Mac Treat #55: Opening Files is Such a Drag

ByMike Moffit

Did you know you can open files by dragging them onto an application icon, including icons in your Mac’s dock? For example, let’s say you want to open a Word file in Text Edit. Simply drag the Word file onto Text Edit’s icon, and blammo, it opens right up.

I use this to quickly open Photoshop files in Preview. That saves me from waiting for Photoshop to open.

You can modify this tip to force an application to open a file. Simply hold down the Option and Command keys while you drag the file onto the application icon. This is especially useful when the Finder doesn’t recognize a “recommended application” to open a file you know the app can read.

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