The results of our poll asking about proxy icon use are in, and we hope that this article’s explanation of what proxy icons are good for encourages those who haven’t used them to give them a try.

Moving large folders with the macOS Finder can become an exercise in frustration if it doesn’t gracefully handle errors. In such situations, ChronoSync Express from Econ Technologies can move your data more successfully.

Described as being the biggest update to macOS since OS X, macOS Big Sur features streamlined design, more customizable controls, privacy enhancements, and increased interoperability with iPadOS and iOS. X hasn’t marked the spot for several years, but we’re now in Spinal Tap territory: it’s macOS 11.0 Big Sur, for those who are keeping score.

Frustrated by having drives and folders in the Finder open in tabs instead of new windows, Adam Engst discovered that there are two preferences that control this behavior, and one is in a surprising spot.

The Preview app has long provided tools that let you mark up an image with arrows, text, and even free-form drawing. But other Mac apps—Mail, Notes, Photos, TextEdit, and more—also provide access to similar markup tools, and now macOS 10.14 Mojave makes them available even in the Finder and the new screenshot interface.

It’s a cinch to rename a file or folder in the Finder. But renaming a group of them in a common way—appending a project name, fixing a repeated misspelling, or adding serial numbers? That, too, can be easy, with the Finder’s often-overlooked batch-renaming capability.

If you’ve ever needed to work with invisible files on your Mac but didn’t want to drop into Terminal, read on for the secret keyboard shortcut that reveals the files and directories that are normally hidden in the Finder.