• How to Create Desktop Shortcuts on Mac #1. From Sidebar: Launch Finder, place your pointer on the folder name in left Sidebar, and then right-click. Using Path Bar: Be inside Finder and click on View from the menu bar. Now click Show Path Bar. A tab will be added.
  • In the Mac OS, shortcuts are called aliases. To begin, I’ll add a HoudaSpot alias to the folder. First, I’ll right-click (or two-finger click on newer trackpads) the app in the Applications folder and select Make Alias: This will create an alias file, or shortcut, I can place in my Productivity shortcuts folder.
  • From Finder, go anywhere where you suspect there are hidden files, such as the the Macintosh HD root directory, or Home folder Next, press down the Command + Shift + Period keys, which should toggle to show hidden files in that folder. As you press the shortcut the keys are visible: when you switch it off, they dissapear again.
  • Takes you to your Applications folder: Command+Shift+C: Takes you to the top-level Computer location: Command+Shift+G: Takes you to a folder that you specify: Command+Shift+H: Takes you to your Home folder: Command+Shift+I: Connects you to your iDisk: Command+Shift+Q: Logs you out: Command+Shift+N: Creates a new untitled folder in the active window: Command+Shift+U.
  1. Shortcut Folder App Mac Desktop
  2. Mac Create Shortcut
  3. Mac Keyboard Shortcuts

How to Create Shortcut Folder on the Mac OS Dock, Change Its Icon

The Dock is one of my favorite features of the Mac OS – and I find it very useful.

How to Make Desktop Shortcuts in macOS 1. Click on the Finder icon at the bottom left of the screen (the leftmost icon in the Dock). Right-click on the Folder, File, or Application you'd like to create a shortcut for on the left side of the window. Select Make Alias.

But it’s just not big enough.

I place applications in one of three categories:

1. Used Constantly (Firefox, Chrome, Mail, iTunes, VirtualBox, EverNote)

2. Used Frequently (Thunderbird, Word, Flow, HoudahSpot, CyberDuck…)

3. Used Occasionally (Toast, iChat, iMovie…)

My few constantly-used apps get first Dock dibs, of course, which is no problem. But the more numerous frequently-used applications won’t come close to fitting. The rarely-used icons are just fine relegated to the Applications shortcut folder included in Dock by default since I don’t mind the occasional icon scavenger hunt. But I don’t want to have to scroll through every installed application to get to those apps I use frequently that wouldn’t fit in the Dock.

The best solution I’ve found is to create a folder on the hard drive, place shortcuts (aliases) to frequently-used apps inside it, and then place the shortcut folder in the Dock. I’ve used this solution for some time with great results, but I always disliked the plain, blue folder icon that marked this shortcut. So I recently found a way to replace it.

In this post, I’ll show you how to create a custom folder (or folders), fill it with desired contents (applications, files, other folders, etc.), place it in the Mac OS dock, and even change the folder’s icon to your liking.

Let’s get started.

Dock 101

The Mac OS dock is split into two parts. On the left side of the dock are single app shortcuts. You can add and remove these shortcuts at will. On the right side (separated by a dotted line, shown below) are shortcut folders – Applications and Downloads by default – and the Trash bin.

These latter shortcuts are links to folder contents for easier access than browsing the hard drive’s file system.

Create a Folder, Fill It

Somewhere on your hard drive create a new folder and give it a name associated with the app shortcuts you want to store there. Mine will be called Productivity. Where you create the folder is up to you, but you’ll probably want it to be in an out-of-the-way location that you can get to later if you want to make changes. But for the purposes of this post, I’m going to create mine in the root folder.

Once you have your folder, it’s time to fill it with app shortcuts. Best 3rd party apps for mac.

Mac

In the Mac OS, shortcuts are called aliases. To begin, I’ll add a HoudaSpot alias to the folder.

First, I’ll right-click (or two-finger click on newer trackpads) the app in the Applications folder and select Make Alias:

Shortcut Folder App Mac Desktop

This will create an alias file, or shortcut, I can place in my Productivity shortcuts folder:

You’ll notice than an alias file has a small black arrow at the lower-left corner of its icon. You can rename it or take out the “alias” portion of the name if you don’t want it to appear in your final shortcuts folder label.

Repeat this process until the folder is filled with the app shortcuts you want. We’re now ready to place it on the Dock.

Movin’ to the Dock

Once your folder is ready, it’s time to move it to the dock. This is as simple as dragging the folder to the desired location. Folders can only be placed on the right side of the dock.

Postgres mac gui app. As you can see, I can now quickly access my frequently-used applications with just two clicks of the mouse, right from the Desktop.

Change A Folder Shortcut Icon

You can choose to view this new shortcut as a collection of icons or as a plain, blue folder (right click on the shortcut folder and select the desired view). I like neither. So I’ll show you how to change the icon to anything you like.

First, you need to find an appropriate image. It’s best if it’s either an icon graphic file or a PNG with a transparent background. Since my folder contains productivity applications, I wanted my folder to appear as a portfolio, so I found the following 256×256 PNG image (source) with no colored background:

Download the image to your Mac and open it in Preview. If the image file has no background, it will appear in Preview with an even, light gray color beneath. If there’s a white or black box around the image, this will also appear in the icon, which you probably don’t want.

Using the pointer, draw a box around the image:
From the toolbar, select Edit > Copy.

Now, navigate to the location of the folder you created in the Mac OS file system. Right-click or two-finger click the folder and select Get Info:

Mac Create Shortcut

In the Info window, click the icon in the upper left-hand corner. This will outline the icon with a blue glow (shown in the red circle). From the toolbar select Edit > Paste:
Shortcut Folder App Mac
The standard icon will be replaced with the image you copied from Preview: https://zhwadr.weebly.com/blog/best-mac-agenda-app.

If you’ve already placed the shortcut folder on your Dock, you’ll need to remove it and add it again now that you’ve changed the icon. The shortcut folder will then appear with the new icon.

Mac Keyboard Shortcuts

I hope you’ve found this helpful. If you have questions or comments, please post them in the comments section below.
-M