To keep a place clean, it is better to stop littering it in the first place. Right? The same goes for a Mac desktop.
Ideally, you should store as much as nothing on it. Yet, sometimes you can afford to place there some files you work with at the moment. Or the few that you use often for a certain period of time. In this case, those have to be nicely arranged for your convenience and eye pleasure.
Learn how to organize files on your Mac desktop from the following tips.
How To Clean Up Imac Before Selling
Here's how you use this feature: Launch MacCleaner Pro and click on Uninstall applications in the left sidebar. Select Launch App Cleaner at the bottom on the right pane. Choose the app that you want to.
Desktop organizing tips to keep your Mac's desktop clean
Keeping files on your desktop not only makes it difficult to find what you need when you need it, but it can also be a reason why your Mac runs slower than it should. We've come up with a few helpful tips to keep your desktop tidy.
- This article guides you through the process of performing a clean installation of macOS 10.15 Catalina using the bootable USB drive method, rather than upgrading your Mac using Apple's standard.
- Create stunning website and app showcases with these free iMac mockups. A super-clean mockup of an Apple Pro Display XDR. High-res PSD file (9000 x 5776 px.
Clean Up & Sort By
No need to tell you how to clean up or sort your desktop items by name, kind, date, etc. Those are the basic system settings and they are good to start with. There is still a challenge when the quantity of everything you have on the desktop is close to overwhelming.
The Stacks feature in the new macOS Mojave is also a good thing to try. Even though it takes some extra actions to reach to the required item, you can get a much tidier and organized Desktop by grouping related items into one stack.
Get rid of all redundant files
It's not really the items arrangement that matters, but the very presence of those items on a desktop. Ask yourself:
How many files on your desktop are really important and often used ones?
I bet there's not too many.
What can be deleted or moved to appropriate folders?
Those are usually temporary and out-of-date files – get rid of them as soon as possible.
The best option is to keep only the bare minimum of the most used items on your desktop. It may sound a bit too strict or limiting but, in fact, it's a nice thing to get used to. Soon you'll start feeling a little more organized, focused and productive.
Make the most of folders & tags
You can easily find all kinds of files in Finder if you properly use folders and tags for them. First of all, it totally makes sense to keep your docs in Documents, pics in Pictures, etc. It is where macOS naturally expects them to be. Further on, create clear informative names for the folders (preferably for the files too). Specify the date, type, project and/or other useful data.
For most, properly named and located folders and files are just enough, but you may also try using Finder tags. Those colorful labels can help you organize files on your Mac even better. You may sort everything by color, place or whatever you wish. So at least check out those tags – maybe you'll love them.
N.B. Just don't colorize everything. The tags are of best help when assigned to several most important files or folders on a Mac.
Nothing gets lost with Spotlight
After you've managed to clean up your digital working space, everything should be better arranged and easier to find. For even faster access to anything you have on your Mac, use Spotlight. Press Command + Space, start typing the object's name or content and choose from the suggestions. It's that easy.
Those were the basic tips for a desktop clean-up which macOS provides you with. For even more advanced opportunities, you can use handy apps from the Setapp collection.
Unclutter
Unclutter is a handy window that sits above your Desktop and slides down whenever needed. All you have to do is move your mouse to the screen top and scroll down. Unclutter opens with three panels: Clipboard, Files and Notes.
When your copied data, temporary or often-used files, and quick notes are stored in Unclutter, you can easily keep the desktop clutter-free.
Here is the short video to see Unclutter in action.
This is a great productivity boosting concept with a unique and simple implementation. All the data you work with will be neatly organized in one place and accessible instantly with one simple gesture.
Spotless
If you need a powerful app to completely organize not only your Desktop but also Downloads and other folders in a Mac – go for Spotless. Sure, you'll need some time to teach the app how to deal with all the files. But once you've done it, the results are incredible.
