L4E PD: Locating files & apps

Locating files & apps

What is Finder?

Finder is represented by a blue icon with a smiling face, and it's usually the first icon in your dock because Finder is the home base for your MacBook. It's used for organizing and accessing almost everything on your L4E laptop, including files such as spreadsheets, movies, documents, images, and more.

Within Finder, you can use Quick Look to get a preview peek of a file without fully opening it.

Spotlight search

Spotlight is the search tool on MacBooks.

Search with Spotlight on Mac

Dock & Launchpad

Your dock and launchpad are two places where you can find apps, in addition the applications folder. Your dock is customizable and adaptable, and many people put the apps they use most commonly on the dock and remove the applications they don't use. The launchpad is an easy way to view all of your apps, and the icon for the launchpad has been updated, from a rocket to a multicolored waffle. You can customize your launchpad by manually dragging and dropping the icons to rearrange them.

Multiple desktops

You can use Mission Control to create additional desktops, called spaces, to organize open windows and open applications. When you work in a space, only the windows that are in that space are shown, and you can switch between spaces with a three finger swipe on your trackpad. It's good to know that if you enter Mission Control on a second display, like another monitor or screen, only the open windows and spaces you’re working with on that display are shown.

SFUSD Self Service

The app store may not work if you've logged in with your SFUSD Apple ID, but SFUSD has its own version of the App Store called Self Service. It comes pre-installed on your L4E laptop, and it houses some of the most commonly requested apps, including Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel.

You can find the Self Service app in the dock and in the Applications folder.