Your Mac computer has a lot of storage, and you want to use your device to its full potential. The result tends to be that there’s a lot of information scattered around your computer.
It can get real messy, real fast. It’s important to have ways to store your information in an organized way. There are several ways to do this, though, and not everyone is familiar with all of their options.
We’re going to take a look at a few different ways to organize your files on Mac, giving you a little insight into your path toward a cleaner computer. Let’s get started.
1. Take Some Time on Folders
The first and most common way to organize files on Mac is to separate them into folders. You can create folders by using “control-click” and selecting create a new folder when you’re in the finder.
You can get to your folders by opening the Finder. Once you’re in the Finder, you can access any files or folders on your computer by navigating within that app.
You can drag folders out into your desktop as well, allowing you to access them with a little more ease. When you click the folder, you’ll be directed to it but still, have access to the rest of the folders in the application.
Spend some time creating folders that you can use to navigate all of your files. There’s no shame in creating numerous folders within folders to streamline your access to information.
2. Stack Your Files
Stacking is a lesser-known way to organize files within your desktop. If you pull a lot of information to have it accessible on the desktop, but you don’t want your entire screen to be flooded with folders and thumbnails, stacks are a good option.
Use “control-click” on a free space of your desktop and click “use stacks.” This will automatically organize all of the files on your desktop into particular categories. Whatever their common denominator is, that will be the category y that it shifts into.
You can follow the same command to rearrange your stacks and make them into groups that suit your needs the best. That said, if you need a quick fix, just using stacks alone will help a lot with the clutter on your desktop.
3. Explore The Tag Feature
Tags are another unknown feature of Macs. Tags have been available for almost the entire existence of Macs, but they’re not of much use unless you have a lot of information to manage.
A “tag” assigns a particular color to a group of files on the computer. For example, you could assign a blue tag to all of the music-related information on your computer.
That information could include photos, videos, audio files, documents, or any other form of information. So long as they have the blue tag, though, they’ll all be accessible in the same place.
On the left side of the Finder, you’ll see a series of different colored circles. You can click any of those items, and you’ll get directed to the folder of that color. This is a great way to create general categories of items that can be accessed in an instant.
4. Supplement With Applications
There are a lot of online applications that you can incorporate into your workflow. Sometimes, it helps to have a particular set of information stored in an application rather than on the desktop.
This is particularly true if you keep a lot of information that was originally contained online. For example, using Google Docs to store all of the correspondence from your workplace is a great way to keep all of that information in one place.
Further, you don’t bog down the storage of your computer with additional files. Google has a large suite of tools for you to use. You can export a lot of your computer’s documents online and keep your system running fast.
5. Use Images to Identify Folders
The blue folders that Mac displays are fine, but they get boring after a while. You might find yourself zoning out at the sea of blue folders on your desktop instead of working.
Spice things up and use images to freshen your desktop and keep you engaged. This helps to identify folders quickly without reading text as well. If you’re always accessing different folders, you’ll save some time and brainpower if you can just use the image as the way to find things.
6. Utilize The iCloud
The iCloud stores your files in a secondary location so that you can have a backup in the case that something goes wrong. It’s all stored online and doesn’t take up any storage.
Further, all of your information is stored again whenever you do an iTunes update. Updating your iTunes information allows you to set a time stamp on the information.
Then, you can go back into the iCloud and restore the information from that update. This way, you won’t lose files that were deleted or lost, even if you lost them years ago.
You can also organize your information on the iCloud remove it from your desktop to free up space. Take care of duplicates on your computer by looking at the information here, and sleep easy knowing that it’s backed up on the cloud.
7. Organize Within Folders
Another thing that takes time is scrolling through thousands of items in a folder to find the thing you’re looking for.
Make sure you organize your files as you place them in their respective spots. Have an organizational plan in place before you start reworking your information. That way, you can put it in a logical place when you store it and have that information situated so that you can find it with ease.
Make folders within folders, label things, and favorite different items as needed. Once you get into the habit, you’ll find that your computer is a lot easier to navigate.
Need Help Organizing Files on Mac?
Organizing files on Mac can get overwhelming. The ideas above should help you to get things situated, though. There’s a lot to learn about using your Mac well, but we’re here to help.
Explore our site for more insight into Mac apps, moving files, Mac folders, and everything else you need to know to use the device to its full potential.
