How macOS actually works

Finder tags

Updated 2026-07-31 · 4 min read

Tags are the one organisational feature macOS has that most people never turn on.

Applying them

Right-click a file → pick a colour. Or select and press ⌃1 through ⌃7. Multiple tags per file are allowed, which is the point — a file can be both Client and Urgent without choosing a folder.

Rename the colours to something meaningful in Finder → Settings → Tags. "Red" tells you nothing; "Needs review" does.

Searching by tag

The sidebar lists tags — click one for everything carrying it.

In Finder search: ⌘F → + → Tags.

In the Terminal:

mdfind "kMDItemUserTags == 'Urgent'"

Where they are stored

In an extended attribute on the file:

xattr -p com.apple.metadata:_kMDItemUserTags somefile.pdf

That means tags travel with the file across APFS and HFS+ volumes, and are lost on exFAT or when uploaded to most cloud services. Worth knowing before building a system on them.

Why they are underused

Nothing prompts you to apply one, and the payoff comes weeks later. The habit that works for most people is a small fixed set — three or four tags with real names — applied at the moment a file arrives rather than during a cleanup session that never happens.

Tags versus folders

A file lives in one folder and can carry many tags. For anything that belongs to more than one category — a contract that is also a 2026 document that is also client work — tags express that where folders force a choice.

Common questions

Do Finder tags survive copying to another Mac?

Yes on APFS and HFS+ volumes. They are lost on exFAT and through most cloud services.

Can I search multiple tags at once?

Yes — add several Tags criteria in a Finder search, or combine them in an mdfind query.