Your Mac Can Organise Files Automatically — Most People Never Find This, by Crazy Errors on YouTube. 9 min 17 s.
- Video length
- 9 min 17 s
- Time to do it
- 20 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 10
What you need
Steps
Open Finder and go to File, then New Smart Folder. Click the plus button to add a rule, such as Kind is PDF or Last modified is within 30 days.
Click Save, give the Smart Folder a name and tick Add to Sidebar. The folder now updates itself whenever a new file matches the rule.
Right-click any file or folder, open Tags and pick a colour or type a name. Repeat for your main projects so each group is one click away in the Finder sidebar.
Right-click a folder, choose Get Info, then click the small folder icon at the top left. Paste or pick a colour or image to give it a custom icon.
Right-click the empty area of the Finder toolbar and choose Customize Toolbar. Drag in the buttons you use most, like Delete, New Folder or Share, then click Done.
Open Finder, then Settings and click Sidebar. Tick the folders, tags and Smart Folders you want shown so they sit one click from anywhere.
Select any file and press Space to preview it with Quick Look. Use the arrow keys to move through files without opening an app.
In Finder Settings, click General and set New Finder windows to show your main work folder. On the Advanced tab, tick Show all filename extensions.
Type in the Finder search bar, then click the plus to filter by type, date, size or tag. Click Save to store the search as a Smart Folder.
Right-click an empty spot on the Desktop and choose Use Stacks. Files group by kind, date or tag, and clicking a stack opens it.
Tips and common mistakes
Keep Smart Folder rules narrow, like one file type plus one date range, or the folder fills with clutter.
Use the same tag colours across projects so you can spot a group at a glance in any Finder window.
Turn on Show all filename extensions so you always know the real file type before opening it.
Stacks only tidy the Desktop view. The files stay where they are, so nothing is moved or lost.
Questions
Do Smart Folders move or copy my files?
No. A Smart Folder is a saved search that shows matching files in place. Your originals stay in their current folders.
Can I undo tags or custom folder icons?
Yes. Right-click the file and untick the tag, or open Get Info on the folder and delete the custom icon to return to the default.
Does this work on older Macs?
Smart Folders, tags, Quick Look and Stacks exist on most recent macOS versions. Menu names may differ slightly on older systems.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
