Use Smart Folders on Mac
On the Mac, you can create Smart Folders that automatically collect content based on rules you set. Do you want to see all photos with the word ‘dog’ in the file name together? Then you arrange with a smart map. It works similarly to smart playlists in the Music app and iTunes. You can recognize a smart folder directly by the purple folder with the gear. In this tip article we explain how smart folders work and what you can do with them.
- Smart Folders in macOS
- What is a smart folder?
- Create smart folder
- Smart folders options
Smart folders in macOS as an alternative to tags
In the Finder of macOS (since Mavericks), you can use tags to quickly find files. This feature is very useful, but it also has some drawbacks. For example, you have to manually add tags to files, because macOS does not do it automatically. Without tags you will not see any results.
There is a better solution. macOS has a feature that allows a folder to sort files automatically: the smart folder.
What is a smart folder?
A smart folder is a folder that collects its own content based on the rules you set. The files that the folder collects remain in their original locations. That means if you delete a file in smart folder, the file will end up in the Trash. But if you delete the smart folder itself, nothing will happen to the files that are still in their original place on your Mac. This way you can organize your own folder system smartly without having to worry about losing information.
How to create smart folders in macOS
- Go to the Finder app and use the keyboard shortcut Option+Cmd+N or go to File > New Smart Folder.
- Now a new Finder window called “Smart Folder” will appear where you can start setting up the rules for the Smart Folder. Press the plus button, which is next to Save.
- Now add a rule that will make the folder automatically show all documents that match the rule. You will see the results immediately.
- Add an additional line by pressing the plus button next to the current line. Add as many lines as you need. The minus button deletes a line for the smart folder.
- Are you satisfied? Then don’t forget to click Save so that you can save the smart folder to your Mac.
- Choose a logical name and a place where you want to save the smart folder.
Lots of smart folder options on Mac
The nice thing about the smart folders is that you can set the rules as precisely as you want. For example, you can create a place where the programs that you use every week are collected. Do you manually organize your photos on Mac? Then you will find it very useful to know that there are many specific search criteria for photos.
You can drag a smart folder to the sidebar or dock for quick access. You can also adjust the rules for a smart folder later, for example if you discover that the automatic collection isn’t quite what you expected.
