If you want to place files in a folder in OS X, you can of course create a folder and drag the files there. But did you know that it can also be a lot simpler and more efficient?
Create folder from selected files
In Finder you can create a folder from the files you have currently selected. You do that by navigating in Finder to the files you would like to put in a folder. Hold down the Cmd key and click one by one on the files you want to select to make the selection. You can also hold down the Shift key and then click on the first and last file.
When you have selected the files you want, right click on the selection and then click New folder with selection. You will see a small animation in which the files are dragged into a new folder called New folder with content. The name of this folder is automatically selected and when you type a new name and press enter, the name is immediately changed.
By right clicking on selected files, you can place them directly in a folder.
Create smart folder
In the way we have just explained, you can easily have files placed in a folder within Mac OS X. However, it is much more interesting to create a folder in which files that meet a certain criteria are automatically placed. Not only now, but also in the future. We call that a 'smart map'.
To create a smart folder, click in the top left of Finder Archive and then New smart map. A new folder will now open which is still empty. At the top right you will see a plus sign. When you click on that, you can add a search criterion, such as Kind, where you can choose for example Image, Movie, Music, PDF, and so forth. So you can easily indicate that all files of a certain file type must be placed in this folder.
You can click the plus sign more than once, which means you can specify very specific criteria. As soon as you click Keep, you can give the folder a name. Now when files are saved that match your criteria, they will be automatically placed in the folder.
Smart folders ensure that you don't have to do the work yourself in the future.
