Technologies

15 Tips to Better Organize and Find Files on Your Mac

These tricks all involve the Finder, your Mac’s powerful file manager.

The more files you have on your Mac, the more difficult it can be to find what you’re looking for. That’s why we have the Finder, which can help you more easily go through your computer’s documents, folders and applications. However, to get the most out of the Finder, you need to know how to use it efficiently.

In this story we’ll show you 15 tricks you need to know to master the Finder, whether you need to open specific folders, quickly delete unimportant files, hide annoying sidebars and more. Here’s what you need to know.

And if you want more Mac tips, check out where to find all of your saved Wi-Fi passwords on your computer and these six Mac keyboard shortcuts you should be using all the time.

Set a default folder to appear each time you open a new Finder window

If you navigate to a particular folder often, then you can set it as your default and save yourself a few clicks each time you open the Finder. Click the Finder menu in the menu bar and then select Preferences. Under the General tab, you will see that for New Finder windows show, the default is All My Files. You can change to your Home or Documents folder, or whichever folder you use the most.

Automatically remove items from the Trash

If you click the Advanced tab in Preferences, you’ll see a number of boxes to check, including Remove items from the Trash after 30 days. This can help you keep your trash from overflowing with files.

Open a new Finder window

Need to open another Finder window. You can use a keyboard shortcut for that. Hit Command + N to open a new Finder window. You can also use Command + T to open a new Finder tab, which allows you to view various folders within a single Finder window.

Open a specific folder in the Finder

Instead of looking for a folder, you can use the following keyboard shortcuts to open a specific folder:

Command + Shift + C: Top-level Computer folder
Command + Shift + D: Desktop folder
Command + Shift + F: Recents folder
Command + Shift + G: Go to Folder window
Command + Shift + H: Home folder for your account
Command + Shift + I: iCloud Drive folder
Command + Shift + O: Documents folder
Command + Shift + R: AirDrop folder
Command + Shift + U: Utilities folder
Command + Option + L: Downloads folder

Quickly search for a file or folder in the Finder

Although you can click on the magnifying glass in the top-right corner of any Finder window to search for a file folder, you can also use the keyboard shortcut Command + F to open the Finder with the search bar already activated.

Get info about a file or folder in the Finder

Need more information about a file or folder, such as file kind, folder size, date created or last modified? You can hit Command + I to open the Get Info panel for any selected file.

Show or hide the Sidebar in the Finder

If you need a cleaner view, use Command + Option + S to show or hide the Finder’s sidebar. Hit Command-Control-T to add a selected item — a folder, usually — to the sidebar.

Show or hide the path bar in the Finder

The Finder has another information bar in addition to the sidebar: the path bar. It’s the narrow bar along the bottom edge of the Finder, which shows you the folder path to the file you currently have selected. If you want to hide or show it, hit Command + Option + P.

Change the Finder view

You can change the view of the Finder by clicking the four buttons in the menu bar at the top of a Finder window. Alternatively, you can use keyboard shortcuts:

Command + 1: Icon view
Command + 2: List view
Command + 3: Column view
Command + 4: Gallery view

Check out your view options

Hit Command + J to open the View Options panel. This lets you choose, among other things, the types of columns — Date Modified, Size, Tags and so on — that you want to see for the Finder’s column view. You can set different columns to show for different folders in the Finder.

Quickly view a file without opening it

You can always double-click a file to view it, obviously, but there is a way to simply preview it. If you click on a file once, to highlight it, and then hit the spacebar, you can check out a preview of it. If you hold down Option + spacebar, you can open a full-screen slide of the file.

Create a new folder

Just like on your desktop, you can use the Command + Shift + N keyboard shortcut to create a new folder in the Finder.

Quickly trash a file or folder

Save yourself the trouble of dragging a file to the trash can in your dock. Instead, select the files or folders in the Finder you’d like to trash and hit Command + Delete. In related news, you can hit Command + Shift + Delete to empty the trash.

Add a file or folder to your dock

Use Command + Control + Shift + T to add a file or folder in the Finder to your dock. It will sit to the right of the dock’s divider.

