Finder File Inspector on Mac: You can instantly get information about an item on your Mac by choosing a file, folder or disk and selecting Get Info from the contextual menu.
Contents
Do you know?
You can make the Get Info command show a summary of information about various items in a consolidated floating palette window. The items automatically refresh as you choose various files, folders or disks in the Finder. Follow our step-by-step guide to learn how to browse information about your Mac files efficiently using this dynamic Finder file inspector.
Get Info for the Masses
MacOS offers several various ways to instantly get information about the files, folders or disks attached to your Mac. However, the most common method involves choosing one or more items in the Finder. Right-tapping the selection and the choice Get Info from the menu.
Otherwise, hit the Command – I shortcut on the keyboard.
But by default, the feature opens a standard macOS window for each of the selected items. However, executing the command on 4 selected files on the desktop will open four various Get Info windows, one for each selection, that can easily clutter the desktop.
You can also override that behavior using a modifier key to show a summary of information for various files in a single Get Info window. Just choose several items in the Finder, hold down the Control key and select the choice File → Get Summary Info from the menu.
Otherwise, hit the keyboard shortcut Control – Command – I.
Whether you prefer viewing a separate Get Info window for every selected item or an instant summary of several items. However, this feature will get the job done by statically showing any underlying metadata for whatever to choose when you invoked the Get Info command.
Display Inspector for power users
According to Daring Fireball’s John Gruber:
The Get Info window can’t build to refresh its content automatically. However, the user chooses various items in the Finder.
Thankfully, macOS gives a more powerful Get Info command that utilizes macOS’s dynamic file inspector. Hidden behind yet another productivity modifier key. However, this isn’t something average users could easily check out on their own or discover by poking around the system.
Follow the step-by-step guide to learn how to browse information about your Mac files, folders and disks more efficiently using the dynamic Finder file inspector.
How to use the dynamic Finder file inspector
Follow the steps right ahead to learn how to instantly get summary information for various Mac files, folders or disks selected in the Finder.
Step 1:
Initially, open a new Finder window by tapping the Finder icon in the Dock.
Otherwise, tap the desktop to activate the Finder, then tap the File menu and select New Finder Window or hit the keyboard combination Command – N.
Step 2:
Choose various items in the Finder window.
The items include your images, videos, documents and any other files that you like including in your selection. Like folders and any disks connected to the PC.
Step 3:
Now right-tap the selection to reveal the contextual menu, then hold down the Option key.
Doing so changes Get Info to Display Inspector. Select it to show a summary of the items.
You can also hold down the Option key when tapping the Finder’s File menu. Just to select that option from there. Otherwise, hit the shortcut Command – Option – I on the keyboard.
Step 4:
You will now view a floating window palette that displays summary information for all of the selected Finder items. It includes things like the number of items in the selection, their total size, file permissions, the default app to open the chosen file type and so on so forth.
The key move away is that this Finder inspector can be open as you adjust the selection. It’ll auto-update group summary information to reflect your added/removed items.
Make sure that modifying any piece of information in the Show Inspector window, like the default app to open these file types or extensions. Also, it’ll modify that piece of information for all of the items included in the selection. But if your selection is mixed, you can’t be allowed to update some metadata via Get Info or the Finder’s file inspector.
Conclusion:
Here’s all about “Finder File Inspector on Mac”. For further queries and questions let us know in the comment section below!
Till then! Keep Smiling 🙂
Also Read:
