How to Work with Stacks

Organize your files

Click an empty area of the desktop, then choose View > Use Stacks. Alternatively, Ctrl–click anywhere on the desktop and choose Use Stacks, or click the desktop and press Ctrl+Cmd+0 to toggle the feature on or off.

View a stack’s contents

A stack looks like a bundle of files, with only one file’s thumbnail preview visible. Click the stack to expand it and see the icons/ previews of files within it. Click the arrow icon at the top of those files to close the stack.

Convert to a folder

You can quickly turn any stack into a folder. Ctrl–click the stack and choose ‘New Folder with Selection’. The stack will then be turned into a regular folder containing all the files that were in it.

Reorganize your stacks

Open Finder’s View menu or Ctrl–click the desktop to show its contextual menu, open the ‘Group Stacks by’ submenu and choose an attribute. If you pick None, files are unstacked and return to their original positions.

Share files in a stack

You can open a stack and drag a file to another folder or drive, or Ctrl–click it and choose Share to send it to an app, service or person. To share all files in a stack, Ctrl–click the closed stack, choose Share, then a method.

Rename a stack’s items

You can easily rename items within a stack. Simply Ctrl–click a stack and choose ‘Rename <number> items’. Choose from the options in the window that opens to rename all the files according to the criteria you specify.

Sort items in a stack

With the desktop grouped in stacks, you can sort the items within the stacks. Ctrl– click the desktop, hold Opt, then choose an attribute, such as ‘Date last opened’ from the Sort Stacks By option.

Preview with Quick Look

To browse a stack’s contents, Ctrl–click it and choose ‘Quick Look <number> Items’. Use the arrows (top of the Quick Look window) to navigate the file previews, view them in a grid, or use Finder’s new Quick Actions on them.