If you’re not already using file tagging in Finder on your Mac, you’re missing out. What at first seems like a simple system for color-coding files can be an incredibly useful tool when used in the right way.
In their simplest form, tags are a way of color-coding your Mac files. This gives you a simple visual indicator for files that you can use to help you prioritize what to work on and which projects your files relate to, or any other use that you can think of.
Tagging files on your Mac is simple to do. You can quickly assign color tags from the context menu when you right-click a file or add your own bespoke tags with an additional click. You can also add tags via the Preview pane in Finder.
There are many ways to use tagged files once you’ve created them. You can search for files with specific tags or add tags to the sidebar to instantly access all files with that tag. You can even use tags as a filter in smart folders to extract exactly the files that you want.
If you’ve never got into the habit of tagging files, it’s definitely something to give a try. There are plenty of ways that using tags can make your life a lot easier.
If you use your Mac for work purposes, using tags to help organize your project files can be really useful. The simplest way to do so is to create a new tag for each project that you’re working on. That way you can easily find all the files for a specific project by searching for that tag or by pinning that tag to the sidebar.
Tags can be even more powerful if you split projects up into smaller subprojects. Since you can add multiple tags to the same file, each file in your project can include the main project tag as well as having a second subproject tag that will differ from file to file. If you need to find all the files for a project you can, but if you only need files for a specific subproject, you can find those too.
You can break subprojects down even further with a third tag, and so on, using as many tags as you wish. The key is consistency. Find a system that works for you and stick to it.
Whether it’s for work or just the admin of daily life, it can be hard to keep track of what you need to do, what you’re working on right now, and what you’ve already done. That’s where tags can help.
Three simple tags can make a huge difference. Creating a “To-Do” tag means you can quickly tag any files that need to be worked on. An “In Progress” tag is for those tasks that you’re in the middle of, but which you still haven’t completed.
Round things off with a “Completed” tag, and your files can pass through each stage as you create them, work on them, and finish them. Seeing your “To-Do” list get smaller and your “Completed” list get bigger can be incredibly satisfying, and the “In Progress” files ensure that you don’t keep starting lots of different tasks before you finish the ones you’re still working on.
Tracking progress with tags is all very well and good, but if you have multiple projects on the go at once, it can be hard to keep track of which tasks need doing and when. Prioritizing tasks isn’t always easy, and it can mean falling behind because you’re working on tasks that aren’t that important and ignoring ones that are.
A simple way to keep on top of what needs to be done and when is to use tags to prioritize tasks. Give high-priority tasks a red tag, medium-priority tags a yellow tag, and low-priority tasks a green tag. It’s then easy to see at a glance whether a file needs to be worked on imminently or if it’s something that you can leave until other tasks have been completed.
If the traffic light system isn’t granular enough for your needs, you can make your own tags to get as detailed as you want. You can even use multiple tags, such as a “High Priority” tag combined with “Complete Today” and “Complete This Week” tags that help you narrow down which of your high-priority tasks need doing first.
Simplifying Mac Maintenance With Tags
Just like your home, your computer will benefit from a good spring clean every now and then. It’s all too easy for your Mac to get filled up with junk that you really don’t need, or for important files that could be archived to get lost among the mess. The trouble is that sorting through your Mac can be a tedious and time-consuming task.
Using tags can help. For example, if you download a bunch of installers for various apps, but aren’t going to install them all yet, you can tag them with a “Temporary” tag. That way, even if you forget to delete the installer after you’ve used it, when it comes time to spring clean your Mac, you can use the tag to locate all the files that you need to get rid of.
If you’re not sure if a file is one you need to keep or can be deleted, you can create a “Review” tag for it. That way, when you’re cleaning up your Mac, you can find all the files that you need to make a decision on. Those that you don’t want can be removed, and those that you want to keep can have the “Review” tag removed or replaced with something else.
An “Archive” tag can be useful, too. Rather than archiving files each time you find one you want to save elsewhere, tag them with “Archive” and you can then archive them all in bulk when you have the time.
Using multiple tags for each file means you can choose how wide or narrow to cast your net when searching for files. For example, searching for a project tag will bring up all the files from that project, but searching for a subproject tag will only bring up a subset of those files.
If your tags are used across projects, however, then things get a little more complicated. You might have a “High Priority” tag that you used in all of your projects. What if you only want to see high-priority tasks from a specific project?
This is where smart folders can help. You can set up smart folders with multiple criteria, ensuring you only see the files that you want. For example, you can create a smart folder that searches for files that are tagged with both a specific project name tag and a high priority tag, to see all the files that you need to focus on for a specific project. You can even do things like find all the media files associated with a specific tag.
If you find yourself repeatedly making the same searches for combinations of tags, then creating Smart Folders and pinning them to the Finder sidebar can save you a lot of time.
If you’re not already using tags in Finder on Mac, you may be surprised just how useful they can be. Decide on a system that works for you and use tags to become a lot more efficient. You’ll never want to go back!
