1. Meet Finder
Finder is the Mac equivalent of Windows File Explorer. Its icon is the smiley face that lives permanently in your Dock. Finder is always running — you cannot quit it. If you ever feel lost, click that smiley face to get back to your files.
Why is it always running?
Finder manages your entire desktop, your file system, and connected drives. Closing all Finder windows does not close Finder — it keeps working in the background. Click the Dock icon anytime to open a new window.
2. Your Important Folders
macOS organizes your files into standard folders. Here is what each one is for and what it maps to from Windows:
Best Practice for Mercury Work
Save important work files in your OneDrive folder. They automatically sync to the cloud and are accessible from any device — even if your Mac needs to be replaced.
3. File Operations
The everyday tasks you will do most. The key shortcuts and visual flows:
Copy a File
Move a File (Different from Windows!)
Why is Move different on Mac?
On Windows, you use Ctrl+X to cut a file, then Ctrl+V to paste it. Mac does not have "cut" for files. Instead, you always start with ⌘+C (copy), then add the Option key when pasting: ⌘+⌥+V. This is the single most common trip-up for Windows users switching to Mac.
Delete a File
Other Essential Operations
| Action | Shortcut | Note |
|---|---|---|
| New folder | ⌘+Shift+N | Creates folder in current location |
| Rename | Select file, press Return | Do NOT double-click — that opens the file |
| Get Info | ⌘+I | Like right-click > Properties on Windows |
| Empty Trash | ⌘+Shift+Delete | Permanently deletes trashed files |
| Select all | ⌘+A | Selects every item in the current folder |
4. Finding Files Fast
Spotlight — Your Best Friend on Mac
Press ⌘+Space and a search bar appears in the center of your screen. Type the name of anything — files, folders, apps, contacts — and results appear instantly.
Think of Spotlight as a search engine for your entire computer. It is almost always the fastest way to find or open anything. But it does more than search:
- Launch apps — type "Outlook" and hit Return
- Math — type "235 * 1.08" to get the answer
- Conversions — type "100 USD to EUR"
- Definitions — type any word to get its meaning
Finder Search is the other option. Press ⌘+F in any Finder window, or click the search bar in the toolbar. This lets you search within a specific folder rather than your whole Mac.
5. Quick Look — A Mac Superpower
Select any file in Finder and press Spacebar. A full preview instantly appears — no app needs to open. This works with PDFs, images, Word docs, Excel files, videos, and more. Press Spacebar (or Esc) again to close it.
Preview!
Why Quick Look is worth remembering
Need to check which version of a document is the right one? Select it and hit Spacebar — much faster than waiting for Word or Excel to open. You can also use arrow keys to Quick Look through multiple files in a row.
6. Try It Now
Put what you have learned into practice. Check off each task as you complete it:
7. Knowledge Check
Click each card to reveal the answer: