{"id":58777,"date":"2020-02-19T12:19:26","date_gmt":"2020-02-19T18:19:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/?p=58777"},"modified":"2020-02-24T16:22:52","modified_gmt":"2020-02-24T22:22:52","slug":"smarter-smart-folders","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/58777-smarter-smart-folders\/","title":{"rendered":"Smarter Smart Folders"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Smart Folders have been around in one form or another since OS X Tiger. For a while, the Finder\u2019s sidebar included a dedicated Search For section, with predefined Smart Folders that displayed apps and documents you used “Today,” “Yesterday,” or “Past Week.” There were also Search For entries for “All Images,” “All Movies,” and “All Documents.” These smart searches were a popular feature and served as an introduction to what Smart Folders could do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Smart<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The Search For section of the Finder sidebar went away with the introduction of OS X Lion, but Smart Folders remained. This allows you to recreate the old Search For entries in the Finder sidebar if you wish, but you can do so much more as well. In this Rocket Yard guide, we\u2019ll point you to the basics of working with Smart Folders, as well as show you how to create some very useful Smart Folders to help you with your workflow and Mac maintenance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smart Folder Basics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A good place to start learning about Smart Folders is in the Rocket Yard guide:
\u2022 The Incredible Power of macOS Smart Folders<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the above guide, you\u2019ll learn some of the basics, including what a Smart Folder is and how to create one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spoiler Alert<\/em><\/strong>: Smart Folders are a Spotlight-based saved search that is dynamic; that is, the results displayed within a Smart Folder are always up to date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next Rocket Yard guide:
\u2022 How to Create, Modify, and Use Smart Folders in macOS<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This tutorial is a quick review of Smart Folders, including how to edit existing Smart Folders you may have created in the past, as well as how to add a Smart Folder you created to the Finder Sidebar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tip<\/em><\/strong>: You can also add a Smart Folder to the sidebar by holding down the command key and dragging the Smart Folder from its saved location (usually: ~\/Library\/Saved Searches) to the Finder Sidebar. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The last guide in our review of Smart Folder basics:
\u2022 How to Add a Smart Folder to the Dock<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This guide presents the steps needed to add a Smart Folder to your Mac’s Dock for easy access, even when a Finder window isn\u2019t available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the basics taken care of, let\u2019s move on to creating some helpful Smart Folders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Today, Yesterday, and Last Week Smart Folders<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Smart
The Today Smart Folder, shown here in the Finder’s sidebar, can show you every app and document that you have opened on the current day.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

These three were part of the original Search For sidebar items; they showed apps and documents you had worked on within the specified time period. To recreate these as Smart Folders, perform the following steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n