{"id":1664,"date":"2016-09-02T11:27:24","date_gmt":"2016-09-02T15:27:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/?p=1664"},"modified":"2016-08-31T09:28:38","modified_gmt":"2016-08-31T13:28:38","slug":"teleport-around-your-mac-with-the-sidebar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/teleport-around-your-mac-with-the-sidebar\/","title":{"rendered":"Teleport Around Your Mac with the Sidebar"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>If your Mac resembles an absent-minded professor\u2019s office with files and folders strewn hither and thither, getting to the right spot to open or save a file may have become slow and clumsy. Sure, in an ideal world, you\u2019d organize everything perfectly, but you\u2019d also be flossing twice a day, calling your mother every Sunday, and eating more leafy greens. So let\u2019s talk about a shortcut that lets you put off that big reorg for another day: the sidebar that graces every Finder window and Open\/Save dialog.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/tcn.tidbits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sidebar-Finder-window-1024x713.png\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 656px) 100vw, 656px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/tcn.tidbits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sidebar-Finder-window-1024x713.png 1024w, https:\/\/tcn.tidbits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sidebar-Finder-window-300x209.png 300w, https:\/\/tcn.tidbits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sidebar-Finder-window-768x535.png 768w, https:\/\/tcn.tidbits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sidebar-Finder-window-1080x752.png 1080w\" alt=\"Sidebar-Finder-window\" width=\"656\" height=\"457\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 656px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 656\/457;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>First, make sure it\u2019s showing. In the Finder, with a Finder window active, if the View menu has a Show Sidebar command, choose it. (If it says Hide Sidebar, the sidebar is already showing.) Or, when you\u2019re in an Open or Save dialog, click the sidebar <img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/tcn.tidbits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/sidebar-button.png\" alt=\"sidebar-button\" width=\"31\" height=\"16\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 31px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 31\/16;\" \/>\u00a0 button (it\u2019s in the dialog\u2019s toolbar) to show and hide the sidebar.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/tcn.tidbits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sidebar-Open-dialog-1024x958.png\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 659px) 100vw, 659px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/tcn.tidbits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sidebar-Open-dialog-1024x958.png 1024w, https:\/\/tcn.tidbits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sidebar-Open-dialog-300x281.png 300w, https:\/\/tcn.tidbits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sidebar-Open-dialog-768x718.png 768w, https:\/\/tcn.tidbits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sidebar-Open-dialog-1080x1010.png 1080w\" alt=\"Sidebar-Open-dialog\" width=\"659\" height=\"617\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 659px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 659\/617;\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Now, to make the best use of the sidebar, try these tips:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/tcn.tidbits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sidebar-Finder-prefs-581x1024.png\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 244px) 100vw, 244px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/tcn.tidbits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sidebar-Finder-prefs-581x1024.png 581w, https:\/\/tcn.tidbits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sidebar-Finder-prefs-170x300.png 170w, https:\/\/tcn.tidbits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sidebar-Finder-prefs.png 712w\" alt=\"Sidebar-Finder-prefs\" width=\"244\" height=\"429\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 244px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 244\/429;\" \/>By default, the sidebar shows a lot of items you likely don\u2019t use. Turn off anything that\u2019s unnecessary to make the sidebar shorter and more useful. Choose Finder &gt; Preferences &gt; Sidebar to see four categories of sidebar items. Favorites are mostly folders, Shared items are networked computers and servers, Devices are hard drives and other storage devices, and Tags display recently used Finder tags. Be ruthless here and uncheck anything that you seldom use or don\u2019t understand.<\/li>\n<li>To make the sidebar even more manageable temporarily, hover the pointer over a category label in the sidebar and click Hide when it appears. That category\u2019s contents disappear, making what\u2019s still in the sidebar easier to focus on; to get them back, hover over it again and click Show.\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/tcn.tidbits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sidebar-hide-category.png\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 226px) 100vw, 226px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/tcn.tidbits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sidebar-hide-category.png 474w, https:\/\/tcn.tidbits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sidebar-hide-category-300x77.png 300w\" alt=\"Sidebar-hide-category\" width=\"226\" height=\"58\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 226px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 226\/58;\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Add your own frequently used folders to the Favorites category so you have one-click access to them in the Finder and when opening or saving files. Drag a folder from the Finder to the Favorites list to add it. The folder is still on your disk in the original location, but if you click it in the sidebar, its contents appear instantly in the Finder window. If you\u2019re tempted to add a slew of folders to the sidebar, resist the urge. Instead, add a new folder that contains aliases to your desired folders; it\u2019s only one more click in the Finder window\u2019s Column view to see their contents. (To make an alias, select the folder and choose File &gt; Make Alias; you can then move the alias to the desired location and rename it however you want.)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Don\u2019t be shy about adding and removing folders; there\u2019s no harm in adding a folder for a few days while you\u2019re working on a project, and then removing it when you\u2019re done. To remove a folder, Control-click it and choose Remove from Sidebar. The folder disappears from the sidebar, but stays on your disk.\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/tcn.tidbits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sidebar-removing-folder.png\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 301px) 100vw, 301px\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/tcn.tidbits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sidebar-removing-folder.png 792w, https:\/\/tcn.tidbits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sidebar-removing-folder-300x266.png 300w, https:\/\/tcn.tidbits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sidebar-removing-folder-768x680.png 768w\" alt=\"Sidebar-removing-folder\" width=\"301\" height=\"267\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 301px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 301\/267;\" \/><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li>Organize your favorites so they\u2019re in an order that makes sense to you, whether that\u2019s alphabetical or the most important at the top. To do this, simply drag them to rearrange.<\/li>\n<li>Once you have your sidebar set up as you want, make sure you use it! In the Finder, to open files, click a folder in the sidebar to display its contents. You can even drag files from one folder into another folder in the sidebar to move them\u2014or Option-drag to copy them.