Macintosh HD and Finder.. What is the difference?

Joined
Mar 1, 2007
Messages
73
Reaction score
3
Points
8
I was working on my Dads new imac as I don't have an apple yet and I was wondering what is the difference between "Macintosh HD" and "Finder"? I know Spotlight will locate things for you so what is Finder for? Maybe a better question is What can you do with Finder that you can't do with Macintosh HD or visa versa?

Can you clear this up for me? Thanks!
 
Joined
Apr 19, 2007
Messages
780
Reaction score
18
Points
18
Your Mac's Specs
20" iMac Core 2 Duo 2.16Ghz, 500GB HDD, 1GB RAM, 128MB ATI Radeon X1600
uh what?

Clicking on Macintosh HD just opens Finder. Macintosh HD is the default name of the primary hard drive in a Mac.
 

cwa107


Retired Staff
Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Messages
27,042
Reaction score
812
Points
113
Location
Lake Mary, Florida
Your Mac's Specs
14" MacBook Pro M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD
I was working on my Dads new imac as I don't have an apple yet and I was wondering what is the difference between "Macintosh HD" and "Finder"? I know Spotlight will locate things for you so what is Finder for? Maybe a better question is What can you do with Finder that you can't do with Macintosh HD or visa versa?

Can you clear this up for me? Thanks!

Finder is the windowed file and folder browser in OS X. The concept is similar to Windows Explorer. Macintosh HD is just a shortcut to display the contents of your hard drive in a Finder window.
 
OP
M
Joined
Mar 1, 2007
Messages
73
Reaction score
3
Points
8
So the "Macintosh HD" is just a shortcut to Finder? They are both the same thing?
 
Joined
Apr 19, 2007
Messages
780
Reaction score
18
Points
18
Your Mac's Specs
20" iMac Core 2 Duo 2.16Ghz, 500GB HDD, 1GB RAM, 128MB ATI Radeon X1600
Joined
Mar 11, 2004
Messages
1,964
Reaction score
174
Points
63
This is Wikipedia's article on it. Despite the claim made in it that the Finder was completely rewritten for OS X, many people say it wasn't and that even Tiger contains some ancient code that was merely ported over.

Posts 3 and 4 in this thread appear to confirm this.
 

cwa107


Retired Staff
Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Messages
27,042
Reaction score
812
Points
113
Location
Lake Mary, Florida
Your Mac's Specs
14" MacBook Pro M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD
So the "Macintosh HD" is just a shortcut to Finder? They are both the same thing?

On Windows, you click on My Computer to see a summary of all the drives attached to your machine, including your main hard drive (C:). In Mac OS X, instead of having My Computer, you have Macintosh HD (HD stands for Hard Drive) which shows you everything in your main hard drive (like C: in Windows). The Finder is the program that displays these windows, just as Explorer displays these kinds of windows in Windows.
 
Joined
Oct 3, 2005
Messages
2,722
Reaction score
88
Points
48
Location
Ontario, Canada
Your Mac's Specs
Custom PC
Think of "Macintosh HD" as "My Computer"... And "Finder" as "Explorer."

Most people seem to understand that a lot beter.
 
M

MacHeadCase

Guest
MikeT, read Browny's, cwa's and punkr0x0r's posts, they have it right. :)
 
Joined
Oct 10, 2004
Messages
10,345
Reaction score
597
Points
113
Location
Margaritaville
Your Mac's Specs
3.4 Ghz i7 MacBook Pro (2015), iPad Pro (2014), iPhone Xs Max. Apple TV 4K
Finder is the windowed file and folder browser in OS X. The concept is similar to Windows Explorer. Macintosh HD is just a shortcut to display the contents of your hard drive in a Finder window.

You are correct with one exception. The HD is not a "short cut", it is the actual mount point for the drive image itself. Unlike the "My Computer" on Windows, which serves as the portal to access the lettered drives, the Mac requires no portal and simply mounts the HD on the desktop. Many former Windows users find this confusing.

Finder is simply the vehicle to display much of the UI on the Mac, but the system can run without the Finder. IF you quit the Finder though, you lose the basic desktop interface and have find other-ways to access files.
 
Joined
Sep 18, 2006
Messages
172
Reaction score
2
Points
18
Location
Windsor, Ontario
Your Mac's Specs
14" ibook g4, 1.42ghz. 512mb ram, 60gb hdd
They're the same thing.
 
OP
M
Joined
Mar 1, 2007
Messages
73
Reaction score
3
Points
8
On Windows, you click on My Computer to see a summary of all the drives attached to your machine, including your main hard drive (C:). In Mac OS X, instead of having My Computer, you have Macintosh HD (HD stands for Hard Drive) which shows you everything in your main hard drive (like C: in Windows). The Finder is the program that displays these windows, just as Explorer displays these kinds of windows in Windows.

