OS X Mavericks: Everything about tabs and tags in the new Finder

Since MAC OS X Mavericks you can freely assign tags and search for them, as well as open several tabs in the Finder. We'll show you exactly how it all works here.

1. Search for tags in the Finder

This practical tip shows you how you can assign individual tags for your files and folders. You can search for the tags or edit them in the Finder. To do this, proceed as follows:

• Open the Finder.
• Variant 1: Select one of the displayed tags from the left column.
• Variant 2: Enter the day in the search field.
• If you selected "This Mac" for "Browse:", the Finder shows you folders and files with the tag you are looking for. If "All my files" (default setting) is selected, only files but no folders are displayed.

2. The new tag icon in OS X Mavericks

You can easily edit tags using the new "Edit tags" icon in the Finder, just to the left of the search field.

• You can add tags already assigned to a file by clicking on them in the tag list. To do this, mark the file in the Finder, click on the tag icon and click on the tag with which you want to tag the file.
• You can remove tags by selecting the file, clicking the tag icon, marking the tag in the text field and pressing "Backspace".

3. Delete tags completely

• Mark the tag to be deleted in the Finder in the left column under the "Tags" heading.
• Right-click to open the context menu and click on "Delete Tag (Tag Name) ...".
• You will be asked whether you really want to delete the tag and remove it from a certain number of files. Deleting the tag is irrevocable. If you are sure, confirm by clicking on "Delete Tag".

4. Adjust the color of the tag in OS X Mavericks

You can also mark a day with a color. The file will then be displayed in the Finder with a colored dot. This is useful if you want to see at a glance whether a file is assigned to one or more projects.

• Mark the day in the Finder in the left column under the heading "Tags".
• Right-click to open the context menu and click on the color. A colored dot now appears next to the tag you created.
• You can remove the color again by following the same procedure, but instead of selecting a color, select the entry "Without color".

5. Tabs in the Finder

Before OS X Mavericks, you had to open each folder in its own Finder window. The familiar way of opening browsers to open several tabs in the same window is now also possible in the Finder with OS X Mavericks. Here are the facts about working with tabs:

• Open a new tab by simultaneously pressing the command key (⌘) and "T".
• You can easily move files and folders between the tabs and set the display in the individual tabs independently. You can display the files and folders as a list in one tab and as symbols in the other tab.
• Move the files by dragging them from the window of the source tab onto the tab of the target tab.
• The tabs are context sensitive. For example, if you have opened a tab for two tags and move files from one tab to the other, Finder automatically assigns the moved files to the second day.
• You can close a tab again by clicking on the "X" on the left side of the tab.