Nothing is better than a major operating system update, especially when it is available for free. At mac-fusion, we certainly hope you are enjoying the new Mavericks OS X 10.9 operating system that Apple released this week. Over the coming weeks, we will be publishing a series of articles that take a direct look at some of the new functions that can be found in Mavericks, along with other important information that will assist you with getting the most out of your Mac.
We all love tabs in Safari. Even third party browsers support the use of tabs. Tabs essentially offers the ability for users to have multiple windows open, within a single window. It has revolutionized the way we traverse the Internet.
The good news is tabs are expanding and Apple has incorporated them into the Finder. As with Safari, the functionality is identical.
- Command + T will present a new Finder tab.
- Control + Tab will allow you to navigate between open tabs from left to right.
- Control + Shift + Tab will allow you to navigate from right to left.
It is important to note that the new tab will open to the default Finder window. Generally this is ‘All My Files’. In order to change this default directory, proceed to Finder > Preferences. In The General tab you will notice an option for ‘New Finder windows show:’. Simply click the drop down menu and select a directory that best suits your needs.
Folders on your Mac can be open in new tabs if you wish. Simply select a folder and right click, then select ‘Open in New Tab’. There is no preset shortcut for this feature.
If you want to close a tab, simply hover your pointer over the tab and click the ‘x’ button. Similarly, the ‘+’ button at the very far right of the tabs, in the Finder window, will allow you to open another tab should you not want to use the keyboard shortcuts.
Files and folders can also be transferred between tabs, therefore further reducing the need for multiple open windows. Simply click and drag the file (or folder), you wish to transfer, to another Finder tab. The tab title will then highlight.
Upon releasing, the file will be moved into the new location. Should you make a mistake, you can always undo the move by pressing Command + Z, or by proceeding to Edit > Undo Move of “filename”. It is important to note that this will move the file, not copy it. Therefore, the file in question will no longer be in its original directory.
Should you want to copy a file to another tab, then simply hold down the Option key as you click and drag the file to the new directory. The copy functionality can also be undone should you make an error.
If you have any questions about this article, or Mavericks in general, please feel free to drop into the store to discuss your specific requirements. We also have stock of the newly updated MacBook Pro lineup and can assist you with build-to-order options.