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Smart-Open Files and Applications for a Cleaner Desktop
Posted by Adam Pash at 8:00 AM on April 30, 2008
If you're keen on keeping a desktop free from the clutter of a hundred open windows, weblog AppleDoes points out a simple OS X keyboard shortcut that will simultaneously open a file or application while closing the Finder window you launched it from. How? Just hold your option key. So if you're about to launch an application, for example, holding option and then double-clicking the app will open the app and automatically close the Finder window you opened it from. This trick also works from the keyboard—so Cmd-Opt-O will open your app or file and automatically close the Finder window. It's not groundbreaking, but it's a handy little shortcut to keep your virtual world just a touch neater.
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
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teatime
Posted 8:54 AM 30/4/08
Quicksilver, everytime!
teatime
sisedi
Posted 8:54 AM 30/4/08
Finding things out like this makes it that much more fun to use.
sisedi
dssstrkl
Posted 8:37 AM 30/4/08
Or you could just buy Path Finder and have a tabbed file manager
www.cocoatech.com
dssstrkl
rathersane
Posted 9:21 AM 30/4/08
...and Spaces. Don't forget about Spaces!
rathersane
eyeRmonkey
Posted 11:21 AM 30/4/08
This a utterly simple, but really awesome tip. I love it!
eyeRmonkey
wildgunman
Posted 12:08 PM 30/4/08
Or you could just launch everything from Quicksilver...
I'm just saying. I haven't really double-clicked on an installed application in a couple of years.
wildgunman
bver100
Posted 2:10 PM 30/4/08
I'm not sure, but i feel like this has been in the mac os for a long time--back in the pre-imac days. PowerPC or something maybe?
bver100
flysi
Posted 4:18 PM 30/4/08
Yeah, definitely at least OS 8-ish... but still a great tip.
flysi
prramesh
Posted 6:49 PM 30/4/08
great tip
prramesh
jmoses
Posted 9:31 PM 30/4/08
Yeah, this has been around since System 7. I remember using it on my (slightly used) Mac Classic.
jmoses
discounteggroll
Posted 10:37 PM 30/4/08
nice little treat.
Here's another one I was made aware of:
command+option+I shows folder/file info, but also allows you to click on other items to "hot swap" instead of having to input command+I for each thing you want to get info on (I use it for hunting down where large files/folders are on students computers in order to free up space)
discounteggroll
FizzyPopMan
Posted 11:27 PM 30/4/08
Great tip! (the simplest are often the best).
FizzyPopMan
Joseph
Posted 11:08 PM 30/4/08
@teatime: Quicksilver is the right answer!
Joseph
donkeyjote
Posted 7:05 AM 1/5/08
Welcome to System 7.
The thing that makes it crap in OSX finder is how Finder draws default folders. The box size is weird. Unlike System 7/MacOs 8, you cannot force all new windows to take the size property of the window you currently have, so I got used to single window browsing. I never close my main finder window.
donkeyjote