
Ask HN: OS X folks – do you use Finder? - tericho
I&#x27;ve been on OSX since Lion, before that I spent my time on Windows.  Finder is pretty awful compared to Windows Explorer.  Are there any alternatives people use?<p>PS. Please don&#x27;t say Terminal. I use the CL for development but for browsing &amp; interacting with photos and documents of any substantial quantity I enjoy a UI.
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habosa
I'm not sure if this is common knowledge or not, but I didn't learn about
Cmd+Down (open file/folder) and Cmd+Up (go to parent dir) in Finder until
recently. This has completely changed my productivity in Finder since I can
now navigate quickly without the mouse. I used to hate Finder a lot more
before I knew this.

~~~
donatj
I've always used Cmd+O for open. Interesting that Down would open.

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schrodingersCat
The _major_ (and really only) criticism of Finder is a lack of an "address"
bar. I would really like a bar where I can change directories quickly instead
of doing ALL navigation using mouse clicks. Yes, I know you can invoke a
Command-Shift-G to do this in a secondary menu, but Explorer has this built
in. Having an address bar with tab completion and unix file-system shortcut
support (i.e. "~", ".", "..") would be great!

~~~
lpsz
This may help. One little-known feature: if you drag a folder to a File
Open/Save dialog, it'll navigate to that folder! (This is unlike Windows,
where it would move that folder.)

If you have the folder already open in another Finder window, you can drag its
icon next to the title in the titlebar (top of window.)

You can also drag a folder (or that icon) to Terminal to grab the path.

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3rd3
I love the Miller columns, the preview column and QuickLook. I hate the lack
of an address bar and to be able to jump to a terminal directly. For the
second issue I use a shortcut that cds the path of the front-most Finder
window using AppleScript. You can have QuickLook in the terminal too by the
way:

    
    
        # Quicklook given file
        ql () {
        	qlmanage -p $* 2>/dev/null
        }
    

And one tweak I often use is that I have mapped Ctrl-Shift-t to the "Tags..."
menu entry which can be done in System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts >
App Shortcuts > \+ > Application=Finder, Menu Title=Tags...

You can have something like cd .. in Finder using Cmd-up and cd - is Cmd-[.
When you Cmd-click the icon in the window title bar you can see the whole
path, which I use a lot too. Finally, I use Cmd-2 and Cmd-3 to switch between
column and list view.

~~~
charlesism
> I hate the lack of an address bar

I can get by with these:

• Cmd+Shift+G ("Go to Folder")

• "View > Show Path Bar"

~~~
dunham
It would be nice if "/" and "~" opened "Go to Folder", like it does in file
dialogs.

~~~
charlesism
I'm not saying Apple made the right choice, but it is legal to include "/" and
"~" in OS X filenames. This means that pressing "/" or "~" is already reserved
for jumping to a file in Finder, just as pressing "a" would take you to the
first file beginning with the letter "a"

~~~
0942v8653
Correction: '~' is legal. '/' is actually ':'.

~~~
charlesism
You are correct in a sense, but not in the context of the Finder. In the
Finder, you see '/' instead of ":" and therefore "/" is a character that needs
to be reserved for selecting files. But in the context of using the command-
line, or (some?/most?) programming libraries, you would be correct.

------
lpsz
Finder can be tamed if you master its keyboard shortcuts. For example, in a
folder of photos, press Cmd+Y to view a single photo. Then use arrow keys to
browse photos, Windows-style. Indispensable.

Or, Cmd+Backspace to delete a file.

~~~
jamesjamesm
Or just press Space to view the photo.

------
Tloewald
I use Finder constantly. That said, I use an extension called _Default Folder_
(which I've been using since long before Mac OS X) which not only works around
many of its shortcomings, but is almost impossible to live without. E.g. if
you have a Finder window open in the background, when you are in an file
dialog you can focus it on that window by clicking on it in the background, it
remembers where you were in a given folder (and which folder you were in for
each application), and so forth. It also gives you access to most of Finder's
functionality from inside file dialogs (which is something I do miss from
Windows).

I don't find Finder "awful" compared to Windows Explorer — quite the reverse
in general. But if you're not used to the Mac's keyboard navigation standards
(which have remained largely consistent since 1986 or so (i.e. HFS)) you may
not realize it. First -- list view is the best view. Second -- the same
keystrokes work in list view and in file dialogs.