This I understand. Thank you!
 

dtravis7


Retired Staff
Joined
Jan 4, 2005
Messages
30,133
Reaction score
703
Points
113
Location
Modesto, Ca.
Your Mac's Specs
MacMini M-1 MacOS Monterey, iMac 2010 27"Quad I7 , MBPLate2011, iPad Pro10.5", iPhoneSE
Great job CWA. I was going to reply till I read your post. You said it the way I would have tried to.
 
Joined
Nov 27, 2006
Messages
440
Reaction score
52
Points
28
Your Mac's Specs
Power Mac G5 Dual 1.8 GHz
file manager of Mac OS X = the Finder
file manager of Windows = Windows Explorer or explorer.exe

main hard drive in Mac OS X = named "Macintosh HD" by default
main hard drive in Windows = mounted as "C drive" or " C: ", and named "Local Disk" by default

drives in Mac OS X = displayed on the Desktop and displayed in the "Computer" folder (the name is whatever you named the computer)
drives in Windows = displayed in the "My Computer" folder



It's kinda funny.

I think most Windows users have no idea what their file manager is actually called.
I myself have been a Windows user for many years, and it's only when I became more computer savvy that I became aware of that.

This is mainly because Microsoft decided to not label the Windows Explorer windows (folder windows basically) as "Windows Explorer."

So instead, most people just think of them as "folders," and not the windows of a program.
But in reality, they ARE just like the windows of any other programs. (i.e. Word, or Paint, or Internet Explorer)

Sure, this might be a good idea, because you want to create a better illusion for the desktop metaphor. Obviously, in real life, your desktop and folders aren't part of some "Windows Explorer."

The problem arises when some error occurs, for instance, Explorer crashes.

They'd see a message saying "Windows Explorer has crashed" or "explorer.exe has stop responding,"
but... how would they know what this "Windows Explorer" is? You never mentioned the name until now!

That's also why a lot of Windows users call it "My Computer" or "My Documents."
Because that's usually where they start off in the folders, so it's pretty much the only name they know.

In this respect, at first glance, Mac OS X might seem more complicated. "What's this Finder business?!?"
But in the long run, it actually allows users to be more aware of what's really going on and how the computer actually works.

OK, enough rambling. ;p
 

dtravis7


Retired Staff
Joined
Jan 4, 2005
Messages
30,133
Reaction score
703
Points
113
Location
Modesto, Ca.
Your Mac's Specs
MacMini M-1 MacOS Monterey, iMac 2010 27"Quad I7 , MBPLate2011, iPad Pro10.5", iPhoneSE
This is how I figured out what Windows File Manager was called. Way back now in Windows 95/98 I killed Explorer and saw the desktop/Icons go away. One way to find out what it's called! :D
 
Joined
Apr 17, 2007
Messages
71
Reaction score
1
Points
8
Location
CA
Your Mac's Specs
2 GHz C2D MacBook 2GB RAM 80GB HD
Is there anyway to hide, or remove, the Macintosh HD from the desktop screen? I almost dragged it into the trash can one time while trying to eject another object.
 

cwa107


Retired Staff
Joined
Dec 20, 2006
Messages
27,042
Reaction score
812
Points
113
Location
Lake Mary, Florida
Your Mac's Specs
14" MacBook Pro M1 Pro, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD
Is there anyway to hide, or remove, the Macintosh HD from the desktop screen? I almost dragged it into the trash can one time while trying to eject another object.

Yes. When in a Finder window, click the Finder menu, choose Preferences. Under the General tab, uncheck the box for Hard Disks under "Show these items on the Desktop".
 
Joined
Apr 17, 2007
Messages
71
Reaction score
1
Points
8
Location
CA
Your Mac's Specs
2 GHz C2D MacBook 2GB RAM 80GB HD
Sweet, thanks.
 
Joined
Oct 10, 2004
Messages
10,345
Reaction score
597
Points
113
Location
Margaritaville
Your Mac's Specs
3.4 Ghz i7 MacBook Pro (2015), iPad Pro (2014), iPhone Xs Max. Apple TV 4K
Is there anyway to hide, or remove, the Macintosh HD from the desktop screen? I almost dragged it into the trash can one time while trying to eject another object.

Dragging the Macintosh Hard Drive (the boot Drive) to the trash won't do anything since you can't unmount the boot drive while OSX is running from it. Even Disc Utility won't unmount the boot drive while the system is running. This is also why you can only "Verify" the drive when running Disc Utility from it and not "Repair" the drive.

They're the same thing.

No, they are not. Read the thread. Finder is an Application, the Hard Drive is the Hard Drive not an Application.
 

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