Create Subfolders in Documents folder

Joined
Jun 17, 2011
Messages
316
Reaction score
3
Points
18
Location
Northeast
Your Mac's Specs
Mac Pro (2019) 3.3 ghz 12-Core 96GB mem Vega Pro II
I know how to create a folder and move it to where I want, but is there any way to create a folder "in place"? What I mean is I have:
Folder 1
a
b
>>>>I want the new folder here
Folder 2
a
b
>>>>but the new folder gets created here and I have to drag it.

I really want it to be inserted where I want. Is there any way to do this?
 
Joined
Jul 30, 2009
Messages
7,295
Reaction score
301
Points
83
Location
Wisconsin
Your Mac's Specs
Mac Mini (Late 2014) 2.6GHz Intel Core i5 Memory: 8GB 1600MHz DDR3
If you mean what I think you mean: Open the folder that you want to create a new folder in. The existing folder is the "enclosing" folder. Create the new folder. It will be created within the folder you have open.

If you're talking about the order, that depends on how you have them sorted.
 
OP
Bob_Stan
Joined
Jun 17, 2011
Messages
316
Reaction score
3
Points
18
Location
Northeast
Your Mac's Specs
Mac Pro (2019) 3.3 ghz 12-Core 96GB mem Vega Pro II
I think that is what I am doing. I select Folder 1 so it is highlighted in blue. I click Add New Folder in Finder (A menu item I added to the standard Finder Menu Bar). The folder gets created at some random place, NOT in Folder 1. I understand that within Folder 1 it would get created at a position determined by the sort order.

I will try a few more times to make sure i am not totally confused.
 
OP
Bob_Stan
Joined
Jun 17, 2011
Messages
316
Reaction score
3
Points
18
Location
Northeast
Your Mac's Specs
Mac Pro (2019) 3.3 ghz 12-Core 96GB mem Vega Pro II
I just tried again. The finder is in list view, and no matter where i am positioned in Folder 1, the new folder is created somewhere else. This is really frustrating.
 

CrimsonRequiem


Retired Staff
Joined
Jul 24, 2008
Messages
6,003
Reaction score
125
Points
63
Your Mac's Specs
MBP 2.3 Ghz 4GB RAM 860 GB SSD, iMac 3.4 GHz Intel Core i7 32GB RAM, Fusion Drive 1TB
I just tried again. The finder is in list view, and no matter where i am positioned in Folder 1, the new folder is created somewhere else. This is really frustrating.

You need be physically inside the folder that you want to create a folder within a folder.

Did that make sense? >_<"
 
M

MacInWin

Guest
As Crimson says, don't just highlight the folder, OPEN it and then create the new folder. Folders are always created in the folder you have open, not any highlighted folder or location.
 
OP
Bob_Stan
Joined
Jun 17, 2011
Messages
316
Reaction score
3
Points
18
Location
Northeast
Your Mac's Specs
Mac Pro (2019) 3.3 ghz 12-Core 96GB mem Vega Pro II
I have tried that as well, which fails the same way. But this is what I just realized - I am in list view and it WILL NOT work for me. If I use the icon view, it creates a folder just fine where I expect it.
 
Joined
Jul 30, 2009
Messages
7,295
Reaction score
301
Points
83
Location
Wisconsin
Your Mac's Specs
Mac Mini (Late 2014) 2.6GHz Intel Core i5 Memory: 8GB 1600MHz DDR3
Works just fine in List View for me (OS 10.5.8)

Create a new folder without any folder highlighted. If you do not have a Finder Window open, the new folder will be created on your Desktop. If you do have a Finder Window open, it will create the new folder in that Window. That is, an open folder becomes a Window. Windows may have other folders within them, and those folders may have other folders within them as well, and so on.

In List View, folders have little triangles next to them. To reveal what is in a folder, click that triangle. This is NOT the same thing as opening that folder! To open a folder, double click the folder. See the difference?
 
OP
Bob_Stan
Joined
Jun 17, 2011
Messages
316
Reaction score
3
Points
18
Location
Northeast
Your Mac's Specs
Mac Pro (2019) 3.3 ghz 12-Core 96GB mem Vega Pro II
I see what you mean - finally.:) I understand now that an expanded folder in list view is not the same thing as an opened folder.

To be honest, the operation of the finder seems quite primitive compared to the Windows Explorer I am more familiar with. Your explanation makes this part of its operation clear. Thank you.
 

chscag

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
65,248
Reaction score
1,833
Points
113
Location
Keller, Texas
Your Mac's Specs
2017 27" iMac, 10.5" iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Mini, Numerous iPods, Monterey
Download the free muCommander from here. It gives you a dual panel file display just like the old Norton Commander from DOS and Windows. Create folders, sub folders, rename, move, etc, all done easily and intuitively.
 
