If you recently switched to macOS, you’d have noticed that new apps don’t appear automatically on the desktop like on Windows. But no worries; you’re able to add your apps and files manually to the desktop in macOS. We’ll show you how.
Drag and Drop Mac Apps From Finder or Spotlight
Unless you’re completely new to macOS, you may already be familiar with Finder and Spotlight.Finder in macOSis what you use to manage files and access storage drives on your Mac, whileSpotlight is the powerful built-in search tool. You can use both to add apps and files to your Mac’s desktop.
Here’s how to drag and drop apps and folders from Finder:
You can repeat these steps to add as many apps, files, and folders as you want to the desktop.
Dragging and dropping apps using the Finder method creates shortcuts. However, moving folders to your desktop will change the file location. If that’s not what you want, quickly reverse your action with theCommand + Zkeyboard shortcut.
Likewise, here’s how to drag and drop items from Spotlight:
Adding folders to your Mac’s desktop with Spotlight creates a copy of the folder and places it on your desktop.
Add Folder Shortcuts to Your Mac’s Desktop
Neither of the above methods creates shortcuts for folders. If you don’t want to move the folder location or create a copy of the folder, the best thing to do would be to create an alias for the folder. Here’s how:
That’s it! This is just one of the many ways tomake your Mac look like a Windows PC.
Access Everything From Your Mac’s Desktop
You can technically build your desktop as a control panel for your Mac. Add all the aliases, shortcuts, and widgets you need to make your Mac as accessible as you like.
However, don’t forget that you’re working with limited real estate on your Mac’s desktop, which could get crowded easily. Having too many items on your desktop could be counterproductive, making it even harder to find what you need.
