Mac Setup

Written & tested for accuracy by a developer (not AI)

Finder Settings for a New Mac

Recommended macOS Finder settings for a new Mac. How to set up the Finder with list view, the path bar, filename extensions, hidden files, and a useful sidebar, for a new MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio, or Mac Pro.

The Finder is the Mac app that shows your files and folders. Apple sets it up to avoid confusing new users, and a few changes to its settings make it much more useful.

Setting up the Finder is one step to set up a Mac for development. This article is part of a series on Mac Setup.

Tested on macOS 27 Golden Gate, September 2026.

The Finder icon is the blue smiling face at the start of the Dock. Click it to open a Finder window.

Mac setup is easier and faster, with more options, if you use the Terminal. Open the Terminal by pressing Command + Space to open Spotlight search, then typing “terminal” and pressing Enter.

Before you get started

Before you set up the Finder, get useful apps from Setapp (ForkLift is a file manager with more features than the Finder). I've used Setapp for years, paying a low monthly subscription to get apps I need. They offer a Setapp free 7-day trial that I recommend. Check it out.

Understand the Finder

The Finder is the navigation tool for files and folders on the Mac. You use it to create, move, and delete files and folders. Files can be documents, apps, media, or configuration settings, and folders contain files and other folders in a hierarchy.

Files and folders are at the heart of any computer, even though phones and tablets hide them. Unix, the basis for macOS, treats nearly everything as a file, including devices. The metaphor comes from the offices of the mid-1900s, where paper documents were kept in folders in filing cabinets.

Choose a Finder alternative

You can replace the Finder with another file manager, such as Path Finder, ForkLift, or Commander One. These offer more features than the Finder, such as dual-pane browsing and file synchronization. However, the Finder is adequate for most people once you change its settings.

Set the Finder view

The Finder has four views: Icon, List, Column, and Gallery. Choose one from the Finder's View menu. I prefer List view because it shows the most information about each file and folder.

To make List view the default from a terminal application, run this command:

$ defaults write com.apple.finder FXPreferredViewStyle -string "Nlsv"

Show the path bar and status bar

From the Finder's View menu, choose Show Path Bar and Show Status Bar. The path bar shows where the current folder is and lets you click an enclosing folder. The status bar shows how many items a folder holds and how much disk space is free.

To turn both on from a terminal application, run these commands:

$ defaults write com.apple.finder ShowPathbar -bool true
$ defaults write com.apple.finder ShowStatusBar -bool true

Show hidden files

Files and folders whose names start with a dot are hidden in the Finder. You'll need to see them, because hidden files often hold configuration settings.

Press Command + Shift + . (period) in a Finder window to show hidden files, and press it again to hide them. Hidden files appear grayed out. To show hidden files permanently, run this command in a terminal application:

$ defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool true

For the keyboard shortcut, the ~/Library folder, and what to do when hidden files won't show, see Show Hidden Files on Mac.

Show filename extensions

macOS hides filename extensions by default. You need them to know a file's type and which app opens it. Choose Finder > Settings, click the Advanced tab, and select Show all filename extensions.

Finder Settings Advanced tab in macOS 27 Golden Gate

To set it from a terminal application, run this command:

$ defaults write NSGlobalDomain AppleShowAllExtensions -bool true

Search the current folder

A Finder search covers your whole Mac by default. For faster, more focused results, search the current folder instead. When you need the whole Mac, start the search from the top-level folder. In Finder > Settings > Advanced, set When performing a search to Search the Current Folder.

To set it from a terminal application, run this command:

$ defaults write com.apple.finder FXDefaultSearchScope -string "SCcf"

List folders first

The Finder mixes folders and files together when it sorts by name. Listing folders first makes them easier to find. In Finder > Settings > Advanced, under Keep folders on top, select In windows when sorting by name and On Desktop.

To set it from a terminal application, run this command:

$ defaults write com.apple.finder _FXSortFoldersFirst -bool true

Restart the Finder

Settings you change with defaults write take effect after the Finder restarts. This command quits the Finder, and macOS opens it again right away:

$ killall Finder

Customize the sidebar

The Finder sidebar holds shortcuts to folders and devices. Drag a folder into the sidebar to add it, and drag it out to remove it.

