The macOS Finder toolbar provides direct access to view modes, sharing options, tag selectors, and action menus. While the default configuration covers everyday navigation, tailoring the toolbar to your specific workflow eliminates repetitive menu diving. You can add one-click buttons for creating new folders, inspecting metadata, deleting items, or even pin frequently used applications and scripts directly into the header of every Finder window.
This tutorial explains how to customise the Finder toolbar in macOS, add custom tools and utility items, rearrange or remove buttons, drag third-party application shortcuts into the window frame, and configure contextual Quick Actions for enhanced file management.
Accessing the Finder Toolbar Customisation Palette
macOS includes a dedicated drag-and-drop palette that contains every available native toolbar control. You can modify the toolbar from any open Finder window.
- Open a new Finder window on your Mac by clicking the Finder icon in the Dock or pressing Command + Option + Space.
- Ensure the toolbar is visible. If the toolbar is hidden, click View in the top menu bar and select Show Toolbar (or press Option + Command + T).
- Right-click (or Control-click) any empty space in the Finder toolbar.
- Select Customise Toolbar… from the contextual menu. Alternatively, click View > Customise Toolbar… from the menu bar.
- A sheet displays displaying a grid of available buttons, including Delete, New Folder, Get Info, Quick Look, Path, Connect, Share, and flexible spacers.
Adding, Removing, and Rearranging Toolbar Buttons
Once the customisation palette is open, the toolbar enters an interactive editing mode where items jiggle slightly to indicate they can be moved.
- Add a button: Click and drag any icon from the palette sheet directly into your desired position on the active toolbar. When other icons slide aside, release the mouse or trackpad button.
- Remove a button: Click and drag an unwanted icon out of the toolbar area towards the desktop or into the palette until you see a small removal puff or cross icon, then release.
- Rearrange existing buttons: Click and drag icons left or right within the toolbar to establish your preferred visual order.
- Add Spacing: Drag a Space or Flexible Space tile into the toolbar to separate core navigation controls from action buttons.
- Restore Defaults: If you wish to revert your changes, locate the default item set at the bottom of the palette sheet and drag the entire horizontal strip up into your toolbar.
- Click Done in the bottom right corner of the sheet to save your new layout.
Adding Applications and File Shortcuts to the Finder Toolbar
Beyond built-in system buttons, macOS allows you to pin executable applications, shell scripts, documents, or frequently accessed folder shortcuts directly into the Finder toolbar.
- Open the Finder window where you wish to place the shortcut. You do not need to open the customisation palette for this procedure.
- Press and hold the Command (⌘) key on your keyboard.
- Locate the application (such as Terminal, TextEdit, or a dedicated compression utility) in your Applications folder.
- While continuing to hold Command, drag the application icon directly into an open space on the Finder toolbar.
- A green plus badge (+) appears alongside the icon. Release the mouse button to anchor the shortcut.
Clicking an application pinned to the toolbar launches the app immediately. Furthermore, dragging selected files or folders directly onto the pinned toolbar app opens those files within that specific program, making batch processing effortless.
Pro Tip: Quick Removal Without Opening the Palette
To instantly remove an application icon or native button from your Finder toolbar without opening the customisation menu, hold down the Command (⌘) key, click the item, drag it off the toolbar until a small cloud or cross icon appears, and release it.
Configuring Quick Actions in the Preview Pane and Toolbar
macOS enables contextual automation through Quick Actions. When viewing files in Column View or Gallery View, these actions appear directly in the Finder Preview pane and under the Action (gear) icon in the toolbar.
| Quick Action Feature | Supported File Types | Default Workflow Behaviour |
|---|---|---|
| Rotate Left / Right | JPEG, PNG, HEIC, TIFF | Rotates image orientation losslessly without opening Preview. |
| Markup | Images, PDF documents | Launches instant drawing, signature, and annotation tools in-place. |
| Create PDF | Multiple selected images or docs | Combines all selected items into a single multi-page PDF document. |
| Trim | MOV, MP4, M4A, MP3 | Opens quick scrubbing slider to cut audio or video clips. |
To enable or reorder available Quick Actions:
- Click the Apple menu () > System Settings.
- Navigate to Privacy & Security > Extensions > Finder (or Quick Actions on older macOS versions).
- Toggle on or off the specific workflows and Apple Shortcuts you wish to display when browsing files in Finder.
Troubleshooting Finder Toolbar Display Anomalies
If customised icons vanish between reboots or changes fail to persist across windows, apply the following diagnostic remedies:
- Toolbar Hidden by Accident: If a window opens without any header bar, press Option + Command + T to toggle toolbar visibility back on.
- Corrupted Finder Preferences: If customisations refuse to save, your user Finder plist may be locked. Open Terminal and run:
This resets your Finder layout settings to factory defaults while preserving all personal files.rm ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.finder.plist && killall Finder - Third-Party Cloud Sync Overlays: Cloud storage clients (such as Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive) occasionally inject extension icons into Finder. Manage these via System Settings > Privacy & Security > Extensions > Added extensions.