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System & FinderBetter Finder

Show file extensions on Mac

To show file extensions on a Mac, open Finder, choose Finder › Settings › Advanced and turn on Show all filename extensions. For the folder path, choose View › Show Path Bar (⌥⌘P). Better Finder turns on both with one switch, plus folders on top, the status bar, the full path in the window title and searching the current folder.
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One of 68 fixes in MrFixable. Lifetime license, no subscription. Updated October 22, 2026. Works on macOS 14.2 Sonoma and later. Checked on macOS 26 Tahoe.

Better Finder in MrFixable

What Better Finder does

The problem
Out of the box, Finder hides many file extensions, mixes folders in with files, and searches your whole Mac when you search inside a folder. Most of this can be changed in Finder › Settings › Advanced and the View menu, but showing the full path in the window title needs a Terminal command.
With Better Finder
Finder shows every file extension, keeps folders on top, and always tells you where you are. Searching in a folder searches that folder, not the whole Mac.
  • See what files really are
    Show all file extensions, and change one without Finder asking if you’re sure each time.
  • Always know where you are
    The full path, like /Users/you/Documents, appears in the window title and the path bar shows at the bottom of each window.
  • Status bar
    The status bar shows how many items a folder holds and how much free space is left.
  • Folders first, search here
    Folders stay on top when sorting by name, in windows and on the desktop. Searches look in the folder you’re in.

Good to know

  • All seven options are on to start with. Turn off any you don’t want.

  • Finder restarts for a moment after a change, and your Finder windows come back on their own.

  • macOS keeps these settings while MrFixable isn’t running. Switch it off and the settings you had before come back.

Questions

  • How do I show the path in Finder?

    Turn on the path bar. 1. Open a Finder window. 2. Choose View › Show Path Bar, or press ⌥⌘P. 3. The folders leading to where you are appear at the bottom of the window. Double-click any of them to jump there. You can also ⌘-click the window’s title to see the folders above it.

  • How do I show the path bar in Finder?

    Press ⌥⌘P in a Finder window, or choose View › Show Path Bar. The path bar appears along the bottom of every Finder window and stays until you hide it with View › Hide Path Bar. Better Finder turns it on for you, together with the status bar and the full path in the title.

  • How do I show the full path in Finder on a Mac?

    Turn on Better Finder, and the full path, like /Users/you/Documents, shows in every Finder window’s title. Without it: 1. Open Terminal. 2. Run defaults write com.apple.finder _FXShowPosixPathInTitle -bool true. 3. Run killall Finder. To see it once, ⌘-click the window’s title for a list of folders above it.

  • How do I show file extensions on a Mac?

    Open Finder › Settings › Advanced. 1. Click Finder in the menu bar and choose Settings. 2. Click Advanced. 3. Turn on Show all filename extensions. Every file now shows its extension, like .pdf or .docx. Better Finder turns this on for you, and can also stop Finder asking before you change an extension.

  • Do I need a Finder alternative on Mac?

    Often not. Many complaints about Finder come from its default settings: hidden extensions, folders mixed with files, and searches that cover the whole Mac. Better Finder fixes seven of them but keeps Finder itself. If you need features Finder lacks, like two side-by-side panes, a separate file manager is the better choice.

  • How do I copy a file’s full path on a Mac?

    Select the file in Finder and press ⌥⌘C. Or: 1. Right-click the file. 2. Hold ⌥ (Option). 3. Choose Copy as Pathname. The full path, like /Users/you/Documents/report.pdf, is now on your clipboard, ready to paste into Terminal, an email or an Open dialog’s Go to Folder box.

  • How do I make Finder search the current folder?

    Change one Finder setting. 1. Choose Finder › Settings. 2. Click Advanced. 3. Set When performing a search to Search the Current Folder. From now on, typing in the search field of a Finder window searches that folder, not the whole Mac. Better Finder sets this for you along with its other options.

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