Customize the Finder toolbar

From the menu bar at the top of the screen, go to View > Customize Toolbar to drag buttons to and from the toolbar at the top of the Finder. If you find that you don’t like the changes you made, just drag the default set back to the Finder to start again.

Looking for more Mac tips and tricks? Here’s a trackpad setting you should adjust and four different ways to take a screenshot on your Mac.

Technologies

Today’s Wordle Hints, Answer and Help for April 26, #1407

Here are hints and the answer for today’s Wordle No. 1,407 for April 26. Hint: Fans of a certain musical group will rock out with this puzzle.

Looking for the most recent Wordle answer? Click here for today’s Wordle hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Wordle puzzle isn’t too tough. The letters are fairly common, and fans of a certain rock band might get a kick out of the answer. If you need a new starter word, check out our list of which letters show up the most in English words. If you need hints and the answer, read on.

Today’s Wordle hints

Before we show you today’s Wordle answer, we’ll give you some hints. If you don’t want a spoiler, look away now.

Wordle hint No. 1: Repeats

Today’s Wordle answer has no repeated letters.

Wordle hint No. 2: Vowels

There is one vowel in today’s Wordle answer.

Wordle hint No. 3: Start letter

Today’s Wordle answer begins with the letter C.

Wordle hint No. 4: Rock out

Today’s Wordle answer is the name of a legendary English rock band.

Wordle hint No. 5: Meaning

Today’s Wordle answer can refer to a violent confrontation.

TODAY’S WORDLE ANSWER

Today’s Wordle answer is CLASH.

Yesterday’s Wordle answer

Yesterday’s Wordle answer, April 25, No. 1406 was KNOWN.

Recent Wordle answers

April 21, No. 1402: SPATE

April 22, No. 1403: ARTSY

April 23, No. 1404: OZONE.

April 24, No. 1405: GENIE

What’s the best Wordle starting word?

Don’t be afraid to use our tip sheet ranking all the letters in the alphabet by frequency of uses. In short, you want starter words that lean heavy on E, A and R, and don’t contain Z, J and Q.

Some solid starter words to try:

ADIEU

TRAIN

STARE

NOISE

Technologies

T-Mobile Adds New Top 5G Plans, T-Satellite and New 5-Year Price Locks

The new top unlimited plans, Experience More and Experience Beyond, shave some costs and add data and satellite options.

Just two years after expanding its lineup of cellular plans, T-Mobile this week announced two new plans that replace its Go5G Plus and Go5G Next offerings, refreshed its prepaid Metro line and wrapped them all in a promised five-year pricing guarantee.

To convert more subscribers, the carrier is also offering up to $800 to help customers pay off phone balances when switching from another carrier.

In a briefing with CNET, Jon Friar, president of T-Mobile’s consumer group, explained why the company is revamping and simplifying its array of mobile plans. «The pain point that’s out there over the last couple of years is rising costs all around consumers,» Friar said. «For us to be able to bring more value and even lower prices on [plans like] Experience More versus our former Go5G Plus is a huge win for consumers.»

The new plans went into effect April 23.

With these changes, CNET is already hard at work updating our picks for Best T-Mobile Plans, so check back soon for our recommendations.

More Experiences to define the T-Mobile experience

The top of the new T-Mobile postpaid lineup is two new plans: Experience More and Experience Beyond.

Experience More is the next generation of the Go5G Plus plan, which has unlimited 5G and 4G LTE access and unlimited Premium Data (download speeds up to 418Mbps and upload speeds up to 31Mbps). High-speed hotspot data is bumped up to 60GB from 50GB per month. The monthly price is now $5 lower per line than Go5G Plus.

The Experience More plan also gets free T-Satellite with Starlink service (the new name for T-Mobile’s satellite feature that uses Starlink’s constellation of satellites) through the end of 2025. Although T-Satellite is still officially in beta until July, customers can continue to get free access to the beta starting now. At the start of the new year, the service will cost $10 per month, a $5 drop from T-Mobile’s originally announced pricing. T-Satellite will be open to customers of other carriers for the same pricing beginning in July.

