Apple regularly adds new features to macOS. Sometimes, they are well received and stick around, becoming an integral part of the experience of using a Mac. And sometimes, they are removed, having been heavily criticized or just never used. One feature that definitely falls into the former category is spring loaded folders. It’s unthinkable now that macOS could ship without them. If you’re not sure what we’re talking about, we’ll tell you everything you need to know, including how to use spring loading on Mac.

What is spring loading on Mac?

Spring loaded folders are not new, but if you don’t use them, or even if you do and have never given them much thought, it might not be obvious what we’re talking about. They work like this:

  • You click and drag a file over a folder.
  • That folder then ‘springs’ open, revealing the files and sub-folders within it.
  • You can then drop the file in the folder or hold it over another folder and wait for that to spring open. And you keep going until you get to the folder you want.

Spring loading is turned on by default, though you can turn it off in System Settings if you want. You can also control the speed at which folders spring open.

How to use spring loading on your Mac

Spring loading works in any view in Finder, but it makes more sense in icon view where folders are larger and only the root level folder is on view. In list view, the folders are very small and the drop-down arrows mean you don’t really need to use spring loading. In column view, when you can see the inner folders while outer folders are in view and in gallery mode, using spring loading is confusing.

Tip

The main use for spring loaded folders is to move files from one place in the Finder to another, usually one that’s several folders deep. Another way to achieve the same result is to copy the file by selecting it and pressing Command-C (or right-click on it and choose Copy). You can then navigate to wherever you want to move the files to in Finder and press Command-V to paste the file. Then, go back to the original location and drag the file to the Trash.


How to change settings for spring loaded folders

For reasons best known to Apple, the settings for controlling how spring loaded folders work are tucked away in the Accessibility section of System Settings. Here’s where you can change them:

  1. Click the Apple menu and choose System Settings > Accessibility.
  2. Scroll down and click on Pointer Control.
  3. At the top of the window, under Mouse & Trackpad, you will see a switch to turn spring loading on and off. It’s on by default. If you want to turn it off, set the switch to the off position.
  4. Below that, you’ll see a slider with a tortoise at one end and a hare at the other. Drag it left to slow down the rate at which folders spring open (meaning you have to hold a file over the folder for longer). Or drag it to the right to make them spring open more quickly.

How to use spring loading with tabs

You can also use spring loading to move files between folders using tabs:

  1. Open a new Finder window and navigate to the file you want to move.
  2. Then, press Command-T to open a new tab and, in that tab, navigate to where you want to put the file.
  3. Then, in the first tab, click and drag the file onto the second tab and wait for that to spring open.
  4. Drop the file.

How to keep your Mac free from clutter

One difficulty you might face when using spring loaded folders is that you have so many files and folders cluttering up your Mac that it’s difficult to see the folder you want to open. The way to resolve that problem is obviously to get rid of clutter. But that’s not easy to do on your own. Which files are taking up the most space? Which files can you safely get rid of? Without going through each, one by one, how do you know? Well, there is a way. CleanMyMac’s My Clutter feature does all the hard work for you. It scans your Mac and identifies the largest and oldest files, duplicates, images that are very similar to each other, and downloads. You can then decide what to get rid of and what to keep with just a couple of clicks. Here’s how to use it:

  1. Get your free CleanMyMac trial.
  2. Open CleanMyMac and choose My Clutter in the sidebar.
  3. Choose the user folder you want to scan if there is more than one on your Mac and click Scan.
  4. When it’s finished, you’ll see a dashboard showing you what it has found. Click Review on a panel for more information.
  5. Select the items you want to get rid of and click Remove.

If you’re not using spring loading on your Mac, you’re missing out on a great feature. It makes moving a file from one place in the Finder to another without having multiple windows open a lot easier. Follow the steps above to use and configure spring loaded folders on your Mac.