How to Customize Toolbar and Sidebar on Mac

This sidebar and the toolbar on your Mac is an important tool, but it can get a little frustrating when it is in your face the entire time. Fortunately, there are ways you can edit the sidebar and customize the Toolbar in your Mac in Finder and other apps as well like Safari, Preview, etc.

You can customize the Toolbar on Mac by opening the Finder window to begin with. Go to the View menu option at the top. Now, select Customize Toolbar from the drop-down list and make the changes you are looking for in your Toolbar. Furthermore, you can also choose to hide or get rid of the Sidebar as well in the Finder.

This article details how you can get rid of the sidebar on Mac.

How to Customize Toolbar on Mac?

You can choose to customize the Toolbar on your Mac by following a few simple steps. All you need to do is simply open the Finder window and follow the steps below.

• Power on and sign in to your Mac. 
• Open a Finder window from the dock. 
• Move the cursor over to the Menu bar and click on view. 
• Now, select Customize Toolbar from the list.

• You can drag items into the toolbar and out of it. 
• If you want to add some space between items, you have an option for that as well.

• Lastly, you can also choose if you want texts shown within the icons of the toolbar.

Read How to Turn on Airplane Mode on Mac

How to Resize the Toolbar on Mac?

Resizing the toolbar on Mac is a pretty straightforward process. Read the instructions provided below.

• Open a Finder window from the dock.
• Now, if your finder window is too small, you will see a more toolbar items icon “>>” pop up to the right side of the finder window. 
• You can either choose to enlarge the window or simply click on the icon to view the rest of the content.

What is the Shortcut to Rearrange the Toolbar on Mac?

You can rearrange icons using the mouse or trackpad, but a very useful shortcut allows you to do the same. Read the steps provided below to see how it is done. 

• Open a Finder window from the dock. 
• Now, before selecting an icon, press the Command key on the keyboard and then drag and drop the icon to its new location. 
• Additionally, you can also use this method to add new apps and files to the Finder toolbar. 
• Hold down the Command key and drag the file or app to the finder toolbar to do this. 
• Release the cursor or mouse only when you see a green plus icon pop up beside it.
• Like this, you can remove files or apps from the toolbar. 
• Simply hold down the Command key and drag the chosen app or file out of the toolbar and it will be removed.

Read How to Select Multiple Files on Mac and Make Changes to It

How to Customize Sidebar on Mac

Now, if you are looking to customize the sidebar on Mac, you can try the following steps.

• Open Finder Window on your system
• Now, click on the Finder menu option at the top.
• Click on the Preferences option

• Open the Sidebar menu.

Now, you can check and uncheck the box beside the options you want to show in your sidebar. Similarly, you can add folders or apps to your sidebar, which is also pretty carried to execute. You can check out the process below.

Read How to Make an Exponent on Mac

How to Add an Application on the Finder Sidebar

You will find multiple applications and folders in the sidebar to help you get quick access to them with a single click. However, you can even choose to add more apps as per needed by following a few simple steps.

• Open the Finder Windows from your dock.
• Now, click on Applications from the sidebar for the list of apps
• Choose which app you wish to add to the Sidebar.
• Now, press the Command button on the keyboard and hold on it it.
• Click on the app and drag it to the sidebar while pressing the Command button.

As soon as you drop the app, it will be added to your favorites list. Now, when you click on it every time, the applications will directly open.

Read How to Convert PowerPoint to Video on Mac

How to get rid of Sidebar on Mac?

The first method details how you can hide the sidebar inside a finder window. Read the steps provided below to see how it is done. 

• Open a finder window. You can find the finder application on the dock itself. 
• Now, move the cursor over to the Menu bar to hide the sidebar and click on View. 
• Select the Hide Sidebar option from the list.

• This will hide both the sidebar and the toolbar.

Read How to Make a PDF File Fillable on Mac

How to Hide Sidebar in Safari on Mac?

Hiding the sidebar in Safari on Mac is even simpler than doing it on a finder window. Read the steps provided below to see the process. 

• Open Safari web browser from the dock. 
• Alternatively, you can open it using a finder window or through a Spotlight search. 
• Above the sidebar, you will see a small menu icon, click on it, and you will be able to hide/unhide the sidebar whenever you want. 
• You can also move the cursor over to the Menu bar, click on View, and select the hide toolbar option from the list. 

Conclusion

That’s it for this article, folks. Now you know how to customize the toolbar and sidebar on Mac. Also, check out the other finder tips and tricks mentioned here. We’re sure you’re going to find something of use in this list.

All the steps mentioned here are tried and tested so that you can easily follow them. If you are annoyed by the Sidebar every time you open the Finder, you can simply choose to either remove it or hide it along with the Toolbar. Or else, there are options to customize the toolbar where you can add or remove multiple functionalities to declutter it.

You may like the following mac tutorials:

• How to Get Rid of Microphone Icon on Mac
• How to Save a Voice Memo on Mac
• Why is My Mac Battery Draining So Fast – How to Fix
• How to Convert PowerPoint to Word on Mac?
• How to Cut Out an Image on Mac