Summary
Making folders is an excellent method for organizing all of the files that are stored on your Mac. A stockpile of folders, on the other hand, is similar to a stockpile of standalone media, software, and documents after a certain amount of time has passed. Try creating a smart folder instead of standard Mac folders if you find yourself buried up to your neck in traditional Mac folders.
make a Smart Folder
Creating Smart Folders is not a difficult task, and they make it much simpler to locate files that are related to one another. For the purpose of this post, we will instruct you on how to construct your very own Smart Folders and how to personalize them according to your preferences.
What is a Smart Folder on a Mac?
A Smart Folder is a folder that updates itself automatically. After you have established the criteria, each new or changed file that satisfies the rules will be automatically added to the folder.
With this feature, you are able to build smart folders for a variety of files, including those that you made the day before, those that include a certain term, and files of a particular category, such as electronic documents or photographs.
To add insult to injury, the files are not transferred to the Smart Folder that corresponds to them. Simply said, they may be accessed via the Smart Folder, even if they continue to be physically present in the same place. This makes it possible for you to access relevant files in a short amount of time without having to hunt through hundreds of other directories.
In the event that your requirements change, let’s take a look at how to establish a Smart Folder on a Mac as well as how to alter one.
Put together a smart folder
To begin the process of creating a Smart Folder on your Mac, use the Finder application. Unless you specifically wish to search for a certain folder, it does not matter whatever folder happens to be shown when you start Finder.
In the first step, pick New Smart Folder from the File menu that appears in the menu bar.
In the second step, you will arrive at a blank folder display in Finder. In the event that you do not want to search just the present folder, choose This Mac from the menu on the top left, which is located next to Search, in order to locate files on your whole computer.
Step 3: In the upper right corner of the screen, you will see a box labeled “Search.” In this box, you will input a term, category, file type, or date that you wish to use as the initial rule for the Smart Folder.
Choose a recommendation from the list that appears in the drop-down menu that corresponds to what you are looking for.
Step 4: When you are presented with the search results, you will have the opportunity to add a rule that will restrict the results by selecting the Plus sign located on the right side of the screen, right next to the Save button.
Step 5: Select the item you are looking for by using the first drop-down menu on the left side of the screen. This might be the name, contents, date of creation, kind, or any number of other possibilities.
Proceed to the sixth step, which is to add the matching attribute by using the succeeding drop-down box and subsequent field. The choices you make in the first drop-down box will determine how these alternatives are displayed accordingly.
I’ll give you an example. The search phrase that we are using will allow us to locate all of the things that have “Project ABC” in their names. To prevent ourselves from seeing photographs, files, and other stuff, however, we wish to restrict it to just papers. As a result, we choose Kind from the first drop-down box while selecting Document from the second one when it comes to the rule.
You are free to include as many rules as you see fit. Please bear in mind that in order for things to be shown in the Smart Folder, they must satisfy all of the prerequisites.
Step 7: As you continue to add criteria, you will be able to see your findings. This gives you the ability to verify that you are getting the outcomes that you anticipated.
When you are finished, pick the Save option located in the upper right corner.
Using the pop-up box, give your Smart Folder a name. This is the eighth step.
When you first open your Mac, Smart Folders will be located in the Saved Searches folder. It is possible for you to choose a different place, if that is what you want.
Lastly, if you want to make the folder more accessible, you might consider adding it to the sidebar of the Finder. Make sure that the box labeled “Add to sidebar” is checked.
In the ninth step, after you are finished, pick the Save option to save your Smart Folder.
You will then be able to access your Smart Folder by going to the place where it is stored.
Optional: Locate saved searches on Mac
Within Finder, you will be able to go to this place if you have set the location for your Smart Folder to be the default Saved Searches on your Mac.
The first step is to launch Finder and then click Go > Go to folder from the bottom menu bar.
The second step is to type the following into the search box that is located at the very top of the pop-up window: Saved Searches may be found in \/Library/.
Step 3: Enter the Return key.
You will then see that the Smart Searches folder is open, and your Smart Folder will be contained inside it.
Edit a Smart Folder
Perhaps you would want to make some modifications to a Smart Folder that you have made. You may wish to eliminate one rule or add additional rules to the list.
Launch your Smart Folder as the first step.
The second step is to choose Show search criteria from the Action drop-down menu that is located in the Finder toolbar that is located at the top of the window.
Step 3: After that, you will be able to see your rules in the same manner as when you originally established the Smart Folder. When you are finished, pick the Save button.
When the rules are amended, they immediately take the place of the previous ones.
Making use of Smart Folders on a Mac is a useful way to locate files and other stuff that you need in a fast manner. If you are familiar with the process of creating a Smart Folder on a Mac, you should also learn how to modify the icon that represents the folder on macOS.
