How to use keyboard shortcuts to navigate the OS X Finder sidebar?

Question

Is it possible to get focus on the Finder sidebar and be able to select an item within "device", "shared", "places" and "search for" only with the keyboard?

Solution 1

I don't believe it is possible, the only shortcut I can find for the sidebar is CmdT which adds a shortcut for the current selected item to the sidebar.

Another solution is to hit Cmd↑ to move to the 'enclosing folder', which will take you around the file system.

Solution 2

I've been looking and looking for an answer to this too. I can't find an answer (in Snow Leopard at least, don't know about Lion).

The best work-around I've found is this:

• Create a "Shortcuts" folder anywhere
• Drag that into the Sidebar
• Create Aliases for the folders you have in your Sidebar and move them into your Shortcuts folder
• Open Sidebar Preferences (right-click anywhere in the Sidebar)
• Go to the 'General' tab
• Change 'New Finder windows open:' to your Shortcuts folder.

This way, every time you launch a Finder window, you'll be inside Shortcuts and have access to your favourite folders with the keyboard.

YMMV... Obviously this requires you to manage a different set of shortcuts... But possibly it'll help until Apple address this problem (I've submitted a bug report too, surely this is a bug).

Solution 3

You can use "Go To Folder" in the Finder to get to any of those. cmd +shift+G Then just fill in the filepath: ~/Desktop | /Backups | and so on.

Solution 4

It's really regrettable you can't navigate the Sidebar of the Finder window by keystroke, I agree!

Here are the best two ways I can find:

1.) Cmd-Space to get Spotlight, and then type your folder or drive name (or enough characters to make it the first hit) and then hit return. A new finder window will open with that folder/drive.

2.) If you're looking to get to a "Device" then you can type Shift-Cmd-C in the Finder window, and then use cursor keys to navigate starting from your Computer view.

They're not as good as what you want, but the best I could devise.

Solution 5

I don't know how navigate to every folder in the Finder Sidebar, but I just found these 6 :

• Applications : command + shift + "A"
• Desktop : command + shift + "D"
• AirDrop : command + shift + "R"
• iCloud Drive : command + shift + "I"
• User Folders : command + shift + "H"
• All My Files : command + shift + "F"

NOTE : Although I use Spotlight Search for "Downloads", I noticed if you navigate to the users folder (command + shift + "H"), then you can type the name of the directory seen there (Downloads, Documents, etc.)

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Comments

[Tom Hundt]

Related: apple.stackexchange.com/questions/162294/…

[gak]

It seems to be impossible indeed.

[Bryan Schuetz]

What am I missing here? It is in fact possible, as I detail in my answer. Just use the Go To Folder option and fill in the file path, all with the keyboard.

[gak]

Bryan, I'm not sure if you read the question correctly. It asks how to access/browse the predefined "shortcuts" that are put into the Finder sidebar, not how to open a folder by typing out its name.

[elegance]

Damn. It would be so convenient to just use the arrow keys to navigate into and out of them or at least having a shortcut to jump into the sidebar. I posted a feature request on the TotalFinder support forum. Let's see what they say.

[William Turrell]

cmd-L <- quick way to Make Alias (no need to create symlinks by hand either)

[Steve Jorgensen]

Which is nice, but doesn't work in the file selector, which is actually the main place where I end up wanting it.

[Rostyslav Druzhchenko]

cmd+shift+G rules. It also saves typed paths and you can select them from the list.

[Merlin]

this is actually clever, well done. What shortcut can immediately open a new finder window? :-)

[Tom Hundt]

These are standard shortcuts. Also Cmd+Opt+L for Downloads, Shift+Cmd+O for Documents. Useful because I don't need to keep all of them (any of them!) in my favorites list anymore. Here's a list: support.apple.com/en-us/HT201236