<\/li>\n<li>When you want to open a file in an app, choose File &gt; Open, and in the Open dialog, click sidebar items to jump directly to those folders. The same goes when saving a new file; choose File &gt; Save and use your sidebar to navigate to the desired location.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Put these tips into play on your Mac, and you\u2019ll be teleporting between far-flung folders in no time!<\/p>\n<p class=\"wpematico_credit\">\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you\u2019re having trouble getting to your frequently used folders on the Mac easily, a few minutes learning about the sidebar could make all the difference. Learn how on our blog.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1665,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[39,80,5,49],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","category-finder","category-mac","category-os-x"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/Sidebar-Finder-window-1024x713.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6YLEm-qQ","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":26578,"url":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/9-tricks-that-make-it-easier-to-save-files-on-the-mac\/","url_meta":{"origin":1664,"position":0},"title":"9 Tricks that Make It Easier to Save Files on the Mac","author":"computeradv","date":"May 22, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"There\u2019s nothing sexy about the Save dialog in Mac apps. It\u2019s not pretty, you can\u2019t tweet from it, and Apple hasn\u2019t changed anything about it in years. But every time you create a new document in a Mac app, you have to save it. Once in the Save dialog, you\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"MacBook Pro Sarasota FL","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Save-dialog-expanding-1024x429.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Save-dialog-expanding-1024x429.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Save-dialog-expanding-1024x429.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Save-dialog-expanding-1024x429.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":25945,"url":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/understanding-desktop-and-documents-folder-syncing\/","url_meta":{"origin":1664,"position":1},"title":"Understanding Desktop and Documents Folder Syncing","author":"computeradv","date":"October 20, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"In macOS Sierra, you can use Desktop and Documents folder syncing via iCloud Drive to create unified Desktop and Documents folders across all your Macs, and as an added bonus, you can access the contents of those folders from all your iOS devices. But you should be aware of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Folder syncing in Sierra","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/DD-folder-syncing-photo-1080x675.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/DD-folder-syncing-photo-1080x675.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/DD-folder-syncing-photo-1080x675.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/DD-folder-syncing-photo-1080x675.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/DD-folder-syncing-photo-1080x675.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":30895,"url":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/how-to-back-up-an-iphone-or-ipad-with-your-mac-running-catalina\/","url_meta":{"origin":1664,"position":2},"title":"How to Back Up an iPhone or iPad with Your Mac Running Catalina","author":"computeradv","date":"June 24, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"If you prefer to back up your iOS devices to your Mac, rather than take advantage of daily automatic iCloud backups, note that in macOS 10.15 Catalina, you now do that in the Finder, not in iTunes. Here\u2019s what you need to know:","rel":"","context":"In &quot;backup&quot;","block_context":{"text":"backup","link":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/category\/backup\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/how-to-back-up-an-iphone-or-ipad-with-your-mac-running-catalina.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/how-to-back-up-an-iphone-or-ipad-with-your-mac-running-catalina.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/how-to-back-up-an-iphone-or-ipad-with-your-mac-running-catalina.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/how-to-back-up-an-iphone-or-ipad-with-your-mac-running-catalina.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/how-to-back-up-an-iphone-or-ipad-with-your-mac-running-catalina.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":26873,"url":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/finder-secrets-navigating-your-folder-hierarchy-with-the-path-bar\/","url_meta":{"origin":1664,"position":3},"title":"Finder Secrets: Navigating Your Folder Hierarchy with the Path Bar","author":"computeradv","date":"July 18, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Apple is known for creating clever little features that do a lot more than most people realize. Learn these, and you\u2019ll be the master of your Mac. And more important, you\u2019ll get your work done more quickly! Have you ever noticed the Path Bar at the bottom of Finder windows?\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Article&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tcn.tidbits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Path-Bar-folder-hierarchy.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tcn.tidbits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Path-Bar-folder-hierarchy.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tcn.tidbits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Path-Bar-folder-hierarchy.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tcn.tidbits.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Path-Bar-folder-hierarchy.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":25953,"url":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/sort-folders-to-the-top-of-file-listings\/","url_meta":{"origin":1664,"position":4},"title":"Sort Folders to the Top of File Listings","author":"computeradv","date":"October 14, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"One of the tiny changes in Sierra is an option to change how items sort in Finder windows. If you find it frustrating to hunt for folders mixed in among files in a large file listing, you can now switch to the Finder, choose Finder > Preferences, click the Advanced\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/folders-1080x675.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/folders-1080x675.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/folders-1080x675.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/folders-1080x675.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/folders-1080x675.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":26588,"url":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/trash-files-instantly-from-the-keyboard\/","url_meta":{"origin":1664,"position":5},"title":"Trash Files Instantly from the Keyboard","author":"computeradv","date":"May 15, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Every Mac user knows that you drag files or folders you want to delete to the Trash icon in the Dock. And you probably even know that you can select multiple items by Shift-clicking (for a sequential range of items in a list view) or Command-clicking (for an arbitrary set\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Blog&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Blog","link":"http:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/category\/blog\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Keyboard short cut to delete files on Mac.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/tip-Command-Delete-trash-photo-1080x675.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/tip-Command-Delete-trash-photo-1080x675.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/tip-Command-Delete-trash-photo-1080x675.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/tip-Command-Delete-trash-photo-1080x675.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/tip-Command-Delete-trash-photo-1080x675.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1664"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1664\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.computeradvantage.us\/v3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}