What is the Finder?

Before Apple reinvented the personal computer with Macintosh in 1984, finding something on a computer could be kind of scary. There were often no nice, neat folders. Getting to your files and applications could have meant typing out long pathnames in a cryptic text-only environment.

The Finder saves you from that. It's the integral part of the Mac OS that shows you easy-to-read folders and windows instead of all those old-fashioned text prompts. The Finder lets you visually navigate disks, work on the desktop, and open applications and files. It can show you information about your files and folders, such as their size and date modified, even allowing you to sort by those categories. The Finder also lets you move or delete files, eject discs and perform searches on your hard disk.

Each release of Mac OS makes the Finder more helpful and versatile. Read more about the Mac OS X Finder here.