Deadlines are fun! They keep us on our toes. But what happens when you can’t find a piece of work you did a few years ago, that would save you a whole load of time - but you just can’t find it, buried amongst old folders and files in your Mac?! Instead of saving you time, you look everywhere and have to give up.

Best practices for organizing files on your Mac

We so often throw everything into separate locations and pray they can find it when needed, taking a hit-and-hope approach. That method has never worked for the New York Yankees, so it’s likely to leave you striking out too. If only there were a way to arrange folders and find files faster. An efficient, proven system to avoid all the wasted time, stress and extra effort. Thankfully, Setapp has a solution or two. We have an array of ready to install organizational apps to make life that little bit easier.

Let’s start with some simple rules for managing your files and folders:

Upload files from your PC or Mac. Share files with others. Give others permission to edit files and work on them at the same time. Get to your files from anywhere, on your computer, tablet, or phone. Sync OneDrive to your PC or Mac, so you can access your files even when you're offline. Share OneDrive files and folders. Jul 04, 2020 If the folder already contains a folder called Archive, a number is appended to the new folder, such as Archive 2. Apps for Compressing or Decompressing Mac Files If you want more file compression features than Apple offers in its Archive Utility, third-party apps are available.

1. Clutter control: don’t put files on the desktop. Your desktop is supposed to be clean and display that amazing HD wallpaper you’ve got going on.
2. Find files faster: name your files and folders strategically.
3. Shortcuts to your project resources in one place to access them quickly. It solving the annoying part of switching between projects.
4. Tagging. Instead of—or in addition to—folder structures, try tagging files. The benefit of tagging is the ability to add multiple tags to a file. Without a strong folder structure, tags are all that’s keeping your files from getting lost in chaos.

Apps to find files faster

The Setapp collection of apps brings order to your Mac. Get the tools to seamlessly organize folders and files.

Clutter control: clean up desktop

Gather all the files and folders you want to keep on the desktop and put them in a folder or two for temporary storage if you’re referring to it regularly. If you want to make sure to keep your desktop clear, check out our Spotless tutorial. There is a rule to automatically clean off your desktop.

With smart algorithms such as the Autotidy feature, users can input ‘tasks’ which specify where particular files belong with an easy-to-use drag and drop system. The app will store your instructions and automate the process by scheduling folders to be organized at regular intervals.

There’s no limit to the number of automated tasks you can create, making for a spotless Mac. Users can teach the app to organize their images, desktop or individual documents, using a range of different parameters, e.g. filename, extension, file size, modified date etc. This gives users full scope to organize and locate files efficiently, without having to do the dirty work.

Putting your important documents and folders in the hands of an AI robot may be daunting, but Spotless is heavily regulated to minimize possible risks. Before submitting a new task, users receive a full preview of changes to consolidate understanding and ensure no errors are made, as well as having comprehensive and configurable conflict resolution rules to safeguard your files. With a fully editable dashboard, users can search engagement history to track what actions Spotless has undertaken and have the power to restore files or undo any unwanted changes.

Spotless is reminiscent of the swan analogy – your Mac is the swan, gliding smoothly on top of the water with ease. Spotless is the legs, powering away beneath the surface, laying the foundations for your relaxed drift up-stream. Sounds lovely, doesn’t it?

Find files faster

Keep in mind that you can search for files using folder names - the more specific, the more quickly you’ll find what you’re looking for. Think about saving an invoice. Do you think invoice1.pdf is a good name? Probably not. July invoice.pdf is not any better. So when you’re naming that invoice, think about how you might look for it. Probably:

• By date (I want the July 2018 invoice)
• By company (I want the ABCom invoice)
• By type of document (I want a invoice)

So a good name would allow you to look at the files in a folder and right away see what each file is without opening it. It would give you things you can use to search. So a good file name, in this case, could be 2017-07 ABCom invoice.pdf
The same concept applies to folders. Setapp has a good bulk renaming app which perfect for any kind of file renaming including music and photo files.

