99
votes
Accepted
Compress without .DS_Store and __MACOSX
You can use zip command in Terminal to zip the files without the .DS_Store, __MACOSX and other .* files.
Open Terminal (search for terminal in spotlight)
Navigate to the folder you want to zip using ...
- 1,591
44
votes
Grayed out folder won't open in finder
I had the same issue with an account folder, which I restored from a backup via rsync. The problem seemed to be the corrupt or missing creation date. After setting it manually the folder was acting ...
- 441
26
votes
Compress without .DS_Store and __MACOSX
Just some extra information ...
My understanding is that __MACOSX is a subdirectory artificially created by the Mac GUI tools to hold meta data such as extended attributes that can't be normally saved ...
- 983
26
votes
Accepted
Difference between root ('/') and "Computer"
"Computer" is a virtual construction which shows you all the mounted volumes, local network connections, and other things. It's not a 'real' place on a disk.
/ is the root level of your ...
- 33.8k
21
votes
Accepted
Strange case of truly invisible file (?) and undeletable directory on macOS
I filed a bug report with Apple and this seems to finally be fixed now in Mojave 10.14.4 (18E226).
To fix, update your OS to the latest version. Then reboot into recovery (CMD-R) and run disk first ...
- 276
20
votes
Accepted
Change location of screenshots mac
Terminal command to change screenshot save location:
defaults write com.apple.screencapture location "/path/to/new/location"
Put your desired screenshot path between the double quotes as it is ...
- 1,598
20
votes
How to cd to a directory with a name starting with a "-" (minus)?
This should just work:
cd /path/to/-folderthatstartswithdash
EDIT:
According to this question, this works if you only want to input the name:
cd -- -folderthatstartswithdash
- 3,249
19
votes
How to cd to a directory with a name starting with a "-" (minus)?
cd ./-folder
usually works quite well here (and also with other commands)
- 98k
18
votes
Accepted
Tags - best practice for using tags to replace hierarchical folder structure
Experts recommend that you should set up the minimal hierarchical folder structure that is logical for you, and use tags for all other categories.
For example, Kerry Gleeson's classic book The ...
- 420
17
votes
Change 'New folder' default name
With the assistance of AppleScript you can accomplish this.
Open AppleScript Editor, create a new document and paste the following stolen lines:
tell application "Finder"
try
if exists ...
- 66.1k
16
votes
Accepted
A "Library"-folder appeared in my Documents folder on Mac, Is that normal?
This was reported by several of our users as well so I did some digging.
The Library folder itself is owned by root and only root has rwx access. The only folder inside on three different machines I ...
- 176
15
votes
How can I create a folder in the current directory in list view?
I think the key bit here is:
You have first to double-click the directory within which you want to create the new folder.
Selecting File->New Folder (or Shift-Command-N) won't create a new folder in ...
- 151
14
votes
How to get Gmail Categories in macOS Mail app?
Unfortunately, Gmail doesn’t expose its “Categories” to IMAP. I'm using Mail.app as my email client, and I had the same desire to have my mail categorized with Gmail’s bayesian-or-whatever classifiers,...
- 255
14
votes
Accepted
How to view any folder as if it was desktop
From this SO answer:
Backup your old default Desktop folder
If you have files in your existing Desktop folder, don’t worry. We’re
going to back up your existing folder so you can copy your ...
- 9,929
14
votes
Accepted
What does `/usr/local/Cellar/` directory contain?
/usr/local/Cellar is the directory into which Homebrew installs software packages (via brew install ...). The relevant files are afterwards linked to from /usr/local/bin etc.
- 98k
13
votes
Entire "Users" folder is missing when booted into Recovery Mode
I ran into this same issue with Big Sur, and I was able to figure out why my Users directory was empty, so I thought I'd post.
I had my "Macintosh HD" drive mounted as /Volumes/Macintosh HD, ...
- 131
12
votes
Compress without .DS_Store and __MACOSX
Try Keka. It comes with an option to exclude .DS_Store
- 4,028
12
votes
Accepted
How to add an existing smart folder to the sidebar
In Finder, select your Smart Folder (typically saved in ~/Library/Saved Searches, it's a .savedSearch file).
Then from the menu in Finder, select: File > Add to Sidebar ^⌘T
Or ...
- 464
11
votes
How do I get a folder tree view in the left column of the Finder?
Favorites in the left hand side is a flat list, but it's a good place to store some frequent destinations.
And make sure to select the third option (circled) so you can have a tree structure in your ...
- 211
11
votes
Accepted
Examine a .DS_Store file?
There is a great write up and some easier solutions posted at http://ponderthebits.com/2017/01/mac-dumpster-diving-identifying-deleted-file-references-in-the-trash-ds_store-files-part-1/
Including ...
- 3,872
11
votes
How to replace the System's Download folder with one in an external drive?
This is possible via symbolic link.
Move your existing data in ~/Downloads to the location you want, let's say /ExternalDrive/Downloads
Open Terminal and run:
This will remove the Downloads folder ...
- 493
10
votes
Accepted
Get AppleScript Path of Parent Folder
AppleScript is written in English. Read what it says! Remove the posix path of from the code, and you'll get the HFS path.
Full code:
tell application "Finder" to get (container of (path to me)) as ...
- 5,487
9
votes
How can I open a folder called something.app in various applications?
As others have said, a simple right click in a regular Finder window will make it possible to "show package contents".
For a file open dialog, use the "Go to location" functionality (⌘ Cmd+⇧ Shift+G)...
- 91
9
votes
Get AppleScript Path of Parent Folder
Try this:
Unix style:
set my_POSIX_path to POSIX path of ((path to me as text) & "::")
If you need to pass it to e.g. shell script, you might want to enclose the path with quotes:
set ...
- 283
9
votes
Does OS X El Capitan have a /boot folder
The OS X boot loader is stored in a file called boot.efi which you can find in /System/Library/CoreServices. It isn't stored in /boot.
You can read more about the OS X boot process on Apple's website ...
- 14.1k
9
votes
How do I stop folders automatically opening on my MacBook Pro 2014?
The feature you're referring to is called Spring Loaded Folders. Folders should only spring open if you hover (or pause) over a folder for a second or so (depending on your settings).
In other words,...
- 64.3k
9
votes
symbolic link vs. alias
Aliases store two pieces of information about the destination file - both the location and a file identifier. Symbolic links only store the other location. For that reason, if you move a file, Aliases ...
- 232k
8
votes
Is there a shortcut to expand all folders in Finder's list view?
To expand one single level folder
Command Right arrow
To expand all levels of subfolders under the selected folder.
Command Option Right arrow
OR
Option and click the triangle in folder view in ...
- 471
8
votes
Accepted
How can I move my notes from one folder (gmail) to another (iCloud)?
The following worked for me:
Go to the folder that represents the notes stored on the external server
Click Edit and choose the notes you need moved, or just swipe from the right on the individual ...
- 398
8
votes
Change the icon of all the folders on mac
Most standard system wide icons for the macOS are stored here:
/System/Library/CoreServices/CoreTypes.bundle/Contents/Resources
The folder icon in which you're interested is named GenericFolderIcon....
- 1,637
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