Home How-to How to bookmark a folder in Finder on Mac

How to bookmark a folder in Finder on Mac

How to bookmark a folder in finder on mac

While Finder on Mac is a good file manager, it doesn’t always look obvious to customize it. Over time, it brims with both – relevant and irrelevant media and files, making it time-consuming to find what you are looking for. Thus, affecting your overall productivity.

How to bookmark a folder in finder on mac

Thankfully, there’re a few methods to customize the Sidebar and bookmark folders in Finder on Mac to keep them handy. Let’s get started.

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  1. Add the folder to favorites Sidebar
  2. Add the folder to the Dock
  3. Make a Desktop Alias to the folder

Method 1. Add the folder to favorites Sidebar

There are a couple of ways to add a folder to the Finder favorites Sidebar section.  

I. Use Finder Preferences menu

Initially, I was surprised to see Apple excluding the user home folder from the sidebar. It’s such a handy way to access all the relevant Mac folders. Using this trick, you can easily add the home folder and others to it.

  1. Open Finder by clicking the Finder icon on the Dock. 
    Alternatively, you can also access Finder through Spotlight. Press command + spacebar and type Finder. Next, locate it in the search options and click it.

    Open Finder by clicking the Finder icon on Mac Dock
  2. At the top menu bar, click FinderPreferences.

    click Finder Preferences on Mac
  3. Next, select Sidebar from the options at the top.
    Here, you will see a list of items added to the Sidebar.
  4. Enable or disable the items you want to add or remove from the Sidebar.

    Enable or disable items you want to add or remove from Sidebar on Mac

However, the suggested method is limited to the default Mac folders. What if you want to add a subfolder from the Downloads menu to the Sidebar? Check the following method!

II. Drag and drop folders to favorites

As the name suggests, it’s pretty straightforward.

  1. Open Finder.
  2. Locate the folder you want to move.
  3. Drag and drop it to the favorites Sidebar.

    Drag and drop folders in Mac Sidebar

That’s it! You have successfully bookmarked the folder in the Finder sidebar. To change the folder’s position within the Sidebar, drag and drop it as per your preference. 

Note: If you no longer need the added folder in the Sidebar, you can easily remove it using the same drag and drop method. Select the folder and drag it to the right side menu. You will notice a small ‘x’ mark suggesting that the OS is removing the folder from the Sidebar. 

Remove the folder from Mac sidebar

One can also right-click the bookmarked folder and select the remove option from the following menu.

III. Using the keyboard shortcut

This method is most convenient for those who love to use keyboard over trackpad.

Open Finderselect the folder you wish to add to the Finder Sidebar → press control + command + T.

That’s it! The folder will be added below the last folder.

Method 2. Add the folder to the Dock

With the above-mentioned methods, you need to visit the Finder menu every time you want to access the bookmarked folder. For more efficiency, you can pin the folder to the macOS Dock. 

Open Finder → locate the folder you want to move → drag it to the macOS Dock beside the Trash icon.

Drag it to the macOS Dock beside the Trash icon

The Dock on the macOS is divided into two categories. On the left side, you can see the installed and pinned apps, and on the right side, you can access the minimized apps. The bookmarked folder stays between the minimized apps and the trash icon. 

Click it to view and access all the files from Mac Dock menu

You won’t see the pinned item as a folder icon; instead, the shortcut will showcase the files stacked in a drawer-style view. Simply click it to view and access all the files from the Dock menu.

Note: There’s an alternative method to add the folder to the Dock. Go to Finderright-click the folder in the Sidebar → select the option Add to Dock. However, this method works only if the folder is added to the Sidebar.

Add the folder to the Dock on Mac

Method 3. Make a Desktop Alias to the folder

This is one of the effective ways to create a bookmark folder on the Mac. By using the ‘Make an Alias’ option, one can develop multiple pointer files that send the user to the origin folder. Here is how to use the Alias option on the Mac. 

  1. Open Finder
  2. Select the folder that you want to bookmark and right-click it. 
  3. Select Make Alias from the context menu.

    Make an Alias of folder on Mac
  4. Now place the alias in the different sections in the Finder menu.
    You can create multiple aliases for a single folder. 

create multiple aliases for a single folder on Mac

And it’s done! Now, whenever you want to access the folder, simply click the alias, and it will take you inside the original folder. 

Bonus: Add Smart Folders

Smart folders are an exciting addition to the macOS. Using the smart folder option, users can define the types of files they are looking for and create a folder.

Let’s say you are working on a video project for a month. You can create a smart folder and add a condition to look for the files you created and used for the last month. Follow the steps below to learn more. 

  1. Go to Finder. 
  2. Click the File name in the Menu bar. 
  3. Select New Smart Folder.

    Select New Smart Folder on Mac  
  4. Click the + icon and specify the rules such as the content, created date, modified date, or name. Add a file type that you want to include in the smart folder.

    Click the plus icon and specify the rules  
  5. For example, in the screenshot, I have created a smart folder that contains images, videos, and most-used applications from the last 30 days.

    Filter most used applications from the last 30 days
  6. Hit the ‘+’ icon, and your smart folder is ready for use. 

At any point, you can right-click the smart folder and change the search criteria for the folder. You can also use the Remove from Sidebar option to clear the folder.

Remove from Sidebar option to clear the folder

Overall, as the name suggests, it is a smart way to create a personalized folder on Mac. 

Bookmark your most-used files and folders on Mac

Another neat trick is to give the folders a color tag. It’s aimed towards improving the overall organization of the Mac. Give the folders a relevant color tag, and you can easily access them using the Tags menu in the Finder sidebar. 

You can read our dedicated post to learn how to color tag your folders and files on Mac.

I have been using the MacBook Air (2018) for the last three years, and my file management is complete chaos in Finder. If you are in the same boat, go ahead and bookmark your most-used files and folders.

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