Project shortcuts

The next step is to use workspaces to manage multitasking.

The nature of the macOS system doesn’t particularly lend itself to multitasking. Having to jump between the countless browser tabs open alongside your documents and any impending emails isn’t ideal, especially when you have a long to-do list. The fact that Workspaces allows users to add any resource to the workspace, along with handy widgets like a bookmark bar, makes it easy to work on web-focused projects and to handle online information simultaneously. With a fully customizable platform, Workspaces is built to evolve along with your tasks. If projects are surplus to requirements, the archiving feature stores all your old workspaces into one easily-accessible document, which can be made visible again at any time. Furthermore, adding new resources couldn’t be easier, with a one-click system inherent on encouraging efficient, fluid productivity.

Workspaces is a simple Mac organizer, facilitating and simplifying the art of multitasking. Through a designated ‘workspace’, you can access all relevant resources needed for the task in hand – web pages, emails, documents and more. By saving all the relevant documents to your workspace, you’ll eradicate all that wasted time hunting for files and, with the inbuilt task list, you’ll be able to switch exercises with ease.

What about pics organizing?

We can all appreciate the perils involved in keeping your images organized. From those videos of unforgettable nights-out to the endless array of selfies, the camera roll can be a mighty mess. For so many of us, photo hoarders who love collecting and storing photos, keeping them arranged is a near enough impossible task. Or was.

Picture this, an app that helps you manage your entire gallery, accessible at your fingertips, without the need to delete any images. Using a powerful photo manager, Emulsion effortlessly arranges your images in a well-structured, consistent and beautiful way. The Live Folder feature allows images to remain in their primary location, while simultaneously storing them with automatic syncing.

Furthermore, the app utilizes macOS features seamlessly. By placing all images together in one easy to access panel, users can sort pictures by metadata, tags and notes, complete with full-screen options, quick look and gestures. Through tagging, Emulsion can sort images by people, locations, time and even colors, demonstrating the impressive AI behind the app.

How to use tags to organize files in macOS

Alongside the apps to keep your things organized and easy to find, Mac has its own tagging feature that lets you color code files and folders. You can use this to group your items so that you’re not scrolling through endless lists.

Tags work for files and folders stored on your Mac or iCloud account and are easy to add.

How to tag files and folders in macOS?

To tag an open file, hold the pointer to the right of the title and click on the arrow, followed by the Tags field. Choose a tag from the list, or enter a new tag.

To tag a file in the Finder or on your Mac desktop, select the item that you want to tag, open the File menu and choose a color. If you want to choose a different tag or enter a new tag, click on Tags for additional options.

To tag a newly created file as you save it, click on File > Save and select the Tags field in the Save dialog. Enter a new tag or select one from the list.

Items can also be tagged from a Finder window by selecting a file or folder and clicking on the Tags button.

How to find tagged items in macOS?

Once you’ve tagged your items you can easily find them by opening up a Finder window.

From the finder window, enter the tag name or color in the search field and locate your file from the list. Alternatively, you can ask Siri to find the file for you by asking it to, “Find files with a blue tag” or something similar.

To see every file with a particular tag, you can click on the tag color in the Finder sidebar. You can also choose which tags you want to see located in the sidebar by going to Finder > Preferences and choosing the appropriate tags.

To sort items by their tag, go to View > Show View Options and click the checkbox next to Tags. Click the Tags column in List view and the files will be arranged for simple viewing. Click on the column name again to revert the order back to how it was.

How to edit tags in macOS?

To edit a tag that you’ve already created, go to Finder > Preferences > Tags.

Change Permissions For Files, Folders, Or Disks On Mac ...

From here you’ll be able to change the color by clicking on the color button and selecting a new option and change the name by clicking on the tag’s name.

To add a new tag, click on the + button.

How to remove a tag in macOS?

