In OS X, you can customize specific properties and settings for the Finder, which are crucial, because Finder is one of the main, most commonly used elements on Mac computers. However, Finder is unique in that settings and preferences aren’t set within the System Preferences pane of OS X, but rather, within Finder itself. In today’s post, we will learn about customizing Finder.
Above, we mentioned that you cannot setup Finder from the regular System Preferences menu, Finder > Applications > System Preferences. Rather, Finder settings can be accessed within Finder. Start by clicking the Finder icon in the dock, which will make Finder the active window. Select Finder > Preferences, which will open up the settings window for Finder.
The Finder Preferences window allows you to customize several individual settings. Everything is fairly self explanatory, but we will highlight some common features that you may want to select.
Show these items on the desktop: allows you to customize which types of devices are displayed on the desktop, whenever a particular device or media is connected to your Mac computer. This is awesome because when an item is shown on the desktop, it’s not only more convenient to access, but it acts as a reminder, so that you know if a particular drive or media is connected to your computer. With an item unchecked from this list, it will only be accessible when launching a Finder window.
New Finder windows show: is a way to setup what is initially displayed whenever you open a new Finder window. This is a good setting to customize, because it allows you to set a preference for your favorite Finder starting point.
The Sidebar tab of the Finder Preferences window allows you to add or remove items from the sidebar in Finder. This is another element that you are probably going to want to customize, as it controls much of how Finder works. It allows you to setup and add different browsing structures to Finder. For example, if you check to select your username from the list, it will now appear in the sidebar. Once you open a new Finder window and select your username from the left side list, you will notice that it presents you with a specific root directory, or starting point to browsing the files in OS X.
That’s really all there is to it for setting up Finder preferences. Of course, there are a few options that we did not cover here, but they are pretty self explanatory. By customizing how Finder works for your user account, you can have a better Mac OS X experience, as Finder is a frequently used application for Mac users. Any other cool ways to setup Finder? Leave a comment!