C

chas_m

Guest
No, don't do that. You're not in Windows anymore. Learn the Mac, and I **promise** that you will find out that there's a lot of power there you're just not tapping into because you don't know about it yet.

For example: shift-command-n is a more efficient method to create folders, because your hands already being on the keyboard means you can quickly NAME the folder you just created. Also, when in List view and you create a new folder, it doesn't go "somewhere else" -- it goes to where a folder called "Untitled" SHOULD go -- in alphabetical order under "U".
 
Joined
May 29, 2010
Messages
73
Reaction score
0
Points
6
Your Mac's Specs
Mid-2010 15" MBP; late 2012 11" MBA; iPhone 5
Thanks Chas for always reminding us (certainly me included) that the best way to get good at the Mac OS is to actually embrace it -- to have faith that the millions of man-hours that Apple invested in it, will pay dividends if you open your mind to it.
 
Joined
Nov 19, 2006
Messages
1,774
Reaction score
81
Points
48
Location
York, UK
Your Mac's Specs
iMac: 5K 27” (2020), 3.3 GHz, 32Gb RAM. iPad2, iPad mini4, iPhone 13 Mini, Apple Watch SE
An even easier way to add new folder. Right click on a blank area of the Finder window Toolbar and select Customise Toolbar. There you can add an icon 'New Folder'. Now when you are in a folder you can just click the icon.
 
OP
Bob_Stan
Joined
Jun 17, 2011
Messages
316
Reaction score
3
Points
18
Location
Northeast
Your Mac's Specs
Mac Pro (2019) 3.3 ghz 12-Core 96GB mem Vega Pro II
chas_m -
I appreciate everyone's help and I understand how to add folders now. I know I was doing it wrong. BUT, for someone coming from a Windows background ( a switcher :) ), if I am in finder in list view and have Folder X expanded and have an item below that folder highlighted and choose New Folder, I expect the new folder to be created within Folder X. This does not happen. The new folder pops up somewhere else outside of Folder X. That was the source of my confusion.
 
M

MacInWin

Guest
Bob, I work both OSes every day. I have all OSX at home, but my company uses Windows products. When I got the OSX stuff for home, the learning curve was horrendous, and it was made harder by my work environment staying in Windows. But now, after a couple of years under my belt, I have found myself more frustrated at work because I expect the OSX reactions, not Windows! So my advice is to hang in there, the Windows stuff will fade and you will begin to "think" in OSX terms.
 
Joined
Jul 30, 2009
Messages
7,295
Reaction score
301
Points
83
Location
Wisconsin
Your Mac's Specs
Mac Mini (Late 2014) 2.6GHz Intel Core i5 Memory: 8GB 1600MHz DDR3
An even easier way to add new folder. Right click on a blank area of the Finder window Toolbar and select Customise Toolbar. There you can add an icon 'New Folder'. Now when you are in a folder you can just click the icon.

Good advice. I'm gonna give that one a try for awhile and see if it forms a new habit. *

I see what you mean - finally.:) I understand now that an expanded folder in list view is not the same thing as an opened folder.

To be honest, the operation of the finder seems quite primitive compared to the Windows Explorer I am more familiar with. Your explanation makes this part of its operation clear.
Great! I'm glad my assumption turned out to be on the mark for you.

I suspect that if you were a Mac user switching to Windows, you'd find Explorer to be "primitive" instead.
 

chscag

Well-known member
Staff member
Admin
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
65,248
Reaction score
1,833
Points
113
Location
Keller, Texas
Your Mac's Specs
2017 27" iMac, 10.5" iPad Pro, iPhone 8, iPhone 11, iPhone 12 Mini, Numerous iPods, Monterey
No, don't do that. You're not in Windows anymore. Learn the Mac, and I **promise** that you will find out that there's a lot of power there you're just not tapping into because you don't know about it yet.

Actually you can use both methods. I use muCommander quite often to do things that are not easily accomplished by the Finder. But to each his own I guess. Apple is not perfect in the way they do things. That's why we have so many third party utilities and add ons for OS X.
 
C

chas_m

Guest
chas_m -
BUT, for someone coming from a Windows background ( a switcher :) ), if I am in finder in list view and have Folder X expanded and have an item below that folder highlighted and choose New Folder, I expect the new folder to be created within Folder X. This does not happen. The new folder pops up somewhere else outside of Folder X. That was the source of my confusion.

I totally understand and respect that, and was not condemning you for expecting that. It's perfectly logical and perhaps someday Apple might even add that ability for all I know. There are in fact programs (Mail comes to mind) where this DOES happen as you expect, so I freely admit its an inconsistency.

My comment about "more power" was referring more to alternate ways of getting to the same point, which most switchers aren't aware of (and heck, a lot of Mac users aren't aware of either -- for example did you know there are at least five ways to quit a program?).
 

Shop Amazon


Shop for your Apple, Mac, iPhone and other computer products on Amazon.
We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon and affiliated sites.
Top