{"id":66465,"date":"2020-10-07T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-10-07T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/?p=66465"},"modified":"2020-10-14T12:57:19","modified_gmt":"2020-10-14T17:57:19","slug":"making-sense-of-recents-folder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/66465-making-sense-of-recents-folder\/","title":{"rendered":"Forgotten Features: Making Sense of the macOS Recents Folder"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"alignright size-thumbnail\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"190\" height=\"190\" src=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/FinderIcon1024-190x190.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-58617\" srcset=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/FinderIcon1024-190x190.jpg 190w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/FinderIcon1024-120x120.jpg 120w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/FinderIcon1024-284x284.jpg 284w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/FinderIcon1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/FinderIcon1024-190x190@2x.jpg 380w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/FinderIcon1024-120x120@2x.jpg 240w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/FinderIcon1024-284x284@2x.jpg 568w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 190px) 100vw, 190px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>While using the macOS Finder, you may have noticed a sidebar listing titled \u201c<strong>Recents<\/strong>\u201d. This is actually a \u201csmart folder\u201d in macOS that searches for files that have either been recently modified or created, and it\u2019s very helpful for finding documents that you\u2019ve recently worked on but can\u2019t seem to find elsewhere. Today we\u2019ll take a look at how the Recents folder can be used to speed up looking for documents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where is the Recents Folder?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To start with, you should see Recents under Favorites in the Finder sidebar (see image below).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1400\" height=\"737\" src=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-10.33.28-AM.png\" alt=\"The Recents folder is accessible from under Favorites in the Finder Sidebar\" class=\"wp-image-66466\" srcset=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-10.33.28-AM.png 1400w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-10.33.28-AM-228x120.png 228w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-10.33.28-AM-284x149.png 284w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-10.33.28-AM-190x100.png 190w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-10.33.28-AM-1100x580.png 1100w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-10.33.28-AM-228x120@2x.png 456w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-10.33.28-AM-284x149@2x.png 568w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-10.33.28-AM-190x100@2x.png 380w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" \/><figcaption>The Recents folder is accessible from under Favorites in the Finder Sidebar<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>If you just see the word \u201cFavorites\u201d and nothing is listed beneath it, hover your mouse pointer over the word and you\u2019ll see the word \u201cShow\u201d appear. Click that, and the folders that have been set as Favorites are listed. Still don\u2019t see it? Not a problem \u2014 you can go to the Finder menu under Go and select Recents, or use the keyboard shortcut Shift &#8211; Command (\u2318) &#8211; F to open the folder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A word of warning \u2014 some newer Mac users think that the items in the Recents folder are duplicates of files found elsewhere on their Macs, so they delete these \u201cduplicates\u201d in a fruitless attempt to save space. <strong>NEVER delete files from the Recents folder<\/strong>, as they are actually files elsewhere on the Mac. Unless you really mean to get rid of a file, don\u2019t delete it from Recents!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Recents folder lists <em>all<\/em> files in your Home folder on your Mac and in iCloud Drive, sorted by Date Last Opened. This means that the last file that you opened will be at the top of the list (or in the top left corner if you\u2019re viewing the folder contents by icon). In older versions of macOS and Mac OS X, the Recents folder was named \u201c<strong>All My Files<\/strong>\u201d.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s an apt name because any file you\u2019ve created or downloaded that are on your Mac or in iCloud Drive are going to be in this folder. Even files that you\u2019ve exported appear in Recents. They\u2019re located in a bunch of places on your Mac. Looking at the contents of my Recents folder below in list view, I can click on various files and press Command (\u2318) &#8211; I (Get Info), and find the path to the files. They\u2019re found everywhere \u2014 in various iCloud folders, in my Downloads folder, in Documents, even in my Dropbox folder.