Mac Files Guide 101

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I see far too many people keeping their most important files on their desktop. I know what they’re thinking: “I can get to it so easily from here!”

But that’s like owning a file cabinet, and keeping your most essential documents piled in a stack on top of it!

You can accidentally throw them in the trash…save over them…forget to back them up…. You have to look at the clutter all the time. Plus, it actually requires your computer to work a little harder because it has to keep drawing their icons!

The first step in cleaning up the clutter is to put the files away where they belong. Put your files in the Documents folder, and your photos in iPhoto or the Pictures folder. After you’ve straightened up your desktop, here are five ways of accessing your files just as easily:

1. Drag the file to the right side of the Dock. One-click access!
2. Open a Finder window and drag the file to the sidebar.
3. Open a Finder window and drag the file to the title bar at the top.
4. Search for the first few letters of the filename in Spotlight.
5. Use the Recent Items flyout under the Apple Menu.

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