MAC TREAT #151: Customizing Finder Windows

Finder windows are among the most commonly accessed components of OS X’s graphical user interface (GUI). These windows are used to organize and locate files, browse and store applications, conduct searches, and connect to external drives. While most users have, at some point, experimented with customizing the Finder’s iTunes-esque sidebar to best suit their needs, many users fail to realize the application’s full potential for customization. If there’s a void of gray space to the right of the gear-shaped icon in the toolbar at the top of the window, you may be one of these users. Like many OS X applications, the Finder’s toolbar can be tweaked and customized. This can be accomplished by selecting “View” from the Menu Bar and clicking “Customize Toolbar…” The ensuing drop-down menu gives you about 17 different icons that can be dragged onto the toolbar. If you go a bit too crazy, you can always drag the default set of icons back to the toolbar from this menu as well.

Though the Customize Toolbar… menu affords plenty of options for Finder customization, it is merely the beginning. Depending on the size of the window—which is partially determined by screen size—the Finder’s toolbar can house tons of additional shortcuts. Ranging from files and folders to applications, nearly anything can be dragged onto it. As these shortcuts remain present while you browse through the Finder, the toolbar is a great place to store frequently accessed folders or applications. If you’re looking to slim down your dock, it’s easy to move semi-frequently used applications that are crowding dock space into the Finder toolbar. If you’d like to reorganize shortcuts or remove them from the toolbar, simply hold Command and click and drag to rearrange, or drag shortcuts outside of the Finder window to remove them entirely. Happy customization!