Making Finder’s Toolbar work for you
Rubin emails to ask:
I was reading your new post on Address Book syncing and backup, and I noticed on the screen capture that you had a little Yojimbo icon on your Finder windows. I’m a Yojimbo user and a big fan too. How did you get this little icon and what does it do?
Fair question.
While the Finder Toolbar can be expanded with many useful pre-defined extras (Control-Click on Finder’s Toolbar and select “Customize Toolbar…”), you can also add your own favourite items:
I dragged some of the apps that I use a lot (TextMate, Terminal, Yojimbo) from the Applications folder onto the Toolbar. That creates a shortcut on the Toolbar. Now I can quickly launch the apps by clicking on these icons and, more importantly, I can drag files onto the icons to open them.
I’ve also added on the right some of the folders into which I often need to file things. When tidying up, I drag the files onto those folders and they’re filed.
Of course, there are other ways to do these things, not least Quicksilver, but another option is always welcome.
Tags: customize, Finder, icons, not apple mail, Productivity, shortcuts, Terminal, textmate, toolbar, yojimboRelated posts
January 21st, 2007 at 2:45 am
I’ve found customizing the folders on the left to be handy. That way, when cleaning up my download folder, I can easily drag and drop files to the appropriate folder. Also, that way, other apps when opening files recognize the folders in the left pane, so navigating to common folders is handy outside of just finder.
January 21st, 2007 at 3:13 am
you could also place the folders in the sidebar; then not only could you access them quickly, but you can drop stuff into them easily, partly ’cause the icon is bigger than on the toolbar. ditto the apps, but keeping the sidebar with just folders seems to flow better…
January 21st, 2007 at 4:39 am
Wow, I apparently am fairly clueless. Had no idea you could customize the toolbar. Very helpful, thanks.
January 21st, 2007 at 6:39 am
Thanks! I was not aware of the ability to put shortcuts in the finder toolbar. This will be very helpful.
January 22nd, 2007 at 6:39 am
but… macs have a dock that is always visible… I don’t understand…
January 22nd, 2007 at 8:14 am
Joel, I hide my doc, and rarely use it. I should have been clearer, as oldluddite says, the sidebar in the Finder window you can drag folders to as well. This way, if you open a folder, and have another folder you use often, you can drag those files easily to move them. And as I said, adding files to the finder sidebar, when using the open file diagloge in other apps, you will have those folders easily accessible for choosing, without having to navigate around, ie, Most of my Photoshop files live inside a root directory “Images”, so with that in the sidebar, I click that, then have my sub folders, etc.
Just another way to get to things I guess.
January 22nd, 2007 at 10:57 am
This may sound odd, but now that I’ve learned about this I’ve used this primarily to access key documents. Like others have noted, I use the sidebar for key folders and the dock for apps. But I have certain key docs that I use a lot (letterhead file, golf scores file for GXP, etc..) that I’ve put in my idisc for access from multiple computers. Now I have quick links to them on my idisk on my finder toolbar. Very handy.
January 23rd, 2007 at 5:38 am
Hi Tim,
I found I was unable to drag an application icon up to the finder toolbar, either with or without the customize toolbar dialogue open. what’s the magic key combination?
January 23rd, 2007 at 5:48 am
I have been using this feature for a long time and consider it as complimentary to the doc. One feature that it use to have was holding down the option key when clicking on a program in the toolbar would close the finder window when launching the program (I really miss that one).
January 23rd, 2007 at 8:23 pm
Hi Meg, I don’t think that there is any magic to it. Just drag the icon from an open Finder window into the Toolbar. You don’t need to have the customize toolbar dialog open. You will know if it working when the other icons on the toolbar slide out of the way to make room for the new one.
January 24th, 2007 at 12:36 am
Meg Grace,
One thing is that you have to drag the application to the toolbar and hold it there for a couple of secs. It doesn’t happen quicky like it does with the dock or sidebar.
-jim k
January 24th, 2007 at 6:17 am
Tim,
What app/utility do you use for your Finder’s unified UI or is the screen shot of Path Finder?
Thanks
January 24th, 2007 at 10:20 am
John, I like the look of UNO
and use that.
January 24th, 2007 at 11:58 am
I first learned about this at Murphy Mac - there was a screencast about it. ( I found Murphy Mac here at Hawkwings)
http://murphymac.com/tweak-your-toolbar/
There are loads of other useful screencasts there as well.
January 30th, 2007 at 12:28 am
OOOOOOOOH nice. I’d forgotten about this little trick. Of course, if you put Apple Mail in your toolbar, you have an instant ‘email this file’ button… all you have to do is drag the file onto the mail icon.
Yes, you can achieve the same thing by dragging a file to the Mail icon in the dock, but the dock is further away than the top of the Finder window you’re already in, and requires additional mousing dexterity ;-)
February 24th, 2007 at 12:12 am
I’m always emailing files by dragging theirs icons on the Mail app dock icon… I’m going to try this trick immediately - thanks a lot!
April 13th, 2007 at 8:01 am
It’s a little behind the game but I had the same problem - not being able to add my icons to the finder like Meg. I figured it out (in case anyone stumbles on this)… I went to applications and selected the program in question (Wrangler in this case) and in column view it gives you the little picture of the application icon with the “more info” stuff - I dragged THAT image - not the icon next to the application itself - up to the tool bar and that worked.
Anyway…