Finder tags label files and folders with colors and names, letting you group related items without moving them into the same folder. A file can have more than one tag.
Tags work across recent macOS versions.
Does This Affect You?
Use tags when project files are scattered across folders but you want one-click access to everything marked Urgent, Receipts, Client Work, Tax, or any label you choose.
Add a Tag
- In Finder, right-click or Control-click a file or folder.
- To tag several items, select them first and right-click one selected item.
- Choose a colored tag dot or click Tags for more options.
- Type a custom tag name if you do not want a plain color label.
- Press Return to apply it.
Find Tagged Files
- Open Finder.
- Look for the Tags section in the sidebar.
- Click a tag name to see every file and folder with that tag, even if the items live in different folders.
- If Tags is hidden, open Finder > Settings > Sidebar and enable it.
- You can also search the tag name in Spotlight.
Tag Management Tips
Rename or Recolor Tags
Open Finder settings and use the Tags tab. Renaming or recoloring a tag updates it everywhere it is already applied.
Keyboard Shortcuts
The default color tags can be applied from Finder with shortcuts such as Control + 1 through Control + 7 when a file is selected.
Remove a Tag
Right-click a tagged item, hover over or open Tags, and deselect the current tag. You can also remove items from a tag view.
Sync and Metadata
Tags are macOS metadata and work well with iCloud Drive, but email attachments and some cloud services may strip them during upload or sharing.
Sources
- Apple Support: Use tags on Mac to organize files
- Apple Support: Get to know Finder on Mac
- Apple Support: Change Finder settings on Mac