How to Access Recently Opened Files Quickly on Mac

On the Mac, you can access your recently opened files easily and more fast. This makes your work easier and makes you a more productive one. On the Mac, normally, you have to open the desired app to open the recently access file. Then go to the open recent command. Then you can see a file menu. In here, there is a list of recently opened files. This is the best way to open recently opened files. But with the Finder, you can easily access those most recently opened files. Because of that, you can see them in different spots. So, without going to the desired app, you can open any file from here, and it saves you one step.

recent items on mac

In the Finder

In the finder app, there is a sidebar. When you open it you can see it. Here you can see the mostly open file list. It is in the Resents folder. This was listed regardless of the file type. When you double-click the file you want to open, it will open in the desired app or default file folder. As an example when you open a file with .rtf, it will open in the TextEdit app.

recents in a finder window

There is an option to change the default app as the user wishes. With this when you click on a file, it will open in your favorite app. To do this, first choose the file you want to open in the Finder app. but don’t open it. After that, select Get Info in File info. Here, you can change the default file type as you wish. This may be an overlooked one when we compare this with other file types. But this is good because you can find all the files in one place.

In the Apple Menu

In the Apple menu, you can see a Command named Recent Items. Here you can see all the recently opened files. But actually, not the files, you can see all the apps you opened and the servers you used. Also, if you don’t want to see the list, you have an option to clear it. But this will start again to show when you open files again. You can edit the file amount shown here. By default, you can see the most opened files, apps, and servers until the count is 10.

In the Dock

When you open the Dock app, you can see the non-Dock applications which were you opened in the right corner. It is separated by a thin grey line and with that, you can recognize it. With this icon, you can access the apps you opened. But if you don’t want this, you can simply turn off this feature. To do this, in macOS go to the System Settings. Then go to Desktop and Dock icon. In here turn off the Show Suggested and Recent Apps in Dock. If you want to open the same file folder many times, you can add that folder to the Dock for quick access.

Create a customized Recents smart folder

customized recents smart folder

When you open the Dock, you can see the Finder icon on the left icon. Right-click on it. There is an option to create a new smart folder. When you create a new smart folder, choose this Mac for the Smart Folder. After that, you can choose the file type and certain periods as you wish. Then click on the + icon. After you customize it as you wish, save it to the place you wish to add it. Then drag it to the Dock. When you click on it, you can see the results.