------
geekam
I have a pet peeve. I have setup OSX to show the hidden and dotfiles. So,
everywhere I go using finder (say mounted drives), I get that .DS_Store file.
Is there a way to avoid seeing that in the list?

~~~
bombtrack
I'm not aware of a way to prevent just seeing them with hidden file visibility
turned on. However, there's several options to disable per-folder .DS_Store
file creation: [http://www.chrisnovoa.com/os-x-lion-ds_store-
disabling/](http://www.chrisnovoa.com/os-x-lion-ds_store-disabling/)

------
dmarble
Xtrafinder has been my saving grace, and it's free
([https://www.trankynam.com/xtrafinder/](https://www.trankynam.com/xtrafinder/))

\- Cut & paste

\- Hide dotfiles on Desktop

\- Automatically adjust column widths

\- Backspace to go to back

\- Add "go up" to toolbar

\- Add functionality to menus (e.g. new terminal here, new file (with
templates), copy path, show hidden items, refresh, launch as root)

\- Dual window

\- Visual tweaks

\- A few other niceties

------
snowwrestler
I use Finder and I don't understand what people don't like about it.

SMB is slow for me on Mountain Lion, so Windows file shares are annoying. But
that's not Finder's fault.

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tjr
Yes, I use Finder, since Puma. I also put in considerable hours using Windows
Explorer. I personally find neither significantly better or worse than the
other.

~~~
peapicker
Likewise, except I started using finder with Snow Leopard. I use it on 3 macs
at home all the time, and at work I use Explorer all day. I also find neither
better or worse, they are just different.

------
dclinephx
Here's a nice tool to add more value to the Finder:

[https://github.com/jbtule/cdto/releases](https://github.com/jbtule/cdto/releases)

Add the app to the Finder toolbar then whenever you're in a folder and you
want to open a terminal/iterm window in that folder just click the icon.

Also, when you're in a terminal window and you want to open a Finder window in
that directory just run the command:

$ open .

Tip: In Mavericks you have to hold command+option to drag an app into the
toolbar. I forget the key combo for dragging it to the toolbar in Yosemite, I
want to say either just command or no key combo is required.

------
zacharycohn
I use TotalFinder. $20, worth every penny. Solved every problem I had with
Finder.

~~~
jeremyswank
What TotalFinder offers is probably worth the 20 bucks, but I find my Finder
dissatisfaction itch is scratched by Xtrafinder for free.

------
msutherl
Combo of Quicksilver + Finder + knowing the keyboard shortcuts works ok for
me. Quicksilver partially covers for the lack of address-bar – CMD+Space and
type the name of the folder you want to go to. I suppose Spotlight can serve
the same purpose, but the killer app for me is moving files. I find the
column-browse mode vastly superior to the others. Quicklook helps a lot. Ditto
tabs.

For a sort of online alternative to the finder, check out:
[http://are.na/](http://are.na/).

------
jpgauthier
I'm curious, what is so bad about Finder?

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scelerat
Ugh, well, Terminal. iTerm 2, rather.

I barely have need of Finder on a day-to-day basis. When I do use it, it's
sufficient for what I need. No major complaints.

I'm a long time Mac user (since 1984) and the paradigms and shortcuts are
ingrained. The current Finder uses a lot of them, so for me predictability
around selection and navigation via keyboard is there and I've never really
found it lacking. Look in Help for "shortcuts," and google for the same. There
are a lot of them, and many are supported throughout the OS and most apps.

------
TamDenholm
I use path finder, i find it way more powerful and useful than finder.
[http://www.cocoatech.com/pathfinder/](http://www.cocoatech.com/pathfinder/)

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b_emery
I mostly use spotlight for navigation via keyboard commands. Cmd + space bar
gets spotlight and then type what you're looking for. It's not perfect but
it's on every mac and it really minimized the need for a mouse.

The only other mod is to show the full path in the finder window title:

    
    
      defaults write com.apple.finder _FXShowPosixPathInTitle -bool YES
      # then restart finder
      osascript -e 'tell app "Finder" to quit'

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Moto7451
I'm also in the "what's wrong with Finder?" crowd. I find Explorer to be
cluttered and harder to use, especially when it comes to drag and drop
support.

I did turn on a couple neat dock modes with Mountain Tweaks[1] and installed
some quick look plugins for security certs and archive files but that's about
it.

[1] [http://tweaksapp.com](http://tweaksapp.com)

~~~
johnward
The biggest problem I have is there is nothing showing your path so no quick
way to navigate up a few levels. I've been using OSX for about 5 years now and
I still have no idea how to get to the parent dir. There is an option in the
GUI to go "back" if you navigated to the folder but if you got there from a
shortcut/link how do you get to the parent?

