📂 Mac quick tip: Here’s a shortcut to open folders. From your desktop, hit ⌘ (Cmd) then the down arrow. To go the other way, hold ⌘ and press the up arrow.
Use this advanced search trick to find anything on your Mac
Finder is the first thing that you see when your Mac finishes booting up. It’s your doorway to all the files and folders on your Mac.
You can use Finder to locate items on your computer — it’s as easy as typing in a search term. But did you know you can tweak this function to more easily find what you’re looking for? Here’s how.
Add parameters to your search
Sometimes a search term isn’t enough. You may have thousands of files and folders on your computer and get too many results to sort through. It can be overwhelming, to say the least. Narrowing down your results is an easy process.
Start by searching for something in Finder, then follow these steps:
- Click the plus + button on the right side of the search window, below the search field.
- You’ll get a dropdown menu to narrow your search by file type, date created, last opened date and more.
- Select Other to add more parameters such as copyright information, file extensions, author name and more.
- Add or remove search criteria as needed by clicking the plus + button or minus – button.
You can add a bit of logic to your searches (OR, AND, NOT) as well:
- Press and hold the Option key, then click the three dots button that appears.
- You can set criteria and specify that Any, All or None of them must be met.
Your search results will contain items that match all your criteria. For example, if you want to find every file that starts with the letter “S” created today, that’s all you’ll see. If you can’t find something, try removing some parameters or broadening your search.
Bonus tip: Click Save below the search field to save your search.
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Tech cleanup: Files and folders taking valuable storage from your PC
It happens. The longer we keep our devices, the more cluttered they become.
Open your phone’s app tray for a great example. How many are sitting there that you haven’t opened in months or years? This clutter isn’t just annoying — it can be dangerous, too. Tap or click to delete apps you’re not using.
Ask for forgiveness, not permission: Microsoft now automatically backs up your files to OneDrive — yep, without asking. Want to deactivate it? Right-click on the OneDrive icon > Settings > Sync and backup > Manage backup and deactivate any folders you don’t want synced.
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Windows and Mac security settings to check now
It’s never good to go too long without checking your security settings. Now and then, you should brush up on your protections. Whether you use a Mac or a PC, all devices are vulnerable to attacks.
On the bright side, there are tons of built-in features you can take advantage of for your safety. For example, Windows Defender can help protect your PC from lurking threats. However, many native protections might be a bit hard to find on your own.
Remember when: Here’s a fun idea for categorizing family pics on your computer. Say you have two little ones. Create a folder for each kid. Within those, organize by the year, their age or their grade. Now you can see Billy in third grade or Lucy at age 2 in two clicks. Pro tip: Adobe Bridge is a solid, free option for sorting pics on your computer. I still miss Picasa.
🏈 Huddle up: Clear space on your phone screen by putting apps into folders by category or how often you use them. To make a folder on iPhone or Android, long press and drag an app icon on top of another. Pro tip: Put all your distracting apps in one folder. Out of sight, out of mind!
Put it on the tab(s): Windows File Explorer can use tabs, just like your web browser. Click the + (plus) on the toolbar at the top to create a new tab. You can also right-click on folders and pick Open in new tab. Nice.
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Your PC is likely full of files and programs you seldom or never use. There are apps you used once or twice before forgetting about them. Then there are registry files, failed downloads and bloatware that sneaks onto your computer without your knowledge. In addition to taking up storage space, all that clutter slows your computer down.
Best ways to organize your cloud storage files
Think back to the days when we had to store everything locally on our computers. Thumb drives and external hard drives helped, but it was cumbersome.
Today, everything syncs right to cloud storage. Is it safe to store personal documents like your ID, financial info, or medical files in the cloud? Tap or click for the answer.
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iPhone tip: How to hide apps from your home screen
With so many iOS apps available for download, things on your iPhone’s home screen can get chaotic fast. You don’t need to have every app on your home screen either, as it can be neatly organized into folders.
While creating folders is a good option, sometimes you want to hide the apps or folders from others. This will come in handy if you share your phone with someone else or you have kids who like to tap on random buttons. Tap or click here for the five best iPhone security settings and tricks you haven’t tried.
Smart way to keep your Mac safe if you have to bring it in for service
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Hidden inside its code are functions that you probably didn’t know about. We previously covered seven handy ways to use Apple’s Notes app, but did you know that you can use it for collaboration?
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Sharing a computer with other people in your house or office isn’t the best of situations. Sometimes it’s unavoidable, but how do you keep your files and folders private? If you work on a Mac, you can create separate login profiles. It’s not always practical, but it will do in a pinch.
Free Hollywood-grade video editor is tops and you can't beat the price
Just the equipment can be rather intimidating and the apps expensive and, for some, difficult to learn and use. Still, if they weren’t so pricey, more of us would likely at least give it a shot.