The new top-tier plan, Experience Beyond, also comes in $5 per line cheaper than its predecessor, Go5G Next. It has 250GB of high-speed hotspot data per month, up from 50GB, and more data when you’re traveling outside the US: 30GB in Canada and Mexico (versus 15GB) and 15GB in 215 countries (up from 5GB). T-Satellite service is included in the Experience Beyond plan.

However, one small change to the Experience plans affects that pricing: Taxes and fees, previously included in the Go5G Plus and Go5G Next prices, are now broken out separately. T-Mobile recently announced that one such fee, the Regulatory Programs and Telco Recovery Fee, would increase up to 50 cents per month.

According to T-Mobile, the Experience Beyond rates and features will be «rolling out soon» for customers currently on the Go5G Next plan.

The Essentials plan is staying in the lineup at the same cost of $60 per month for a single line, the same 50GB of Premium Data and unlimited 5G and 4G LTE data. High-speed hotspot data is an optional $10 add-on, as is T-Satellite access, for $15 (both per month).

Also still in the mix is the Essentials Saver plan, an affordable option that has ranked high in CNET’s Best Cellphone Plans recommendations.

Corresponding T-Mobile plans, such as those for military, first responders and people age 55 and older are also getting refreshed with the new lineup.

T-Mobile’s plan shakeup is being driven in part by the current economic climate. Explaining the rationale behind the price reductions and the streamlined number of plans, Mike Katz, president of marketing, innovation and experience at T-Mobile told CNET, «We’re in a weird time right now where prices everywhere are going up and they’ve happened over the last several years. We felt like there was an opportunity to compete with some simplicity, but more importantly, some peace of mind for customers.»

Existing customers who want to switch to one of the new plans can do so at the same rates offered to new customers. Or, if a current plan still works for them, they can continue without changes (although keep in mind that T-Mobile earlier this year increased prices for some legacy plans).

Five years of price stability

It’s nearly impossible to think about prices these days without warily eyeing how tariffs and US economic policy will affect what we pay for things. So it’s not surprising to see carriers implement some cost stability into their plans. For instance, Verizon recently locked prices for three years on their plans.

Now, T-Mobile is building a five-year price guarantee for its T-Mobile and Metro plans. That pricing applies to talk, text and data amounts — not necessarily taxes and other fees that can fluctuate.

Given the uncertain outlook, it seems counterintuitive to lock in a longer rate. When asked about this, Katz said, «We feel like our job is to solve pain points for customers and we feel like this helps with this exact sentiment. It shifts the risk from customers to us. We’ll take the risk so they don’t have to.»

The price hold applies to new customers signing up for the plans as well as current customers switching to one. T-Mobile is offering the same deals and pricing to new and existing subscribers. Also, the five-year deal applies to pricing; it’s not a five-year plan commitment.

More money and options to encourage switchers

The promise of a five-year price guarantee is also intended to lure people from other carriers, particularly AT&T and Verizon. As further incentive, T-Mobile is offering up to $800 per line (distributed via a virtual prepaid Mastercard) to help pay off other carriers’ device contracts. This is a limited-time offer. There are also options to trade in old devices, including locked phones, to get up to four new flagship phones.

Or, if getting out of a contract isn’t an issue, T-Mobile can offer $200 in credit (up to $800 for four lines) to bring an existing number to the network.

Four new Metro prepaid plans

On the prepaid side, T-Mobile is rolling out four new Metro plans, which are also covered by the new five-year price guarantee:

• Metro Starter costs $25 per line per month for a family of four and there is no need to bring an existing number. (The cost is $105 the first month.)

• Metro Starter Plus runs $40 per month for a new phone, unlimited talk, text and 5G data when bringing an existing number. For $65 per month, new customers can get two lines and two new Samsung A15 phones. No autopay is required.

• Metro Flex Unlimited is $30 per line per month with autopay for four lines ($125 the first month) with unlimited talk, text and 5G data.

• Metro Flex Unlimited Plus costs $60 per line per month, then $35 for lines two and three and then lowers the price of the fourth line to $10 per month as more family members are added. Adding a tablet or smartwatch to an existing line costs $5. And streaming video, such as from the included Amazon Prime membership, comes through at HD quality.

See more: If you’re looking for phone plans, you may also be looking for a new cell phone. Here are CNET’s picks.