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1400\" height=\"737\" src=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-10.51.35-AM.png\" alt=\"Recents finds all of your files located anywhere, and lists them in reverse chronological order\" class=\"wp-image-66467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-10.51.35-AM.png 1400w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-10.51.35-AM-228x120.png 228w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-10.51.35-AM-284x149.png 284w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-10.51.35-AM-190x100.png 190w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-10.51.35-AM-1100x580.png 1100w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-10.51.35-AM-228x120@2x.png 456w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-10.51.35-AM-284x149@2x.png 568w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-10.51.35-AM-190x100@2x.png 380w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" \/><figcaption>Recents finds all of your files located anywhere, and lists them in reverse chronological order<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>That\u2019s why I provided the warning earlier to not delete items from the Recents folder unless you really mean to get rid of them. What you\u2019re seeing is a listing of the actual files, so deleting any of the files in Recents gets rid of them for good\u2026 unless you realize the error of your ways and want them back, in which case you can either use the helpful <strong>Undo item<\/strong> in the Finder menu (Command (\u2318) &#8211; Z) or open the Trash, select the file(s), and then use File &gt; Put Back (Command (\u2318) &#8211; Delete) to place them back in their original location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also in list view you\u2019ll notice that the files are listed in <strong>reverse chronological order<\/strong>. The most recent file is a screenshot I took for this article today at 10:33 AM, followed by a document from yesterday at 11:46 AM, and so on. So as I mentioned earlier, the Recents folder is actually the results of a macOS search for documents of all file types in all locations, sorted in descending time order.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How the Recents Folder Can Be Useful<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>When I\u2019m working on my Mac, I\u2019m a bit of a neat freak at the end of the workday. I close all of my documents and apps, just out of habit, and the next day when it\u2019s time to get back to work, I go into the Recents folder and those documents are listed at the top. I can double-click any one of them (or select multiple files and open them with Command (\u2318) &#8211; O), and I\u2019m back to work in seconds.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Recents is also useful when I\u2019m looking for a file that I worked on in the past. Let\u2019s say that I\u2019ve written something for a client and two weeks later they ask me to make a change in the document. Opening Recents and viewing the contents in list view, I can easily see what I wrote two weeks ago just by looking at the date.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you have moved files from older Macs to your current Mac, you may have thousands and thousands of documents in the Recents folder, meaning that it can be a real chore to find something in there! No problem, because you can <strong>use the search field<\/strong> at the top right of the Recents Finder window to do a more detailed search of all of the files.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As an example, if I don\u2019t remember the name of a file but know that it was a PDF, I can type PDF into the search field and narrow the search of all of my documents \u2014 both on the Mac and in my iCloud Drive \u2014 to just PDFs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Usually, searching in the Finder allows you to add multiple criteria; for example, I can do a search in a \u201cnormal\u201d Finder window for Excel spreadsheets that were created in 2017 and 2018. However, the search field in Recents doesn\u2019t let you stack search criteria. If I just search in Recents for kind:Excel, it shows all documents that are Excel spreadsheets, which reduces the number of items that I need to search through. Since they\u2019re sorted by Date Last Opened, I can look for a dates in 2018 and usually find the documents I need.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Need More Flexibility?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>If you need more flexibility in your searches, then I recommend using a \u201cregular\u201d (non-Recents) Finder folder. Now, I store all of my documents in iCloud \u2014 it\u2019s easy insurance in case of a major failure of my MacBook Pro and I can get to those documents from any of my devices. To do a multi-criteria search of all of my documents, I can highlight iCloud Drive in the Finder sidebar, then start searching.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ll start by looking for Excel spreadsheets by typing kind:excel in the search field, then I can add a second criteria by clicking the + button. I\u2019ll make this \u201cCreated Date is Before 1\/1\/2019\u201d \u2014 in other words, anything created before 2019. My third criteria will be Created Date is After 1\/1\/2017, also added with the + button.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1400\" height=\"657\" src=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-2.12.30-PM.png\" alt=\"Use a &quot;regular&quot; Finder folder for more flexibility in your searches\" class=\"wp-image-66472\" srcset=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-2.12.30-PM.png 1400w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-2.12.30-PM-256x120.png 256w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-2.12.30-PM-284x133.png 284w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-2.12.30-PM-190x89.png 190w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-2.12.30-PM-1536x720.png 1536w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-2.12.30-PM-256x120@2x.png 512w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-2.12.30-PM-284x133@2x.png 568w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-2.12.30-PM-190x89@2x.png 380w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" \/><figcaption>Use a &#8220;regular&#8221; Finder folder for more flexibility in your searches<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Sure enough, that narrows it down to just four Excel spreadsheets (I was mainly using Numbers at that point). This search can then be named and saved for future reference if needed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What if you don\u2019t use Recents?