Finder is your go-to tool if you're looking for a file on your Mac, as it's the default file manager in macOS, meaning you can use it to find any file, document, photo, etc.

Sometimes, you may need to open more than one window to help you find or transfer files, which is where Finder tabs come into play.

We've covered how to open and use multiple tabs in Finder down below, but before that, let's quickly go over Finder tabs and learn why you should use them.

What Are Finder Tabs? (And Why Should You Use Them?)

Finder tabs on macOS are similar to tabs you see in browsers such as Safari and Chrome. The purpose of this feature is to allow navigation between different macOS locations within one window with multiple tabs instead of opening several windows of Finder.

Apple introduced Finder tabs with OS X Mavericks (10.9), and the feature has been a fan favorite ever since. Keeping different Finder tabs open in multiple locations makes moving files between them easier.

How to Open and Use Multiple Finder Tabs in macOS

The tab bar should automatically be visible if you create a new tab. You'll see it near the top of your Finder window. You can also make it visible (or hide it) by going to Finder > View > Show Tab Bar (or by pressing Shift + Cmd + T on your keyboard.)

To open a new tab in Finder, simply press Cmd + T on your keyboard. Alternatively, you can click the plus (+) button on the right side of the tab bar in Finder. You can also open a new tab by going to the Finder menu > Open New Tab. This will open to the default folder location set in Finder (usually the Recents folder)

To open a specific folder in a new tab, hold Cmd while double-clicking a folder, or Control-click (secondary click) on a folder and select Open in New Tab as shown below.

You should see your tabs arranged at the top of the Finder window. Clicking on any tab opens it up, which you can use to get to any folder on your system.

To close a tab, simply hover the mouse cursor over the tab you want to get rid of. You'll see an X icon appear on the left of the tab. Click on it to close the tab.

Similarly, to close all but the selected tab, Control-click the Finder tab you want to keep open, and then select Close Other Tabs from the context menu.

Other Ways to Navigate Through Finder

Finder is an excellent built-in tool that you can customize in different ways according to your preferences. For instance, you can set it to display files and other items as icons, lists, columns, or a gallery. You can even group items according to different categories, customize the toolbar, add tags to files, and more.

There are many unique features to explore in Finder, which can lead to a more efficient workflow and save you ample time while performing daily tasks on your Mac.