Filed under: Tips and tricks, Mac 101
Mac 101: The desktop in dialog windows
You want to open a file on the desktop from within a given application. Let's say Microsoft Word (it could happen). So, you select "Open" from the File menu. However, it selects the directory you last accessed with this method - the Documents folder. Don't reach for that mouse! A simpler solution is to hit Command-D to jump to the Desktop's files. Note that this works in Save dialog windows, too. "How long does it take for me to move to and from the mouse?" you ask. The answer is just a second or two. But those seconds add up over the course of a day, a week, a year.
Now, what will you do with all the extra time?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
anoop said 11:19AM on 5-13-2008
I love this tip, but because I've become so used to it, I keep doing it in the Finder and end up duplicating whatever I had selected. Grrrrr....
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SpinThis! said 11:25AM on 5-13-2008
The time you "save" with keyboard shortcuts has actually been debated by usability professionals. Older or less experienced users who don't regularly use keyboard shortcuts might actually be slower because they end up hunting for the appropriate keys—instead of just moving the mouse to where it's needed.
Obviously not all users fall into this category... especially those users who been using shortcuts since OS 9 (and before) and those shortcuts have been drilled into our motor-memory.
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adi said 11:35AM on 5-13-2008
uh...is it me...or does that command duplicate the folder you're on?
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Darren said 1:25PM on 5-13-2008
⌘D to duplicate.
⌘⇧D to go to Desktop.
Paul said 11:38AM on 5-13-2008
Hmm. Let me see.
I decide to open a file. I grab the mouse, click on 'file', then click on 'open'.
My hand is still on the mouse. The time it takes me to move my hand to the mouse is, umm... exactly zero seconds.
And you're suggesting that I move my hand from the mouse to the keyboard, which takes... some time. And then after I type the keyboard shortcut I'll have to move my hand back to the mouse to select the file I want. More time.
I'm sure there are times where keyboard shortcuts make sense. This doesn't seem to be one of them.
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numlock said 11:46AM on 5-13-2008
if you are right handed then your right hand would be on the mouse while your left hand could be on the keyboard or wherever.
Anyway it would be nice if one could assign other directories a shortcut key in the open/save dialogs
JoshK said 11:54AM on 5-13-2008
For me this is a great tip. Paul you can do what you're saying without the mouse entirely. You can do what you do easily:
1. Command+O (Open Dialog)
2. Command+D (Select Desktop)
Two easy steps as opposed to navigating with a mouse. Perhaps you prefer that more, if so, right on!
I love this tip and didn't know it. Thanks! This is why I read TUAW
Paul Brown said 11:58AM on 5-13-2008
Yeah, awesome tip, but be wary of duplicating folders. One time I hit Command-D in the Finder, thinking it would take me to the Desktop, but it turns out I was duplicating my Applications folder. So, when you are in the Finder, similar to how you can press Command-Shift-A for Applications and Command-Shift-U for Utilities, you can get to the Desktop folder by pressing Command-Shift-D.
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Caitlin said 12:03PM on 5-13-2008
I'm started to get really deterred from reading this site with those black full window ads.
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Xjs said 12:30PM on 5-13-2008
By the way, you can also hit Command-Shift-D in dialog windows, which I always do (and I thought everyone knows that).
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psxp said 1:10PM on 5-13-2008
Yes, those black window ads are a pain.
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larsalan said 2:08PM on 5-13-2008
Here is a great one I use. To get to the folder that is one step higher in the path than the item you click on: hold the command key as you click. That is if you want to go to the applications menu you can command+click upon anything that is in there. I often command+click on my dock applications to get into the apps folder and find what I'm looking for.
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theEsco said 2:12PM on 5-13-2008
Hmmm... Extra Time. Definately going to be spent doing more important things...
like youTube, Facebook, and uuuhh reading TUAW.
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