How to Open and Use Multiple Tabs in Finder on Mac

Finder is your go-to tool if you’re looking for a file on your Mac, as it’s the default file manager in macOS, meaning it’s possible to use it to find any file, document, photo, etc.

Sometimes, you may need to open more than one window to help you find or transfer files, which is where Finder tabs come into play.

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We’ve covered how to open and use multiple tabs in Finder down below, but before that, let’s quickly go over Finder tabs and learn why you should use them.

What Are Finder Tabs? (And Why Should You Use Them?)

Finder tabs on macOS are similar to tabs you see in browsers such asSafari and Chrome. The purpose of this feature is to allow navigation between different macOS locations within one window with multiple tabs instead of opening several windows of Finder.

Apple introduced Finder tabs with OS X Mavericks (10.9), and the feature has been a fan favorite ever since. Keeping different Finder tabs open in multiple locations makes moving files between them easier.

Finder logo on Mac

How to Open and Use Multiple Finder Tabs in macOS

The tab bar should automatically be visible if you create a new tab. You’ll see it near the top of your Finder window. You can also make it visible (or hide it) by going toFinder > View > Show Tab Bar(or by pressingShift + Cmd + Ton your keyboard.)

To open a new tab in Finder, simply pressCmd + Ton your keyboard. Alternatively, you can click theplus (+)button on the right side of the tab bar in Finder. You can also open a new tab by going to theFinder menu > Open New Tab. This will open to thedefault folder location set in Finder(usually the Recents folder)

Show Tab Bar in Finder

To open a specific folder in a new tab, holdCmdwhile double-clicking a folder, orControl-click(secondary click) on a folder and selectOpen in New Tabas shown below.

You should see your tabs arranged at the top of the Finder window. Clicking on any tab opens it up, which you can use to get to any folder on your system.

Open Folder in New Tab

To close a tab, simply hover the mouse cursor over the tab you want to get rid of. You’ll see anXicon appear on the left of the tab. Click on it to close the tab.

Similarly, to close all but the selected tab,Control-clickthe Finder tab you want to keep open, and then selectClose Other Tabsfrom the context menu.

Multiple Tabs in Finder

Other Ways to Navigate Through Finder

Finder is an excellent built-in tool that you can customize in different ways according to your preferences. For instance, you can set it to display files and other items as icons, lists, columns, or a gallery. You can even group items according to different categories, customize the toolbar, add tags to files, and more.

There are many unique features to explore in Finder, which can lead to a more efficient workflow and save you ample time while performing daily tasks on your Mac.

Finder lets you customize your Mac by setting different background colors and images for different folders.

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