Every Mac User Needs to Know This Finder Trick

By Joel Lee  

There are many reasons to love Mac, but easy usability sits way at the top of the list. As someone who’s used every version of Windows since 95 and a handful of Linux distros throughout college, I can confidently say that Mac is the easiest OS to use.

Drinking the Kool Aid: 8 Reasons People Love Their Macs Drinking the Kool Aid: 8 Reasons People Love Their MacsWhen you can buy a laptop for under $500, and a Chromebook will satisfy most people's computing needs, why do people insist on spending well over $1000 on a Mac?READ MORE

And one reason for that is all the nifty little tricks that are scattered throughout the OS — in particular, the productive secrets that are hidden in Finder. And if there’s one Finder trick that you ought to learn, it’s this one: pressing Space.

If you’re a Mac newbie, you’ve probably been making the same mistake that I have: previewing images, videos, music, documents, and all other manner of files by double-clicking on them. That’s how it’s done on Windows, and it works on Mac too, so why not?

But what’s nice about Finder is that you can select a file and press Space to get an instant preview of it without launching any other apps. Why is this useful? Because you don’t waste time or system resources loading up a potentially heavy app (like Photoshop) just to preview a file.

Once you’ve mastered this, go on and check out these essential Mac keyboard tips as well as these fixes for common Mac problems. You’ll be glad that you did.Switching from Windows? Essential Keyboard Tips for Mac Newbies Switching from Windows? Essential Keyboard Tips for Mac NewbiesMoving from a Windows PC to a Mac can be a shock in many ways for new users, so here's a quick start guide to adjusting to a Mac keyboard layout.READ MORE