How to create folders on a Mac computer and organize your files

 Posted on July 5, 2024  |  3 minutes  |  633 words  |  Artie Phelan

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  • Folders are a great way to keep your various documents, photos, and other files organized and to keep your Mac's desktop uncluttered.
  • You can create a new folder on a Mac in a matter of seconds, using either of two easy approaches.
  • Naming, renaming, and moving folders around is quick and easy, as is transferring files into or out of a folder.
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If you want a Mac with a clean desktop, where all your many files are orderly and easy to find, then you're going to have to get comfortable using folders.

Analogous to the actual cardboard hardware for which a computer folder is named, on a Mac, folders can be used to store any type of file, from a text document to a spreadsheet to photos, music, and more. And you can create and use folders within folders for even more advanced organization.

But before you can use folders to clean up and bring order to your Mac, you need to know how to create them and how to move files into (or out of) them.

How to create a folder on a Mac computer

Approach #1

1. Navigate to the desktop of your Mac. The word "Finder" will be displayed at the top left corner of the monitor beside the apple icon once you're there — if it says anything else, like "Safari" or "Word," you are technically still in that program, so just click on an empty space on your desktop.

2. Click the word "File" beside "Finder."

3. Click "New Folder" from the dropdown menu.

Click "New Folder" from the dropdown menu. Steven John/Business Insider

And that's it, new folder created.

Approach #2

1. Navigate to the desktop of your Mac.

2. Right click on your mouse, or use two fingers held close together to create a right click on your trackpad.

3. Click "New Folder" in the menu that appears.

Right click and select "New Folder." Steven John/Business Insider

How to edit and add files to a folder on a Mac

Once your new folder is created, it will be called "untitled folder." To change its name, you can either do a slow double click on its name, or you can right click on the folder and then choose "Rename."

You can rename folders as many times as you'd like. Steven John/Business Insider

To move files into the folder, simply drag them to it by clicking on the file in question and maneuvering it over the folder. And don't forget that you can use these same techniques to create a new folder within the folder. And within that folder. And down deeper and deeper it goes.

You can create folders within folders. Steven John/Business Insider

If you ever want to delete a folder, you can either drag it directly to the icon for your computer's Trash, or right click on the folder and select "Move to Trash" from the menu that appears.

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Steven John Freelance Writer Steven John is a freelance writer living near New York City by way of 12 years in Los Angeles, four in Boston, and the first 18 near DC. When not writing or spending time with his wife and kids, he can occasionally be found climbing mountains. His writing is spread across the web, and his books can be found at www.stevenjohnbooks.com. Read more Read less

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