Define the rules under various conditions to perform different actions. Set tasks, such as Autotidy and Organise Files; specify all the other parameters. For example: to make all your images go to the /Pictures system folder – in an 'Organise Files' task, you'll set the action 'Move', file type 'Images', to 'Pictures'.
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uBar
uBar is an app that replaces Dock with a highly customizable alternative. Keep track of all your open projects and apps, group, preview, and quit apps directly from uBar. The app also allows individual customization for screens in a multiscreen setup.
With uBar, your desktop will be even tidier, and managing your tasks will become more fitting to your personal needs and workflow!
To finally tidy up that messy desktop (or any other folder), you either drag the items to the menu bar's Drop Target or schedule automatic clean-ups.
Here are a few more tools you may find useful when organizing your Mac:
Bartender – to manage your menu bar items. Access, search, reorder, show them selectively or simply clean the menu bar.
Mosaic – to arrange the app windows to your desire. There are plenty of layouts for you to choose from with the adjustable parameters.
A cluttered desktop shouldn't be an issue after you apply all of these tips and recommendations. Generally, the main idea is quite simple: if you keep everything in order, it will stay that way. That is the recipe for finding the required pieces of data quickly, saving your time for something that is really important. As a result, you are more productive and organized.
So, develop tidy habits, put all the files where they belong, say goodbye to junk. And use the apps from Setapp to help you with that.
Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.
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Moving to a new Mac? Before taking these steps, you can use Migration Assistant to move your files from the old Mac to your new Mac.
Create a backup
Make sure that you have a current backup of your important files. Learn how to back up your Mac.
Sign out of iTunes in macOS Mojave or earlier
If you're using macOS Mojave or earlier, open iTunes. From the menu bar at the top of the screen or iTunes window, choose Account > Authorizations > Deauthorize This Computer. Then enter your Apple ID and password and click Deauthorize.
Learn more about deauthorizing computers used with your iTunes account.
Sign out of iCloud
If you're using macOS Catalina or later, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Apple ID. Select Overview in the sidebar, then click Sign Out.
If you're using macOS Mojave or earlier, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click iCloud, then click Sign Out.
You will be asked whether to keep a copy of your iCloud data on this Mac. You can click Keep a Copy, because you're erasing your Mac later. Your iCloud data remains in iCloud and on any other devices that are signed in to iCloud with your Apple ID.
Sign out of iMessage
If you're using OS X Mountain Lion or later, open the Messages app, then choose Messages > Preferences from the menu bar. Click iMessage, then click Sign Out.
Reset NVRAM
Shut down your Mac, then turn it on and immediately press and hold these four keys together: Option, Command, P, and R. Release the keys after about 20 seconds. This clears user settings from memory and restores certain security features that might have been altered.
Learn more about resetting NVRAM or PRAM.
Optional: Unpair Bluetooth devices that you're keeping
If your Mac is paired with a Bluetooth keyboard, mouse, trackpad, or other Bluetooth device that you plan to keep, you can unpair it. This optional step prevents accidental input when the Mac and device have separate owners but remain in Bluetooth range of each other.
If you're unpairing Bluetooth input devices from a desktop computer such as an iMac, Mac mini, or Mac Pro, you must plug in a USB keyboard and mouse to complete the remaining steps in this article.
To unpair a Bluetooth device, choose Apple menu > System Preferences, then click Bluetooth. Move your pointer over the device that you want to unpair, then click the remove (x) button next to the device name.
Erase your hard drive and reinstall macOS
The best way to restore your Mac to factory settings is to erase your hard drive and reinstall macOS.
After macOS installation is complete, the Mac restarts to a setup assistant that asks you to choose a country or region. To leave the Mac in an out-of-box state, don't continue setup. Instead, press Command-Q to shut down the Mac. When the new owner turns on the Mac, the setup assistant guides them through the setup process.
No matter the model or condition, we can turn your device into something good for you and good for the planet: Learn how to trade in or recycle your Mac with Apple Trade In.
