Mac Finder & Cloud Storage Class Summary 6.11.2026

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Mac Finder & Cloud Storage Class Summary 6.11.2026

Last Week's Recap

  • Covered decluttering, stacks, creating/moving folders, changing views, font size, thumbnails, and sorting
  • Color coding, moving items to Trash, multi-select with Shift (range) or Command (individual)
  • Aliases/Shortcuts: A link to an original file; deleting an alias does not delete the original; identified by a small black arrow on the icon

Finder: Path Bar & Go Menu

  • Path Bar: Shows file hierarchy at the bottom of the Finder window; enabled via View > Show Path Bar
    • Displays the full folder path of any selected file
    • Files can be dragged directly from the Path Bar to move them to a new location
  • Go Menu: Lists all main locations on the Mac (Recents, Home, Desktop, Downloads, Documents, etc.)
    • Recents is useful for locating recently opened files regardless of where they were saved

Home Folder Structure

  • The Home folder (named after the user, shown with a house icon) contains all main folders: Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, Movies
  • Desktop folder: The visual desktop is simply a folder inside the Home folder
  • Music folder: Contains ripped CDs (music extracted from CDs and stored locally); newer Macs lack a CD drive, but an external CD drive costs ~$20
  • Pictures folder: Do not manually edit contents — use the Photos app (multicolored flower icon) instead to avoid corrupting the photo library
  • Rule: If you don't know what a folder or file is, don't touch it

Finder Sidebar Favorites

  • Folders can be dragged to the Favorites section of the Finder sidebar for quick access
  • Benefit over desktop shortcuts: Favorites appear in the sidebar during any Save dialog, allowing quick navigation when saving files
  • To remove a favorite: Control+click > Remove from Sidebar
  • If Favorites section disappears, hover over the gray heading and click to expand

iCloud Drive

  • Accessible via the Finder sidebar under iCloud
  • Benefits: Files are accessible from all linked Apple devices (iPhone, iPad); protects against physical computer damage
  • Enable: Apple Menu > System Settings > Profile Picture > iCloud > turn on iCloud Drive
  • Optional setting to automatically sync Desktop and Documents folders to iCloud Drive
  • Storage concern: Check documents folder size first (Command+I); if it exceeds your iCloud quota (e.g., 64 GB folder vs. 50 GB plan), you'll be pushed to a paid tier
  • iCloud Drive does not offer file versioning (the ability to restore older versions), except for Apple apps like Pages and Numbers

iCloud Drive vs. Time Machine

  • Time Machine: External drive backup (<$100); backs up everything — files, settings, applications, and snapshots over time
    • Allows restoring deleted files from past snapshots (e.g., recovering an accidentally deleted document)
    • Considered "foolproof" — no manual action needed once set up
  • iCloud Drive: Better for accessibility across devices; sufficient if you consistently store all files there
  • Recommendation: If you generate few documents, iCloud Drive may be sufficient; Time Machine is better if you want full, automatic backup without managing file placement
  • Cost comparison: iCloud subscription (e.g., ~$5/month = $60/year) vs. one-time external drive purchase for Time Machine

OneDrive (Microsoft 365)

  • Microsoft 365 subscribers get 1 TB of cloud storage
  • Download OneDrive for Mac, sign in with Microsoft account; it creates a synced OneDrive folder in Finder
  • Option to automatically back up Desktop and Documents during setup
  • Files not yet downloaded to the computer appear with a cloud icon in Finder

Google Drive

  • Identified by a triangle icon in the Finder sidebar
  • Download Google Drive for Desktop; requires a Google account
  • Once installed, Google Drive appears as a folder in Finder — drag and drop files without needing to log into a browser
  • Most widely used cloud storage for nonprofits and education; Google provides free Drive accounts to nonprofits

Cloud Sharing & Collaboration

  • Files stored in the cloud can be shared via a link — no need to send email attachments
  • Two sharing modes: (1) download a copy, or (2) live collaboration where multiple people edit the same file simultaneously
  • Accessible across platforms (Apple, Google, etc.); Google Drive is noted as the most collaboration-friendly

Quick Preview & Screenshot Management

  • Quick Preview: Select a file and hold the Spacebar to preview contents without opening the app; release spacebar to close
  • Useful for reviewing unknown screenshots before deciding to keep or delete
  • To review desktop screenshots in Gallery View: click Desktop in the Finder sidebar, then switch to Gallery View

Action Items

  • [ ] Students: Enable Path Bar in Finder via View > Show Path Bar
  • [ ] Students: Check documents folder size using Command+I or Control+click > Get Info to assess iCloud storage needs
  • [ ] Students: Consider enabling iCloud Drive via Apple Menu > System Settings > Profile > iCloud
  • [ ] Students: If using Microsoft 365, download OneDrive for Mac from Microsoft's site and sign in with Microsoft account
  • [ ] Students: If using Google, download Google Drive for Desktop and sign in with Google account
  • [ ] Students: Use spacebar Quick Preview to review unknown screenshots before deleting
  • [ ] Next class: Same file organization content covered on phones

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