Mac Finder Open With App
The Finder is the first thing that you see when your Mac finishes starting up. It opens automatically and stays open as you use other apps. It includes the Finder menu bar at the top of the screen and the desktop below that. It uses windows and icons to show you the contents of your Mac, iCloud Drive, and other storage devices. It's called the Finder because it helps you to find and organize your files.

Open windows and files
15 Finder shortcuts every Mac user needs to know. Then you can set it as your default and save yourself a few clicks each time you open Finder. Saving you from needing to open another app. To open a file on your Mac using a different program, navigate to the file you wish to open and right-click on it to see the file menu as shown below. When the file menu opens, click on the Open.
To open a window and see the files on your Mac, switch to the Finder by clicking the Finder icon (pictured above) in the Dock. Switching to the Finder also reveals any Finder windows that might be hidden behind the windows of other apps. You can drag to resize windows and use the buttons to close , minimize , or maximize windows. Learn more about managing windows.
When you see a document, app, or other file that you want to open, just double-click it.
Change how your files are displayed
To change how files are displayed in Finder windows, use the View menu in the menu bar, or the row of buttons at the top of the Finder window. You can view files as icons , in a list , in columns , or in a gallery . And for each view, the View menu provides options to change how items are sorted and arranged, such as by kind, date, or size. Learn more about customizing views.
Open the Finder and navigate to the file you want to use. Right-click on it to bring up the contextual menu. Well, you could start by checking out our guide to the Best free Mac apps to see if. This is great info, thanks much. I am downloading Onyx, since diving into the command line gets tedious sometimes so it's interesting to think of a handy tool for this. Kind of wonder why they don't put it on the mac app store - maybe apple doesn't allow apps that fiddle with system functions on there. Thus, when we select a location in Finder, then open the “Finder - Services” menu, we’ve got two shortcuts to open that folder in a new terminal window. Similarly, right-click on that folder and you’ll see the Services menu at the bottom of the context menu. When you quit a Mac app, then reopen it, all its windows reopen, too. In theory, they should all reappear the same size as before exiting them, and in the same locations on your screen. Apple has changed its security settings in macOS, so you’ll need to allow your system to open a couple of these apps. A dialogue box may pop up telling you a certain app 'is an application.
When you view files in a gallery, you can browse your files visually using large previews, so it's easy to identify images, videos, and all kinds of documents. Gallery View in macOS Mojave even lets you play videos and scroll through multipage documents. Earlier versions of macOS have a similar but less powerful gallery view called Cover Flow .
Gallery View in macOS Mojave, showing the sidebar on the left and the Preview pane on the right.
Use the Preview pane
The Preview pane is available in all views by choosing View > Show Preview from the menu bar. Or press Shift-Command (⌘)-P to quickly show or hide the Preview pane.
macOS Mojave enhances the Preview pane in several ways:
- More information, including detailed metadata, can be shown for each file. This is particularly useful when working with photos and media, because key EXIF data, like camera model and aperture value, are easy to locate. Choose View > Preview Options to control what information the Preview pane can show for the kind of file selected.
- Quick Actions let you easily manage or edit the selected file.
Use Quick Actions in the Preview pane
With Quick Actions in macOS Mojave, you can take actions on a file without opening an app. Quick Actions appear at the bottom of the Preview pane and vary depending on the kind of file selected.
- Rotate an image
- Mark up an image or PDF
- Combine images and PDFs into a single PDF file
- Trim audio and video files
To manage Quick Actions, click More , then choose Customize. macOS Mojave includes a standard set of Quick Actions, but Quick Actions installed by third-party apps also appear here. You can even create your own Quick Actions using Automator.
Use Stacks on your desktop
macOS Mojave introduces Stacks, which lets you automatically organize your desktop into neat stacks of files, so it's easy to keep your desktop tidy and find exactly what you're looking for. Learn more about Stacks.
The sidebar in Finder windows contains shortcuts to AirDrop, commonly used folders, iCloud Drive, devices such your hard drives, and more. Like items in the Dock, items in the sidebar open with just one click.
To change the items in your sidebar, choose Finder > Preferences from the Finder menu bar, then click Sidebar at the top of the preferences window. You can also drag files into or out of the sidebar. Learn more about customizing the sidebar.