A default Finder sidebar contains:

  • Recents
  • Applications
  • Desktop
  • Documents
  • Downloads

I remove Recents, Applications, and Documents. I also remove Downloads and set my web browser to save downloads to the Desktop.

I add my home folder because I use it often, and the top-level folder so I can reach everything. I also create a Projects folder and add it (you might call yours "Work").

To add a folder, open it in the Finder, then drag the folder's icon from the path bar into the sidebar. You can open the top-level folder and your home folder from a terminal application with these commands:

$ open /
$ open ~

You can also choose Finder > Settings, click the Sidebar tab, and select the items you want to show. Or open a folder from the Finder's Go menu and drag it to the sidebar.

Now my Finder sidebar contains:

  • Macintosh HD
  • daniel
  • Desktop
  • Projects

Hide sidebar tags

The sidebar also shows tags, which label files with colors. Most people don't use them. To remove the distraction, choose Finder > Settings, click the Tags tab, and deselect each tag.

Change Finder settings from the terminal

Here are all the Finder settings you can change from the command line. Each defaults write command changes one Finder preference. First, open a terminal application, then run the commands you want and restart the Finder.

Thank you to Mathias Bynens for his sensible macOS defaults, where you can find many more macOS settings.

# Allow quitting the Finder with Command-Q, which also hides desktop icons
$ defaults write com.apple.finder QuitMenuItem -bool true

# Turn off window and Get Info animations
$ defaults write com.apple.finder DisableAllAnimations -bool true

# Open new Finder windows at the Desktop
# For other folders, use PfLo and file:///full/path/here/
$ defaults write com.apple.finder NewWindowTarget -string "PfDe"
$ defaults write com.apple.finder NewWindowTargetPath -string "file://${HOME}/Desktop/"

# Show hard drives, servers, and removable media on the desktop
$ defaults write com.apple.finder ShowExternalHardDrivesOnDesktop -bool true
$ defaults write com.apple.finder ShowHardDrivesOnDesktop -bool true
$ defaults write com.apple.finder ShowMountedServersOnDesktop -bool true
$ defaults write com.apple.finder ShowRemovableMediaOnDesktop -bool true

# Show hidden files
$ defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles -bool true

# Show all filename extensions
$ defaults write NSGlobalDomain AppleShowAllExtensions -bool true

# Show the status bar
$ defaults write com.apple.finder ShowStatusBar -bool true

# Show the path bar
$ defaults write com.apple.finder ShowPathbar -bool true

# Show the full folder path in the Finder window title
$ defaults write com.apple.finder _FXShowPosixPathInTitle -bool true

# Keep folders on top when sorting by name
$ defaults write com.apple.finder _FXSortFoldersFirst -bool true

# Search the current folder by default
$ defaults write com.apple.finder FXDefaultSearchScope -string "SCcf"

# Turn off the warning when changing a filename extension
$ defaults write com.apple.finder FXEnableExtensionChangeWarning -bool false

# Use List view in all Finder windows
# Codes for the other views: icnv, clmv, glyv
$ defaults write com.apple.finder FXPreferredViewStyle -string "Nlsv"

# Turn off the warning before emptying the Trash
$ defaults write com.apple.finder WarnOnEmptyTrash -bool false

# Show the ~/Library folder
$ chflags nohidden ~/Library && xattr -d com.apple.FinderInfo ~/Library

# Show the /Volumes folder (asks for your password)
$ sudo chflags nohidden /Volumes

# Expand the General, Open with, and Sharing & Permissions sections of Get Info
$ defaults write com.apple.finder FXInfoPanesExpanded -dict General -bool true OpenWith -bool true Privileges -bool true

After running the commands, restart the Finder:

$ killall Finder

Continue setting up your Mac

Don't miss the full visual roadmap and checklist that shows how to set up a Mac for software development, with all the essential tools and settings you might not yet know about.