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Some people just don\u2019t like Recents, perhaps because they have a specific way of organizing files that isn\u2019t necessarily time-related. Apple has provided an easy way to turn off the Recents folder. In the Finder, open Preferences, then uncheck \u201cRecents\u201d under Favorites. The arrow in the screenshot below shows exactly how you do that.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-12.59.46-PM.jpg\" alt=\"Uncheck the &quot;Recents&quot; item under favorites in Finder Preferences &gt; Sidebar to hide Recents\" class=\"wp-image-66468\" width=\"368\" height=\"326\" srcset=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-12.59.46-PM.jpg 736w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-12.59.46-PM-135x120.png 135w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-12.59.46-PM-284x252.png 284w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-12.59.46-PM-190x168.png 190w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-12.59.46-PM-135x120@2x.png 270w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-12.59.46-PM-284x252@2x.png 568w, https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/Screen-Shot-2020-10-02-at-12.59.46-PM-190x168@2x.png 380w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 368px) 100vw, 368px\" \/><figcaption>Uncheck the &#8220;Recents&#8221; item under favorites in Finder Preferences &gt; Sidebar to hide Recents<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While using the macOS Finder, you may have noticed a sidebar listing titled \u201cRecents.\u201d This is a smart folder that searches for files that have recently been used.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":81,"featured_media":66579,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"spay_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"class_list":["post-66465","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tech-tips"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v20.2 (Yoast SEO v20.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Forgotten Features: Making Sense of the macOS Recents Folder<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"While using the macOS Finder, you may have noticed a sidebar listing titled \u201cRecents.\u201d This is a smart folder that searches for files that have recently been used.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/66465-making-sense-of-recents-folder\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Forgotten Features: Making Sense of the macOS Recents Folder\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"While using the macOS Finder, you may have noticed a sidebar listing titled \u201cRecents.\u201d This is a smart folder that searches for files that have recently been used.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/66465-making-sense-of-recents-folder\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rocket Yard\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/stevensande\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-10-07T12:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-10-14T17:57:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/RecentsFolder_1920x1080.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"788\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Steve Sande\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Steve Sande\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/66465-making-sense-of-recents-folder\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/66465-making-sense-of-recents-folder\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Steve Sande\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1152721d0acb70692858d0f3fcb12e7a\"},\"headline\":\"Forgotten Features: Making Sense of the macOS Recents Folder\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-10-07T12:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-10-14T17:57:19+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/66465-making-sense-of-recents-folder\/\"},\"wordCount\":1260,\"commentCount\":9,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Finder\",\"How To\",\"macOS\",\"Tech Tip\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Tech Tips\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/66465-making-sense-of-recents-folder\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/66465-making-sense-of-recents-folder\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/66465-making-sense-of-recents-folder\/\",\"name\":\"Forgotten Features: Making Sense of the macOS Recents Folder\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2020-10-07T12:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-10-14T17:57:19+00:00\",\"description\":\"While using the macOS Finder, you may have noticed a sidebar listing titled \u201cRecents.\u201d This is a smart folder that searches for files that have recently been used.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/66465-making-sense-of-recents-folder\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/66465-making-sense-of-recents-folder\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/66465-making-sense-of-recents-folder\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Forgotten Features: Making Sense of the macOS Recents Folder\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Rocket Yard\",\"description\":\"Your source for expert tips, special deals, commentary, reviews, and the latest tech news.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"OWC\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/rocket-yard-logo-round.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/rocket-yard-logo-round.png\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":1024,\"caption\":\"OWC\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1152721d0acb70692858d0f3fcb12e7a\",\"name\":\"Steve Sande\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1ad8e267ec82e12963d9cfe717c9b8e108e1edbb728f5d91fe50c6e7ecd14b15?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1ad8e267ec82e12963d9cfe717c9b8e108e1edbb728f5d91fe50c6e7ecd14b15?