I found in this thread you can use CMD up to go to the parent. Why isn't there
anything in the UI? edit: I guess it's File -> Go -> Enclosing folder. Seems
like too many steps compared to Windows Explorer which is 1 click.

~~~
dunham
Per other comments in this thread: Cmd-Up will go to parent. (This also is
indicated in the menu item that you just pointed out.)

If you don't like using the keyboard:

* Right click on the title bar, choose "Customize Toolbar..." and drag the "Path" option to your toolbar. You'll then have a dropdown button to navigate to the parent and any ancestor of the current folder.

* Alternately, you can choose "Show Path Bar" in the View menu, and it will display your path at the bottom of the window. (You have to double click on an entry to go to it.)

~~~
nicky0
* Or right click the little folder icon in the window's title bar. (You can also drag that little icon - for example to a terminal window.)

------
0942v8653
I use Finder and Alfred about equally. If you don't have Alfred, get it
([http://alfredapp.com](http://alfredapp.com)). Just type ~ or / to switch the
file mode. It's really useful for just finding a file quickly, when you only
need something fast and transient (it closes when you press enter).

------
trishume
I like using the keyboard so I forked an awesome console column based file
browser and gave it fancy OSX features:

[https://github.com/trishume/macranger](https://github.com/trishume/macranger)

It's not quite ready for other people yet, it requires around 4 different
components to work nicely, only 2 of which are public.

------
subsection1h
> _Please don 't say Terminal._

Okay, I'll say the second best option: Dired.

[http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/emacs/Dir...](http://www.gnu.org/software/emacs/manual/html_node/emacs/Dired.html)

------
xenophonf
I really miss the Start Menu on the Mac. To get close to what I want, I have
dragged the Applications folder to the dock next to the Downloads folder, and
I've set it to display as a Folder (vs. a Stack) and as a List (vs.
Automatic).

~~~
jeremyswank
Sure, I totally understand your desire to do things the way you're used to,
but launching apps (imho) has never been easier for me by invoking Spotlight,
typing the first letter or 2 of the appname and when the app you want is
highlighted, hit return. Spotlight knows where all your apps are so you don't
have to.

~~~
xenophonf
Oh, I know about Spotlight. I've been using that for a long time, too. (And of
course, that's a feature of Explorer and other shells, too.) This may sound
strange, but sometimes I find it easier to navigate through the menu. Even
stranger is that I love the Windows 8 Start Screen but detest Mission Control.
I hate to admit it, but it isn't rational.

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Steuard
I'm roughly 50/50 using Finder or Terminal.

You haven't said what about Finder you don't like, so I've got no suggestions
for you. For me, it does the job just fine. (Is it possible that you're just
more accustomed to Windows?)

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stevenspasbo
Yes, I've never had any issues with it. I pretty much only use it when I'm
going to my PDF's directory.

(I know you said not to, but for pretty much every file operation, I use the
terminal.)

------
BillyParadise
I only moved to Mac this year. The one thing that annoys me about finder is
the inability to back-swipe. File browser, web browser - they should work the
same way, no?

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billconan
I have been using Mac for many years, finder is indeed awful.

I also don't understand why apple doesn't allow "file cut", only "file copy".

~~~
Wevah
Command-Option-V after you copy should do what you want (move instead of
copy).

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doe88
Somewhat related to this topic why is there not way (at least intuitively
through cmd-x cmd-v) to _cut-and-copy_ a file? I find it mind boggling.

~~~
kozhevnikov
Cmd+Alt+V is the "move" instead of "copy", holding Alt would also modify the
Paste option in the right-click menu.

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FireBeyond
Cocoatech's Path Finder - I love it.

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cturhan
Oh thanks god, I thought I was the only one who hates finder after comparing
with windows explorer.

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adamnemecek
I too use PathFinder. It's definitely the best Finder replacement one out
there.

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astrowilliam
Everyday. I'm heavily using photos in my line of work so it's necessary.

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trustfundbaby
I use totalfinder on OSX to make up for a lot of finder's defeciencies.

~~~
deepvibrations
Same, I find both totalfinder and totalspaces really improve my workflow,
though I still go back to terminal for a lot of0 tasks like searching for
particular files...The sheer speed of commands like ack just cant be matched
if trying to do similar things in finder.

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herrwolfe
Only for interacting with photos. Normally, I just use terminal :).