If you want to remove a tag from an item, all you need to do is Control-click the item, click Tags, select the tags that you want to remove, and hit Delete.

Removing a tag from your Mac is equally straightforward. Go to Finder > Preferences > Tags, select the tags that you want to remove and click on the - button.

Gone are the days of folder hunting and head scratching. With Setapp subscription, you can get these apps plus a whole host of others, bringing an end to the constant categorizing confusion. Start your free trial with Setapp today and discover a world of app innovation.

Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.

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In this article, we look at how to access the System folder and what you can modify within System Preferences, which is not hidden and contains valuable tools and ways to make changes within your Mac.

How to access the System folder

Apple prefers to hide folders that could be at risk from viruses and cyber-attacks. Not only that but if an inexperienced Mac user were to make a mistake — or delete something important — native or downloaded (third-party) applications could stop working. Therefore, it is safer if certain folders, such as the Library and/or System folder, remain hidden.

However, there are times when you need to access these folders. Maybe an app is misbehaving, so one way to solve this problem is to “Delete the application's plist,” which is only possible with access to the System folder or Library. Within these folders, you benefit from complete control and can modify settings or clear out cache files.

Connect Your Mac To Shared Computers And Servers - Apple Support

Access the System folder using Terminal

However, if you would prefer doing this the manual way, here is how you can access the System folder:

1. Launch Terminal; which you can find in /Applications/Utilities
2. Enter this command in Terminal: chflags nohidden ~/System
3. (If nothing shows up under that name, try /Library as an alternative)
4. Click Return. Make sure the command is executed.
5. Quit Terminal. The System folder should be visible in the Finder.
6. If you ever want to restore this to how it was before, enter the following command in Terminal: chflags hidden ~/System
7. Click Return again, and it should be back to how it was.

How to see Mac system files in Finder

Only attempt this method if you are comfortable using Terminal and have used it before. This method will make the folder permanently visible, so if you’d prefer it was only temporary, there is another way - for those using Mac OS X (or macOS) Mavericks and later.

1. Open a Finder window and go to your Home folder.
2. Within the Finder menu, click View > Show View Options.
3. Place a checkmark next to Show System or Library Folder.
   

And that should give you quick temporary access to the System folder. However, you may need to do that again after accessing it as Apple prefers to keep this hidden.

Pro Tip: If you’ve previously used iPhoto — but are now using Photos on your Mac — you could have duplicate iPhoto libraries. You could be amazed at how much space you could save.

How to access System Preferences?

Now, if you aren't looking for complete control of the apps on your Mac, there is another way to modify how everything operates.

1. Go to the Apple Menu.
2. Find System Preferences. Or you can access this through Siri, Finder, or the Applications Folder.
3. Within System Preferences, you can make a wide range of top-level system changes without needing to access anything hidden through Terminal or the Finder.

With this level of behind-the-scenes access, you can make improvements to the performance of your Mac. Delete apps that take up too much space. Customize how your macOS looks. If your Mac isn’t performing as well as you would like, gaining access to System and Library folders is one of the best ways to regain the speed and efficiency you once enjoyed.

Two more tricks to unlock Mac system folders

There's a special keyboard shortcut that displays the protected folders in Finder. All you need to do is to press:

Shift + Command + Period character

This immediately reveals the semi-transparent folders that are normally restricted for access. Repeat the combination to undo the operation.

View Mac System folder with CleanMyMac X

Another way to unlock the hidden space is to download the tool I often recommend, CleanMyMac X. It has the so-called Space Lens feature that builds the interactive map of your storage. You will see lots of folders you rarely get to visit, like Movies, Application cache, etc.
Download the app's free edition here.
Now you can explore the space 'bubbles,' zoom on hidden files and folders, and delete them right on the spot. A good way to free up space when you need it. Here is the System Folder as viewed from the Space Lens:

Now you know everything about finding the System folder on a Mac. I hope you'll find this article helpful.