Filed under: Mac 101
Mac 101: Finding Dock-based items
Here's a simple trick to help you locate items from your Dock in Finder. Sure, you can Control-click (or Right-click) and item and choose Show In Finder from the contextual pop-up menu, but it's a lot easier simply to hold down the Command key and click the Dock item. (That's a left click for dual-button mice.) Command-clicking a Docked application or file automatically opens up a new Finder window showing the item in its folder. One TUAW reader suggested using this feature to make sure that Applications have been installed in the proper folder rather than being used from a disk image.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
soloworx said 7:22PM on 4-30-2007
I have my Home folder in the Dock. I click on it only ONCE and it opens! Maybe it's just me but I don't see the rationale behind Command-Click.
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k said 8:04PM on 4-30-2007
weird, i just found this out myself the other day....
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Rogeriogal said 10:40PM on 4-30-2007
I use this all the time. I use it on the application part of the Dock and not the ƒolders part. It is helpful for when I am checking clients' computers to see where they installed Skype or any other App that they install themselves. Most of the time they don't take the App out of the Disk Image and whenever they run it they have an Image mounted on the Desktop. Sometimes I've even seen peeps put the access to the Image file in the Dock. Talk about n00bs.
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Dave S said 11:06PM on 4-30-2007
I often find it necessary to pull up finder since I work on servers (local and otherwise) is there a single stroke solution to pulling up finder, like a hotkey or something?
p.s. Thanks in advance, and BTW I know about control tab but I would rather have a single stroke solution.
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drg said 2:49AM on 5-01-2007
From article: "Say you stick a folder into your dock and you drop items into it throughout the day. By command-clicking that folder at the end of the day, you can immediately revisit that folder and review all the items you've added."
I don't get it -- why Command-click a docked folder to visit the parent folder it's in, simply to view the docked folder's contents?? Why not simply click the docked folder to open it directly in Finder?
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Joel said 9:03AM on 5-01-2007
What Command clicking an icon should do, in my mind at least, is open a new window in whatever app you are clicking on. I am constantly doing this by accident and constantly dismayed that it doesn't do what I think it should do.
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Dimebag said 1:09PM on 5-01-2007
Geez, what a bunch of maroons… This is a great tip, not everybody is organized enough to put things away properly. I mean just because it is an app doesn't mean it has to reside in the applications folder. And this is a tip meant to be used to find an item not see its contents. Losing my mind reading these comments!!!!
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