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Using Finder Tabs in OS X
Make the best use of finder tabs
By Tom Nelson Tom Nelson Writer Tom Nelson is an engineer, programmer, network manager, and computer network and systems designer who has written for Other World Computing,and others. Tom is also president of Coyote Moon, Inc., a Macintosh and Windows consulting firm. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on July 28, 2020 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email In This Article
Expand Jump to a Section Tips and Tricks See Tabs in the Mac Finder Open Finder Tabs Close Finder Tabs Manage Finder Tabs Finder tabs in OS X and macOS, are similar to tabs you see in most browsers, including Safari. Their purpose is to minimize screen clutter by gathering what used to be displayed in separate windows into a single Finder window with multiple tabs. Each tab acts as a separate Finder window. Finder tabs are a nice addition to the Mac operating system. Here are a few tricks that will help you make the most of them. Instructions in this article apply to Mac OS X Mavericks (10.9) and later. bubaone / Getty Images Tips and Tricks for Using Finder Tabs
Tabs work almost the same way in the Finder as they do in Safari. In fact, they're so similar that they share a lot of keyboard shortcuts. Finder tabs also work independently of each other. Each can have its own view (icons, list, column, and overflow), and each can contain information from any location in your Mac's file system. How to See Tabs in the Mac Finder
The Tab bar will appear automatically if you create a tab. You can also make it visible (or hide it later) by selecting Show Tab Bar under the Finder's View menu. Alternatively, press Shift+Command+T on your keyboard. How to Open Finder Tabs
You can open a new tab in the Finder using several methods. Press Command+T on your keyboard.Hold Command while double-clicking a folder.Right-click a folder within a Finder window and select Open in New Tab from the popup menu. Click the plus (+) button at the far right of the Finder's tab bar. Select New Tab under the File menu. Drag a folder to the Finder tab bar's plus (+) sign. Highlight a folder, and then click the Action (sprocket) button and select Open in New Tab. How to Close Finder Tabs
When you're done with a tab, you can close it in one of three ways: In a Finder window that has multiple tabs, hover the mouse cursor over the tab you want to close. A close tab button (X) will appear. Click the button to close all tabs. Right-click the tab you want to close and select Close Tab from the context menu. To close all but the currently selected tab, right-click or ctrl-click the Finder tab you want to keep open, and then select Close Other Tabs. You can also click the X while holding the Option key. How to Manage Finder Tabs
Beyond opening and closing tabs, you can also manage them in several ways. Among these are consolidating all windows into tabs, separating tabs into their own windows, and cycling through the ones you have open from your keyboard. To consolidate all Finder windows into tabs in a single window with tabs, select Merge All Windows under the Windows menu. To move a tab to a separate window, drag it outside of the tab bar. You can also move an active tab to a separate window by selecting Move Tab to New Window from the Window menu. To cycle through tabs in the current Finder window, select Show Previous Tab or Show Next Tab from the Finder's Window menu. The keyboard shortcuts are Control+Tab for the next tab or Control+Shift+Tab for the previous one. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Modify the Mac Finder Sidebar How to Manage Tabbed Browsing in Safari for macOS How to Reopen Closed Safari Tabs and Windows and Access Past History How to Connect to a Server How to Use Spotlight, the Finder Search Window The Best Windows Keyboard Shortcuts in 2022 How to Restore Tabs in Chrome How to Change the Internet Explorer Home Page Task Manager (What It Is & How to Use It) How to Find Files Faster Using Spotlight Keyword Searches How to Pin Sites in Safari and Mac OS The Best Mac Shortcuts in 2022 How to Turn on Incognito Mode in Your Browser How to Set the Home Page to Your Favorite Website How to Group Tabs in Chrome How to Use Column View Options in Finder on the Mac Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies