Finder: Do you use Column, List, or icon view?

[Traverse]

I realize this is a dumb question, but I was checking out TotalFinder and Path Finder and I've seen screenshots from many other users on this forum and all these "pro" apps and users always seem to be using column view or list view.

This made me realize that I've never used anything but icon view, even when I had a PC 4 years ago. I love keeping the Finder organized (often to extremes) and it's not uncommon from me to have nested folders 8-10 levels deep. In icon view this means I have to click 16+ times to reach my target destination. Whereas, if I used list or icon view it would only take 8+ using the expand triangle. This does seem more efficient, but I've tried to use it and it just feels awkward to me. Perhaps I need to give it more time. I guess I like the eye candy, so to speak, of icon view and the file thumbnails.

Just out of curiosity, what view mode do you primarily use?

 

[firedept]

I use TotalFinder plus Icon View. Always have. But what I do differently than most people do with their folders, is I use a colored folder system with icons on the folders to make them easily distinguishable from one another. This way I do not always have to look for things by name. With colors and icons, in most cases my eyes can easily pick out the folder I am looking for. Maybe like you, I enjoy the eye candy as you say.

 

[T'hain Esh Kelch]

Coloumn view. That was one of the largest time savers for me, and one of the features I was looking forward to the most, when switching from Mac OS9.

I must say that I find it hard to use icon view these days, it feels so inefficient.

 

[maflynn]

Mostly list view. I find the list view similar to the detail view of the window's explorer and that's quite helpful and so I usually stick with that.

 

[Partron22]

I don't find myself burrowing through folder levels all that often, so list view is sufficient. If I needed a complicated folder structure, I'd use column view.

 

[Jessica Lares]

List view with the path bar and preview on.

 

[Traverse]

Thank you everyone for the replies!

I think I'm going to try column view again, I find it a little easier to manage than list for you when you have a lot of folders.

 

[tdale]

Im newish to Macs, I use Column view but its hopeless for nested folders, and it doesn't hold the column width (or does it?)

 

[OLDCODGER]

I like simplicity. Icons with a picture to identify groups.

 

[Traverse]

Curious.

Does Finder remember view mode on a per-folder/location basis? I'd like to view my home folder in icon view, but when going through my school folders I think I'm going to try column view.

 

[PowerBook-G5]

I use column view all the time. I actually find it to be easier when working with nestled folders so that I can see file/folder names, scroll, and drop/drop stuff easily. That being said, I have one system in my Documents folder that is about 14 folders deep. Some people ask me how I can find stuff in a system that deep, but when organized the way I do it, it's simple. The people who can't comprehend my folder systems are actually windoze users who don't EVER use folder and think that saving everything on the desktop is organization. To each his own.

 

[Larry-K]

List view, need dates.

 

[Gregg2]

Icons always. That's the default, or was when I got my first Mac with OS7. That makes it, well, iconic.

 

[Pakaku]

I can't stand how Windows doesn't have a column view.

 

[ApfelKuchen]

I mostly use List view. I go back to the days of MS DOS, so that's what I got used to. I also like that I can quickly view basic file info and quickly sort by date, alpha, or file type.

List view doesn't do much to tell you where you are in a complex file structure (although the Path Bar is a help), but I don't like to go very deep in terms of nested folders (or web site layout), and I prefer to minimize compartmentalization in general. In most cases I'd rather use Search on one over-crowded folder than try to remember where I put something, or to put a lot of thought into the right folder structure to use. It seems that the more complex the organizational structure, the more likely I'll have second thoughts about how I organized things.

That said, if necessity requires drilling-down through layers of folders, (such as browsing through ~/Library or the contents of the iTunes and iPhoto/Aperture library packages), I find Column view to be more useful than List - in those cases where I am is at least as important as what I'm looking for.

Since I tend towards folders containing many files, Icon view is pretty inefficient, though it's handy when the folder contains images. When there are a lot of images to be browsed? Cover Flow, for sure!

 

[ApfelKuchen]

Curious.

Does Finder remember view mode on a per-folder/location basis? I'd like to view my home folder in icon view, but when going through my school folders I think I'm going to try column view.

In short, yes, so long as you open that folder in a separate window or tab.

Finder Tabs was one of my favorite additions to Mavericks. If you're not familiar, check it out - it works just like tabbed web browsing.

 

[PowerBook-G5]

Finder Tabs was one of my favorite additions to Mavericks. If you're not familiar, check it out - it works just like tabbed web browsing.

Finder tabs were definitely one of my favorites with Mavericks, too.

Now that I'm thinking about it, what if other apps, such as iWork, TextEdit, etc used tabs for their windows as well? I think that would be great, being someone who routinely works with five or more Pages documents open at the same time. The tabs would work just like in the Finder and Safari, so instead of using Mission Control or strategically positioning windows to be able to click to bring a window to the front, you could just click on the tab you want! You listening, Apple?

 

[Traverse]

Somewhat off topic, but I still don't see the point of the All My Files view.

It's inconsistent with Finder view modes and just doesn't seem useful.

 

[GGJstudios]

Just out of curiosity, what view mode do you primarily use?

I primarily use List View. For me, Icon View is very inefficient. It's harder to see file names when searching, and the Icon View frequently doesn't display everything in a folder on the screen. Many icons are off-screen, forcing you to continuously right-click and "Clean Up" so you know you have everything visible. There are a few situations where I guess it would be useful, such as viewing folders of pictures, but I use Quick Look for that.

Somewhat off topic, but I still don't see the point of the All My Files view.

It's inconsistent with Finder view modes and just doesn't seem useful.

Yes, I never use All My Files either. I leave it off the sidebar.

 

[coops]

Column view as my 'standard' view, occasionally list view when i need to sort by extension or see the date etc... And this is in dual pane view with Totalfinder - very, very good indeed.
Make sure you enable the 'folders on top' option in Totalfinder ( unless you like your files jumbled up in your folders ;-). ). , and use the 'visor' facility... I use a default option i think, just double click the option key and the finder comes up - tap anywhere outside the finder screen, and it goes away.

Always has been very good indeed ( i tried Pathfinder aswell before Totalfinder), and supported keyboard shortcuts for cut and paste long before Apple decided the great unwashed hoi polloi might be trusted to use such a revolutionary shortcut /s

 

[grahamperrin]

A Finder-related miscellany, including Safari, Rhapsody and Workspace Manager

… I still don't see the point of the All My Files view.

It's inconsistent with Finder view modes …

It's not inconsistent with anything, it's simply a saved search. One that's predefined by Apple and offered as a default. The attached screenshot shows the search criterion – just one – and the arrangement – by date modified.

If/when you realise the distinction between sorting and arrangement in modern versions of Finder, then eventually you'll probably realise the power of combining various features of Finder.

Incidentally, Apple removed functionality from Safari – the ability to automatically create dated folders for downloads. I reported the problem as a regression.

Apple probably expects the 'All My Files' default in Finder, arranging by date modified, to minimise the inconvenience felt by the majority of users who are affected by the regression in Safari.

Personally, I prefer the accuracy of dated folders – because I very often think of things as on a timeline. So I use Glims to restore the functionality that Apple removed:

… I think I'm going to try column view again, I find it a little easier to manage than list for you when you have a lot of folders.

… I use Column view but its hopeless for nested folders …

That's interesting. To navigate that view, do you more often use the keyboard? Or a mouse or trackpad?

I use column view all the time. I actually find it to be easier when working with nestled folders …

Icons always. That's the default, or was when I got my first Mac with OS7. …

I can't stand how Windows doesn't have a column view.

Related, mostly historical

Evolution of Mac OS X (Pics) – Apple Rhapsody – Workspace Manager, Finder and columns in particular

– the first two quotes should be an inspiration to customers and developers now. Critics placed great emphasis on the importance of Apple respecting its own Human Interface Guidelines (HIG); guidelines with a twenty-year history.

Fifteen years later … that's now a thirty-five year history, with some intense disappointment this year …

 

[grahamperrin]

Path/folder-specific view preferences for Finder

… Does Finder remember view mode on a per-folder/location basis? …

Yes, to a degree.

arnotify » On the origins of .DS_Store (2006-10-01, highlights)

rdar://18703500: Finder in Yosemite randomly loses window size settings (2014-10-19)

 

[grahamperrin]

Miller columns

Reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miller_columns

… Miller columns are most well known today as the “Columns view” mode of the Mac OS X Finder, as well as the "Browser" view in iTunes. …

– thanks to Mark in Stack Exchange for the description.

The phrase is found in three other topics in MacRumors Forums. The first occurrence in each topic:

• https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=1703574#post1703574
• https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=8192790#post8192790
• https://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?p=9039595#post9039595

 

[882188]

I use Cover Flow.

 

[Traverse]

I've started to force myself to use column view/list view. Honestly, I don't like it now (just because I'm used to icon view), but it really is faster.

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List view with the path bar and preview on.

How do you enable preview?