10 Mac OS X Productivity Tips for Open and Save Dialogs

They're open and save dialogs. You navigate to a file or folder. You select it.  You enter a file name when saving.  You click Open or Save.  How much more efficient can you get? Well, here are 10 things most Mac users probably don't know...

Tip 1: Drag and drop a file or a folder right from the Finder into the open or save dialog to quickly select it.  If you do this in a save dialog with a file, then the file's name is automatically entered as the save name.

Tip 2: With a folder or file selected in the dialog, press Command+R to bring the Finder to the front and reveal the item.

Tip 3: To manually navigate to a folder, press Command+Shift+G (or / or ~).  Enter the desired path.  As you type it in, you can press tab to auto-complete folder names.

Tip 4: To see hidden files and folders, press Command+Shift+Period (>).

Tip 5: To quickly navigate to:

  • The Desktop - Press Command+D
  • The Documents Folder - Press Command+Shift+O
  • The Downloads Folder - Press Command+Shift+L
  • The Applications Folder- Press Command+Shift+A
  • The Home Folder - Press Command+Shift+H

Hint: The other navigation keyboard shortcuts in the Finder's Go menu should work here too.

Tip 6: To create a new folder, press Command+Shift+N.

Tip 7: To navigate up one level, press Command+Shift+Up Arrow Key

Tip 8: To choose an image, audio track, or movie, click Media in the sidebar.

Tip 9: To move a file or folder displayed in an open or save dialog to another folder, open the target folder in the Finder.  Then, drag the item from the open or save dialog into the opened folder window in the Finder.

Tip 10: With a file or folder selected, press Command+I to bring the Finder to the front and display the Get Info window for the item.

So, there you have it. Small tips that will save you a few precious seconds here and there and make you more productive.  Every second counts, right?