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TMO Quick Tip - Managing Leopard's Smart Folders

by , 7:30 AM EST, November 21st, 2007

Mac OS X 10.5 includes some pre-made Smart Folders that find all of the images, movies, and documents on your computer. That's a really cool feature -- unless some of those files aren't supposed to be seen. If you need to keep Spotlight from including certain directories out of Leopard's Smart Folders, just say so... with the Spotlight PreferencePane.


Leopard's built-in search folders.

Here's how:

  • Choose Apple menu > System Preferences to launch the System Preferences application.
  • Select Spotlight.
  • Click the Privacy tab.
  • Drag the folders you want Spotlight to stay out of into the Prevent Spotlight from searching these locations list.


Limit what Spotlight sees under the the Privacy tab.

This is handy if you work on projects that include files that shouldn't be too easy to find, but it won't stop someone from sifting through your hard drive to see what they can find. If you want to make sure that certain documents can't accidentally be seen by the wrong people, store them on a different hard drive that is always under your control.

Jeff Gamet is TMO's Morning Editor and Reviews Editor. He lectures, teaches and speaks on Mac OS X and design-related topics, and is the author of The Designer's Guide to Mac OS X from Peachpit Press.

if you have tips or tricks to share, or Mac-related questions you want answered.

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Wed Nov 21, 2007 9:49 am Subject: Alternate Privacy Method
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Tue Apr 29, 2008 10:56 pm Subject: smart folder
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