab, double-click the Tags line to add one or more tags, separating each one with a semicolon.
6. Press Enter when you’ve finished adding tags to apply them to the file.
7. Click Apply to save your changes.
8. Click OK to close the Properties window.

Tag Files in the Details Pane

1. Open File Explorer.
2. Navigate to and select the file you want to tag.
3. On the Ribbon, select the View tab.
4. From the View Ribbon, select the Details Pane.
5. In the Details Pane, click Add a tag and type the tags you want to assign to the file. Remember to separate tags with a semicolon.
6. When you’re done, press Enter or click Save to assign the tags.

How to Tag Files on Mac

1. Open the Finder file system browser on Mac if you have not done so already
2. Select a file (or multiple files / folders) in the Mac Finder
3. Pull down the “File” menu and choose the tag you wish to apply to the selected file(s) or folder(s)
4. You’ll notice the tagged file now has the chosen tag color associated with it, alongside its name in modern versions of MacOS whereas earlier versions will place the color behind the text or even tint the color the icon.
5. You can apply additional tags to the same files and folders if desired by repeating the steps above.

How to Tag Files on iPhone and iPad

1. Open the “Files” app on the iPhone or iPad
2. Navigate to the file(s) you wish to tag and tap on the file you want to tag
3. From the file preview, tap the Sharing button, it looks like a box with an arrow flying out of it
4. Tap the “+Tag” button in the sharing panel
5. Choose the file tag(s) you want to use by tapping on them, then tap on the “Done” button
6. That’s it, your selected file will have been tagged with the tag of your choice.

FAQs