In Summary

• Every time you open Finder on Mac, it opens to the Recents folder.
• While most people don’t mind this, those who save their work in other locations would certainly like it changed.
• It’s thankfully possible to change the default Finder folder on Mac to your preferred folder and save yourself the time and effort of having to navigate to it manually.

Finder is an integral part of macOS. It allows you to browse your Mac’s file system and access any attached devices, be it an external disk, a thumb drive, or a camera, all in one place. IMAGE: TheRegisti (Unsplash) By default, Finder is configured to show your most recent files whenever you open it. However, as you can imagine, this isn’t always ideal for many people, as everyone has their own preference when it comes to storing their work on the Mac. Thankfully, Apple lets you change the default Finder folder on macOS. Here’s how to do this. In its default configuration, Finder opens to the Recents folder on your Mac, which lists all the files you’ve recently viewed or interacted with on your Mac. But since there’s almost little to no use in having your Finder window open to these files, it makes sense to change it to a folder you use very often. Needless to say, some users use other locations, like Desktop, the Documents folder, or even a custom folder to save their work. In which case, changing the default Finder folder to that folder can save them a few clicks.

How to Change Default Finder Folder on Mac

As of macOS Monterey, you can set the new Finder window to show the home folder, Desktop, Documents, iCloud Drive, or your local storage. In addition, if you use a custom folder to save your work, you can also set Finder to display the same on your Mac. Follow these steps to change the default Finder folder on Mac:

1. Open Finder on your Mac.
2. Tap on Finder in the menu bar and select Preferences. Or alternatively, press Command + , keyboard shortcut to access Finder Preferences directly.
   
3. Make sure you’re in the General tab.
   
4. Click on the dropdown for New Finder windows show: and select a location from the listed options. If you want to use a custom folder location that isn’t listed, click on Other…, and using Finder, navigate to the folder you want to set as the default Finder folder, select it, and hit Choose.
   

Finder will now set your selected folder as the default folder. Consequently, when you open Finder on your Mac, it will open your new default folder/location.

Customize Finder to Your Preference

While Finder seems restrictive in terms of functionality, you’ll be surprised to find out that it offers a wide range of options for customization. Changing the default folder is one of the most basic customizations you can perform in Finder to control what appears in a new Finder window. There are various Finder options you can tweak/customize to make Finder work better for you. Was this article helpful? YesNo TechPP is supported by our audience. We may earn affiliate commissions from buying links on this site. Finder is undoubtedly one of the most used utilities on a Mac. It is where you manage all your files and folders. That’s why it always stays active Finder also integrates with your iCloud account to show you files from the cloud and any external drive plugged into your Mac can also be accessed via the app. While you can access all the files, folders, and directories on your Mac via Finder, you must have observed that each time you click on the Finder icon, a specific folder opens inside a new Finder window. This folder is persistent which means each time you open up a new Finder window, you will see the same folder. It’s time consuming if the default folder isn’t something you use frequently. You will then have to navigate to the desired folder manually which takes up extra time and a few extra steps. You can avoid all of that by changing the default opening folder in Finder. You can set the default folder in Finder to open a specific folder of your choice that will improve your workflow. Here’s how you can do it. When you buy a new Mac, the default screen set in Finder shows your recent files. Some people may find this handy as you can quickly launch your recently accessed files from this screen. However, it’s not intuitive if you want to access an important folder each time you launch a new Finder window. By changing the default opening folder, you can get quick access to a particular folder that you use most frequently on your Mac.

How to Change the Default Folder in Finder

Changing the default opening folder in Finder is a straightforward process and only takes a few clicks. Here’s how you can do it on your Mac. Step 1: Open a new Finder window on your Mac. Step 2: The menu bar at the top of your screen will now display ‘Finder’ next to the Apple logo. Click on it. Step 3: Select ‘Preferences.’ Step 4: Click on the ‘General’ tab if it hasn’t been selected already. Step 5: Here, you will find an option called ‘New Finder windows show:’. Click on the drop-down menu below it. Step 6: If your desired folder that you want to set as default is displayed here, select it. If it’s not, click on the ‘Other…’ option. Step 7: You will now be asked to select the folder of your choice to set as the default opening folder. Step 8: Navigate to the desired directory and click on ‘Choose’. You have now successfully changed the default opening folder for Finder on your Mac. Try opening a new Finder window and you will see that it opens the folder or directory you selected.

Removing Disks and Networks From the Sidebar in Finder

If you want to change the default Finder folder, you’ve successfully done so by following the steps above. This one’s more of a bonus for the new macOS users who want to find their way around Finder. It can get rather intimidating to use Finder for the first time, especially with multiple disks and networks listed in the left column — more commonly referred to as the sidebar. Here’s how you can get rid of those extra elements and make Finder simpler to use. Step 1: Open a new Finder window on your Mac. Step 2: The menu bar at the top of your screen will now display ‘Finder’ next to the Apple logo. Click on it. Step 3: Select ‘Preferences’. Step 4: Click on the ‘Sidebar’ tab. Step 5: You will now see a list of all folders, directories and devices displayed in the Sidebar. Deselect the ones you don’t want to see or use. For example, you can deselect ‘Cloud Storage’, ‘Connected servers’, ‘Hard disks’ etc. You will now see only the elements that you selected in the Sidebar each time you open Finder. This makes it easier to find and navigate to the required folder. With more disks and network devices, you’re just adding unnecessary options that will add to the clutter. If you don’t use iCloud on your Mac, you can even disable that. Or else all your iCloud files synced from your phone will also show up on your Mac.

Open Finder to Your Desired Folder

Save yourself some extra clicks next time you launch Finder by following these simple steps. You can improve your workflow by opening a Finder window showing your desired folder and by selecting only the important directories you wish to view.

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