Customizing the Sidebar

In addition to using Finder preferences to specify what standard items should appear in the Sidebar (as discussed earlier in this chapter) you can customize the toolbar a number of ways:

• Change the width of the Sidebar to better display long item names or just show icons.

• Add or remove folders, files, and other items in the bottom half of the Sidebar.

Tip

• The Sidebar only appears if the toolbar is displayed. I tell you more about the toolbar earlier in this chapter and in Chapter 2.

To change the Sidebar width

1.	Position the mouse pointer on the divider between the Sidebar and the rest of the Finder window. The mouse pointer turns into a line with two arrows coming out of it (Figure 31). Figure 31. Position the mouse pointer on the border between the Sidebar and the rest of the window...
2.	Press the mouse button down and drag. As you drag, the Sidebar's width changes (Figure 32). Figure 32. ..and drag to move the border, thus changing the Sidebar's width.
3.	When the Sidebar is the desired width, release the mouse button.

Tips

• The Sidebar's border may "snap" to a certain width as you drag. This width will be wide enough to fully display all Sidebar item names. You can continue to drag to change this width if desired.

• You can drag the divider to the left until it "snaps" to display only Sidebar icons (Figure 33).

  Figure 33. If you make the Sidebar very narrow, you can display just the icons for Sidebar items.

  
  
  

• To hide the sidebar without hiding the toolbar (Figure 34), double-click the divider in the Finder window. To redisplay the Sidebar, double-click the left border of the window.

  Figure 34. Double-clicking the divider between the Sidebar and the rest of the window hides the Sidebar from view.

  
  
  

To add an item to the Sidebar

1.	Drag the icon for the item you want to add to the Sidebar. A blue line indicates where it will appear (Figure 35). Figure 35. To add an item to the Sidebar, drag it on.
2.	Release the mouse button. The item appears on the Sidebar (Figure 36). Figure 36. The item appears where you positioned it.

Tips

• Adding an item to the Sidebar does not move it from where it resides on disk. Instead, it creates and adds a pointer to the original item to the Sidebar.

• Be careful when adding an icon to the Sidebar. If you drag the icon on top of a folder or disk icon already on the Sidebar, the icon will be moved into that folder or disk.

To remove an item from the Sidebar

1.	Drag the item off the Sidebar (Figure 37). Figure 37. To remove an item from the Sidebar, drag it off.
2.	Release the mouse button. The item disappears in a puff of digital smoke (Figure 38). Figure 38. The item is removed.

Tip

• Removing an item from the Sidebar does not delete it from disk. Instead, it removes the pointer to the original item from the Sidebar.