OS X Mountain Lion For Dummies

Chapter 6: The Care and Feeding of Files and Folders

In This Chapter

Checking out the OS X folder structure

Saving your document before it’s too late

Opening icons

Getting (and staying) organized

Copying, pasting, and moving files and folders

This could be the most important chapter in this book. If you don’t understand how to open and save files by using the Open dialog and Save sheets or how to use the file and folder system, you’ll have a heck of a time getting the hang of your Mac. Ask any longtime Mac user; the old lament is pretty common: “Well, I saved the file, but now I don’t know where it went.” It happens all the time with new users; if they don’t master these essential techniques, they often become confused about where files are located on their hard drives. Sure, the sidebar has an item called All My Files that displays all of your files, but if you have thousands or tens of thousands of files, it’s more a curse than a blessing.

This chapter is a tonic for finding the ...