BeCe > Home

OS X Finder Annoyances - Sort Folders Before Files

Jun6

Written by:Be Ce
6/6/2008 9:32 AM

1. Download TextMate by clicking on the link below.
TextMate — The Missing Editor for Mac OS X

2. Open the below mentioned file via TextMate.
/System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app/Contents/Resources/English.lproj/InfoPlist.strings
(change English.lproj to your language if necessary)

3. Find (inside the file)

/* General kind strings */

"Folder" = "Folder";

4. change it to

"Folder" = "~Folder";

5. Save the file (as root),

6. Restart OS X.

7. Open Finder and order by kind, voila, finder acts like it should :)

8. Add a comment below, to help others...

9. Credits goes to Davide D'Agostino.

Trackback Print

Location: Blogs

OS X Tips & Tricks

Tags:

12 comments so far...

Re: OS X Finder Annoyances - Sort Folders Before Files

Does it actually work for you ? Please comment ...

By BeCe on 6/6/2008 9:38 AM

Re: OS X Finder Annoyances - Sort Folders Before Files

I just installed, and it works like a charm! Thanks very much!

By Anonymous on 6/6/2008 9:39 AM

Re: OS X Finder Annoyances - Sort Folders Before Files

Works great, brilliant!

By skutter on 6/6/2008 9:39 AM

Re: OS X Finder Annoyances - Sort Folders Before Files

I found an option to select Kind in Keep arranged by but it doesn't seem to work. I also get different View options when changing the views. I'm a bit of a noob to the Mac so would appreciate a little expansion on the second part of this guide. Thanks Phil.

By Phil on 6/6/2008 9:40 AM

Re: OS X Finder Annoyances - Sort Folders Before Files

No real need to restart OSX, just restart finder. Easy way to do that is to choose "Force Quit" from the system menu, select Finder and hit relaunch. Works a charm, atleast on Leo :)

By nerve on 6/6/2008 9:40 AM

Re: OS X Finder Annoyances - Sort Folders Before Files

How do I save something "as root"?
Never heard about before... how? where?

By Hjalmar on 6/6/2008 9:41 AM

Re: OS X Finder Annoyances - Sort Folders Before Files

When he said to save as root, he means save the file. You will be asked for your root password in order to complete the save.

Anyways, this change will get all the folders to group together and appear at the top and in alphbetical order. However, all the files appear below the folders will also be sorted by kind and therefore will not be alphabetically sorted like windows. So that is the flaw in this method.

By Dazex on 6/6/2008 9:41 AM

Re: OS X Finder Annoyances - Sort Folders Before Files

Great stuff, it worked for me.

By Anonymous on 6/6/2008 9:42 AM

Re: OS X Finder Annoyances - Sort Folders Before Files

Too bad it only works with "view as icons" for me

By Andreas on 6/6/2008 9:42 AM

Re: OS X Finder Annoyances - Sort Folders Before Files

It doesn't ONLY work with the Icon view. You can make it work in ALL views if you know what you're doing.

In List and Coverflow, you make sure the Kind column is visible (click on the Action button - looks like a gear - in the toolbar and then Show View Options and check Kind). Then click on the Kind heading to arrange it by Kind. Click twice if it puts the folders at the bottom at first.

In Columns view it's even easier. Action > Show View Options > Arrange by: Kind.

By Trisha Cupra, Web Design Watchdog on 6/6/2008 9:43 AM

Re: OS X Finder Annoyances - Sort Folders Before Files

Works great!
Thanks

By Ben on 4/13/2009 5:45 PM

Re: OS X Finder Annoyances - Sort Folders Before Files

search
[url=http://www.google.com] search [/url]
[LINK=http://www.google.com/]search [/LINK]
http://www.google.com

By rob on 2/3/2010 9:19 AM

Your name:
Title:
Comment:

Security Code Enter the code shown above in the box below
Add Comment Cancel