by , 9:15 AM EDT, June 20th, 2008

Mac OS X is a powerful operating system loaded with features we use every day. There are so many features, in fact, that it can be easy to forget about the little time savers -- like the Finder's Go menu.

The Go menu gives you quick access to several common locations on your hard drive, like your Home directory, Desktop, Applications and Utilities directories, and iDisks. It also includes keyboard shortcuts that take you directly to any of those directories.

Jump to common locations with the Go menu.

For example, if you want to jump to your Applications folder, use the Command-Shift-A keyboard shortcut to open a new Finder window focused on your Applications. Keep in mind that Go menu keyboard shortcuts only work when the Finder is the active application.

The Go menu also includes an option that lets you enter the path to a folder, which is especially handy if you ever need to look at the contents of an invisible folder.

I was reminded of the Go menu's keyboard shortcuts recently when I was attending a Mac User Group meeting, which is like a bonus tip for today: Visit your local Mac User Group. You never know what time saving tips you might pick up.