Switching to the Mac: The Missing Manual, Mavericks Edition

The Finder Toolbar

At the top of every Finder window is a small set of function icons, all in a gradient-gray row (Figure 2-26). These icons start out on the toolbar:

Figure 2-26. If you right-click (or two-finger click) a blank spot on the toolbar, you get a pop-up menu that offers you a choice of looks for the buttons here: Icon and Text, Icon Only, or Text Only. In Text Only mode (bottom), the four View buttons are replaced by a little pop-up menu called View. Furthermore, the search box turns into a one-word button called Search. Clicking it brings up the Searching window.

• Back (), Forward (). The Finder works something like a Web browser. Only a single window remains open as you navigate the various folders on your hard drive.

  The Back button () returns you to whichever folder you were just looking at. (Instead of clicking , you can also press ⌘-[, or choose Go→Back—particularly handy if the toolbar is hidden, as described below.)

  The Forward button () springs to life only after you’ve used ...