How to clean up your Mac's desktop

By Luke Filipowicz, Peter Cohen
last updated

Your Mac's desktop is where you do a lot of your work. Many of us have a tendency to use it to keep files we access frequently, piling them on until your desktop becomes a hot mess. Do yourself a favor and take a few minutes to clean up your Mac desktop, then use these tips to keep it tidy in the future.

How to organize desktop items into folders on Mac

Rather than just leaving every file on the desktop, group them into folders. Folders make it easier to keep track of related items.

  1. Right click any blank space on your desktop background.
  2. Click New Folder. You can also use the Command-Shift-N keyboard shortcut.

  1. Click on the new folder that just appeared.
  2. Hit enter on your keyboard.
  3. Type a name for the folder.

Now you can drag any items you want into that new folder.

How to align and sort desktop items automatically on Mac

If you feel you need some sort of structure to the way your folders and files are placed, your Mac can help you automatically sort your files into a nice and tidy grid by specific types of files.

  1. Right click any blank space on your desktop background.
  2. Click on Clean Up By.

  1. Choose the option you want. Your options are as follows:
    • Name
    • Kind
    • Date Modified
    • Date Created
    • Size
    • Tags

How to keep all your desktop files in a grid formation on Mac

If you find your desktop has lost all structure and files are in every corner, you can easily snap all the files and folders back into a grid formation at any time.

  1. Right click any blank space on your desktop background.
  2. Click on Sort By.
  3. Click Snap to Grid.

Now, until you change it, all your files will always snap to a grid. If you want to reverse it, you can follow the same steps listed above.

How to adjust the size of desktop icons on Mac

If you think the icons on your screen are too small or too big, you can easily change their size.

  1. Right click any blank space on your desktop background.
  2. Click Show View Options.
  3. Adjust the icon size with the slider.

How to change the grid spacing on the desktop on Mac

  1. Right click any blank space on your desktop background.
  2. Click Show View Options.
  3. Adjust the grid spacing with the slider.

Questions?

Want to know anything else? Let us know in the comments below!

Originally published June 2015. Updated Nov 2016 to reflect changes in macOS

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Luke Filipowicz
Luke Filipowicz
Staff Writer

Luke Filipowicz has been a writer at iMore, covering Apple for nearly a decade now. He writes a lot about Apple Watch and iPad but covers the iPhone and Mac as well. He often describes himself as an "Apple user on a budget" and firmly believes that great technology can be affordable if you know where to look. Luke also heads up the iMore Show — a weekly podcast focusing on Apple news, rumors, and products but likes to have some fun along the way. 


Luke knows he spends more time on Twitter than he probably should, so feel free to follow him or give him a shout on social media @LukeFilipowicz.

6 Comments
  • Step 1: Put stuff into a folder.
  • I got sick of keeping my desktop neat and used a Terminal hack to hide everything on it. Problem solved.
  • It's funny, the people who do this usually complain if they a get file they don't know how to use.
  • You can make the terminal hack into a service on your Finder services menu e.g. Finder -> Services -> Toggle Desktop Icons.
  • It is very useful!
  • I use Folder Tidy to do the moving and sorting for me.