Search for files
To search with Spotlight, click the magnifying glass in the menu bar, or press Command–Space bar. Spotlight is similar to Quick Search on iPhone or iPad. Learn more about Spotlight.
To search from a Finder window, use the search field in the corner of the window:
When you select a search result, its location appears at the bottom of the window. To get to this view from Spotlight, choose “Show all in Finder” from the bottom of the Spotlight search results.
In both Spotlight and Finder, you can use advanced searches to narrow your search results.
Delete files
To move a file to the Trash, drag the file to the Trash in the Dock. Or select one or more files and choose File > Move To Trash (Command-Delete).
To remove a file from the Trash, click the Trash to open it, then drag the file out of the Trash. Or select the file and choose File > Put Back.
To delete the files in the Trash, choose File > Empty Trash. The storage space used by those files then becomes available for other files. In macOS Sierra, you can set up your Mac to empty the trash automatically.
The Find My app makes it easy to locate your Apple devices and keep up with friends and family. It works on iPhone, iPad, and Mac — even if your missing devices are offline. And your privacy is protected every step of the way.
Find your Apple devices.
You take your devices everywhere. Which means you might leave them anywhere. Whether they’re under a sofa pillow or in a conference room, chances are they won’t be lost for long. You can get help finding your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch, Mac, or AirPods right in the Find My app.
See all your devices on a map.
Is your iPad at home or back at the office? Use the map to get a full picture of where your devices are — and where a missing one might be. Some devices can also mark their location when the battery is critically low, to help you find them even if they run out of power.
Compatible with
- iPhone
- iPad
- iPod touch
- Apple Watch
- Mac
- AirPods
Compatible with
- iPhone
- iPad
- iPod touch
- Apple Watch
- Mac
- AirPods
Play a sound to
find your device.
When you can’t find something but think it’s nearby or around others who might hear it, you can play a sound to pinpoint its location. Your AirPods play a specifically designed sound that can project across a room — and even farther.
Compatible with
- iPhone
- iPad
- iPod touch
- Apple Watch
- Mac
- AirPods
Compatible with
- iPhone
- iPad
- iPod touch
- Apple Watch
- Mac
- AirPods

Display a message on your lost device.
If your device goes missing, put it in Lost Mode to lock it immediately and start tracking its location. You can also display a message with a contact number on your device’s Lock Screen, so whoever finds it can call you without accessing the rest of its information.
Erase it with ease.
Worried that your device has fallen into the wrong hands? You may want to erase it remotely to delete your personal data and restore your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple Watch, or Mac to its factory settings. If you retrieve it, you can restore it from your iCloud backup.
Compatible with
- iPhone
- iPad
- iPod touch
- Apple Watch
- Mac
Lock it down. Automatically.
Activation Lock is designed to prevent anyone else from using or selling your device.* When you enable Find My on your device, Activation Lock is turned on automatically. Your Apple ID and password will then be required before anyone can erase your device or reactivate it.
You can even find devices that are offline.
If your missing device can’t connect to the internet, the Find My app can still help you track it down using the Find My network — hundreds of millions of iPhone, iPad, and Mac devices around the world. Nearby devices securely send the location of your missing device to iCloud, then you can see where it is in the Find My app. It’s all anonymous and encrypted to protect everyone’s privacy.
Find your friends.
Invite friends and family members to share their locations. So you can keep in touch with one another, coordinate around an event, or know when a family member has arrived home safely.
See where everyone is on a map.
When you share your location with friends, it’s easier for you to find each other and stay connected. Share your location for an hour, a day, or indefinitely as you see fit.
Get notifications when they’ve left or arrived.
Open Finder App
You can set up notifications for when friends and family leave or arrive at a place. They’ll be notified when you set it up, so no one’s privacy is compromised. You can also receive alerts and notifications when your child has arrived at or departed from school.
Everyone’s location data stays private.
Mac Finder Open In Terminal
Just like every Apple product, Find My is designed to put you in control of your data. Apple receives location information only when you actively locate your device, mark it as lost, or enable Send Last Location. Location data is encrypted on Apple’s servers and kept for no more than 24 hours. And when the Find My network is used, everyone’s information is kept private — even from Apple.