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The best place to be on your Mac is the Customize Finder Sidebar, which is where you can find all of your files. So, it’s important to make it work for you. On Mac, Finder is where you go to find files, folders, and apps, just like File Explorer is on Windows. The Finder sidebar is one of the best tools to help you find what you need. For easy access to the whole finder sidebar, you can add or remove the selected option from the Favorites tab, Device tab, Shared tab, and color Tag tab using this setting.
Most Mac users don’t know how to change the Finder sidebar or put it back to the way it was. When you got a new Mac, you couldn’t find the hard drive or your favorite folder. You also couldn’t tag documents that had already been tagged when you created them or marked them for reuse. This is the same as changing the color of a folder on a Mac.
I’ll show you how to add and remove favorite folders, devices, shared devices, and tags in this section. You can change the sidebar to show your favorite items, places like external storage and iCloud Drive, and tags that you use often. We’ll show you how to change the Finder sidebar on a Mac, whether you’re new to macOS or just haven’t done it yet.
How To Customize Finder Sidebar
- Open a Finder window by selecting the Finder icon in the Dock.
- Select Finder in the menu bar and choose Preferences.In Finder Preferences, select Sidebar at the top of the screen
- Select or clear the check box, as appropriate, for each item in the list. The items you check appear in the Finder sidebar until you change the preferences again.
- Close the Finder Preferences to save your choices.
Manage Sidebar Items in Mac Finder
- Select Finder > Preferences in the menu bar (or Finder > Settings if use macOS Ventura or later).
- Under the Sidebar tab, you can select or deselect the items you want to appear under the following sections of the sidebar—e.g., Favorites, iCloud, Locations, and Tags.
FAQ
How do I add items to the Sidebar in Mac Finder?
Select the Finder icon in the Dock to open a Finder window. Choose Go from the Finder menu bar, and then choose Applications from the drop-down menu. Find the app you want to add to the sidebar, hold down the Command key, and drag it to the Favorites section of the Finder sidebar.
How do I arrange Finder on Mac?
- On your Mac, click the Finder icon in the Dock to open a Finder window.
- Do any of the following: Sort items: In any view, choose View > Show View Options, click the Sort By pop-up menu, then choose the sort order, such as Date Modified or Name.