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Steve Sande\"},\"description\":\"Steve has been writing about Apple products since 1986, starting on a bulletin board system, creating the first of his many Apple-related websites in 1994, joining the staff of The Unofficial Apple Weblog in 2008, and founding Apple World Today in 2015. He\u2019s semi-retired, loves to camp and take photos, and is an FAA-licensed drone pilot.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/appleworld.today\",\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/stevensande\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/stevensande\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCUnDTuaRnXncKQXfQYVNIJA\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/author\/steve-sande\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Forgotten Features: Making Sense of the macOS Recents Folder","description":"While using the macOS Finder, you may have noticed a sidebar listing titled \u201cRecents.\u201d This is a smart folder that searches for files that have recently been used.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/66465-making-sense-of-recents-folder\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Forgotten Features: Making Sense of the macOS Recents Folder","og_description":"While using the macOS Finder, you may have noticed a sidebar listing titled \u201cRecents.\u201d This is a smart folder that searches for files that have recently been used.","og_url":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/66465-making-sense-of-recents-folder\/","og_site_name":"Rocket Yard","article_author":"https:\/\/facebook.com\/stevensande","article_published_time":"2020-10-07T12:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-10-14T17:57:19+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1400,"height":788,"url":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/RecentsFolder_1920x1080.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Steve Sande","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Steve Sande","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/66465-making-sense-of-recents-folder\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/66465-making-sense-of-recents-folder\/"},"author":{"name":"Steve Sande","@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1152721d0acb70692858d0f3fcb12e7a"},"headline":"Forgotten Features: Making Sense of the macOS Recents Folder","datePublished":"2020-10-07T12:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2020-10-14T17:57:19+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/66465-making-sense-of-recents-folder\/"},"wordCount":1260,"commentCount":9,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#organization"},"keywords":["Finder","How To","macOS","Tech Tip"],"articleSection":["Tech Tips"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/66465-making-sense-of-recents-folder\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/66465-making-sense-of-recents-folder\/","url":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/66465-making-sense-of-recents-folder\/","name":"Forgotten Features: Making Sense of the macOS Recents Folder","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#website"},"datePublished":"2020-10-07T12:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2020-10-14T17:57:19+00:00","description":"While using the macOS Finder, you may have noticed a sidebar listing titled \u201cRecents.\u201d This is a smart folder that searches for files that have recently been used.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/66465-making-sense-of-recents-folder\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/66465-making-sense-of-recents-folder\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/66465-making-sense-of-recents-folder\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Forgotten Features: Making Sense of the macOS Recents Folder"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/","name":"Rocket Yard","description":"Your source for expert tips, special deals, commentary, reviews, and the latest tech news.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"OWC","url":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/rocket-yard-logo-round.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/rocket-yard-logo-round.png","width":1024,"height":1024,"caption":"OWC"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/1152721d0acb70692858d0f3fcb12e7a","name":"Steve Sande","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1ad8e267ec82e12963d9cfe717c9b8e108e1edbb728f5d91fe50c6e7ecd14b15?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1ad8e267ec82e12963d9cfe717c9b8e108e1edbb728f5d91fe50c6e7ecd14b15?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Steve Sande"},"description":"Steve has been writing about Apple products since 1986, starting on a bulletin board system, creating the first of his many Apple-related websites in 1994, joining the staff of The Unofficial Apple Weblog in 2008, and founding Apple World Today in 2015. He\u2019s semi-retired, loves to camp and take photos, and is an FAA-licensed drone pilot.","sameAs":["https:\/\/appleworld.today","https:\/\/facebook.com\/stevensande","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/stevensande\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCUnDTuaRnXncKQXfQYVNIJA\/"],"url":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/author\/steve-sande\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/RecentsFolder_1920x1080.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pmPaT-hi1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66465","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/81"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66465"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66465\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":66749,"href":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66465\/revisions\/66749"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66579"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eshop.macsales.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}