Now that you have made your choices as to how you will view your windows let's start working with those finder windows.

Windows

Here is a typical finder window viewed as a list with the contents of my hard drive. Across the top of every window is a Title Bar.

The box at the left end of the Title Bar is the Close Box. When you click on it the window will close. This only closes the window, the program which it was opened in will remain active. You can also use the Keyboard Shortcut cmd+W.

This is the Maximize Box. Clicking on it will make the window nearly fill the screen. Clicking again will return the window back.

This is the Window Shade. Clicking on it will reduce the window to just the Title Bar.

Like this........ 

This makes more of your desktop visable without having to close the window

You can adjust the size of the window with the Size Box in the lower right hand corner of the window. Click, Hold the mouse button and Drag to adjust the size just the way you want it.

Columns

When using List View you can sort the list by any of the columns currently being viewed.

All you need to do is to click on the column header.

To reverse the sort order you can click on the arrow above the scroll bar at the right of the window.

You can change the column widths. Place your cursor on the dividing line in the header to the right edge of the column you wish to change until your cursor changes as in the screenshot below. Then click, hold and drag until the column is the size you want. 

You can also change the column order. Click and hold on a column header and once you begin to move the cursor it will turn into a hand and you can place it wherever you choose. You can move any column except for the name column.

And remember you can choose which columns are shown by choosing "View Options" from the "View" menu. Go here for a refresher.

When you are working with a file the icon will tell you if the file has been saved or not. When the file has been changed and NOT saved the icon will dim.

Once you have saved the file the icon will brighten.

If you hold the Command Key while you click on the window title, a drop down menu will appear showing you the path to the file. You can highlight any of the folders and let the mouse button go and that folder will open.

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