Mac Switch Opening App For File

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The Unarchiver is a small and user friendly app to open compressed files on Mac.

When you’ve got loads of files — hundreds or even thousands isn’t unusual after a couple years using the same Mac — it can be difficult to get the correct file path. We attempt to solve this problem in this article for those tired of looking for files and file paths on a Mac.

After trying Spotlight Searches or browsing through files, you might be ready to give up. At times, not knowing the right name can cause software conflicts. But don't despair. There is always a way to locate a file path.

How to get a file path on a Mac?

To get a basic understanding where you file is located, just right click the file.

  1. Right-click the file
  2. Click Get Info

Look up what’s written under Where:


The selected area shows the enclosed folder of your document.

How to copy the file path

Copying any text from the previous window isn’t easy, obviously. But still you need a complete file address that you can copy and paste anywhere. So you do one extra step:

  1. Click on Finder
  2. Click View in the upper bar
  3. Click Show the Path Bar


Interestingly, the file path will immediately appear underneath the Finder window.

  • Now, Control + Click the file you want the location for
  • Hold the Option key

You will see the new command that has appeared in the context menu — Copy …. as Pathname

  • Click on the selected command

You are now ready to paste. This information is pasted into the Clipboard. Make sure to complete pasting/moving it elsewhere, or this will be lost and you will need to find the folder again.

And that is how to get folder path in Mac. Nice and simple.

How to find the file path using Terminal

Also known as a folder path, or directory path, they aren't always easy to find. When every other method has failed, turn to Terminal as your solution.

  1. Go to Applications > Utilities.
  2. Launch Terminal.
  3. Make sure you are using it as a Super User (which means being logged in as an Admin), so type in sudo su — then press Return.
  4. Now you need to have something of an idea what this file might be called, so once you do, type in the following (the name in the middle is where you’d put a file name): find / -name randomfilename -print
  5. Give it time to process the query, which could take several minutes.
  6. A list of names should appear, some or many of which you can ignore as they will be followed by file-end names, such as “operation not permitted”; so focus on the ones that make the most sense, such as: /Library/Application Support/randomfilename/settings/
  7. Now copy and past the full name and drop it into Finder or Spotlight Search.

Hopefully, this will bring you to the file you need.

A shortcut to see unlisted (grayed out) files

For those who love Apple, which for many is more than a tech company, it’s a representation of a lifestyle, a brand that has many fans, we’ve got a fun fact for you. Did you know there is a shortcut combination to see hidden files?

This shortcut should work for anyone running macOS Mojave, High Sierra, and Sierra, and anything beyond OS 10.12. Here is how you access the shorcut:

  1. From Finder, go anywhere where you suspect there are hidden files, such as the the Macintosh HD root directory, or Home folder
  2. Next, press down the Command + Shift + Period keys, which should toggle to show hidden files in that folder.
  3. As you press the shortcut the keys are visible: when you switch it off, they dissapear again.

Any hidden files that have been made visible will have greyed out names and icons.

How to find other hidden files on Mac?

It isn't always easy to know where you’ve put every file on your Mac.

After a couple years of constant use, a Mac can start to resemble a cluttered old-school file cabinet. Files in places that once make sense, but are now in the wrong place. Files and folders that should be in the right place, but have been put somewhere else. Files that seemingly don't exist, or are floating around elsewhere.

One solution to this is to download CleanMyMac X. It’s a handy and easy-to-use Mac performance improvement app. It comes with a few tools for finding unlisted, hidden, and large old files that have slipped through the cracks. Here is how you use it:

  1. Download CleanMyMac X (download a free edition here).
  2. Click on Space Lens.


These blue bubbles represent all your documents in relation to their size. You can dive into each of these folders to reveal their contents — a more visual alternative to Finder.

You can also use the Large & Old files scanner (in the same app). Either or both features will highlight a few gigabytes worth of space you can free up, uncovering files that can easily slip through the cracks and become forgotten. By the way, CleanMyMac X is notarized by Apple, which means this app is malware-free and safe to use on your Mac.

For those with a lot of files, or Mac users badly in need of making more hard drive space, CleanMyMac X is an invaluable tool. We hope you found this article useful about how to locate and copy the file path details when searching for what you need.

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Note

Office 365 ProPlus is being renamed to Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise. For more information about this change, read this blog post.

Summary

This article describes how to prevent files from automatically opening when you start Microsoft Excel.

More information

When you start Excel, all the files that are located in the XLStart folder are automatically opened. This behavior occurs regardless of the kind of file. Additionally, if you specified an alternative startup folder for Excel, every file in that folder is also automatically opened.To remove an alternative startup folder:

  1. Select the File menu and then select Options.
  2. Select the Advanced tab and then locate the General section.
  3. Clear the box next to 'At startup, open all files in:'.

Excel might stop responding or take longer to start if either of the following conditions is true:

  • The files in either startup folder aren't valid Excel workbooks or worksheets.
  • The files are stored on a network drive that has a slow network connection.

How to prevent files from automatically opening in Excel

Use one of the following methods to prevent files from automatically opening when you start Excel.

Remove files from the XLStart folder and the alternative startup folders

To remove files from the XLStart folder and the alternative startup folders, follow these steps:

  1. Select Start, and then select Run.

  2. In the Open box, type one of the following and press Enter:

    • For Office365 or 2019 32 bit:

      C:Program Files (x86)Microsoft OfficerootxxXLSTART

    • For Office365 or 2019 64 bit:

      C:Program FilesMicrosoft OfficerootxxXLSTART

      Where 'xx' represents the version that you are using (for example, Office15, Office14, etc.).

    Also try the following:

    • %appdata%MicrosoftexcelXLSTART
    • C:UsersUserNameAppDataRoamingMicrosoftexcelXLSTART

  3. Delete any files in the XLStart folder or move them to another folder.

  4. Restart Excel.

Start Excel in safe mode

Note

This is only a temporary solution that will not fix the issue. To use this method, it must be done every time that you start Excel.

Another method for preventing files from automatically opening is to start Excel in safe mode. Starting Excel in safe mode prevents all Excel add-ins, toolbar customizations, and startup folders from loading when the program is started.

There are two ways to start Excel in safe mode: the CTRL key and command-line switches.

Using the CTRL key

To start Excel in safe mode, hold down the CTRL key while you start Excel. You will receive the following message: Excel has detected that you are holding down the CTRL key. Do you want to start Excel in Safe mode? Select Yes to start in safe mode.

You can then delete files from the alternative startup location as described earlier.

Use Command-line switches

In all versions of Excel, you can use a command-line switch to start Excel in safe mode.Both the /safe switch and the /automation switch can be used for this purpose.

Note

The /safe switch starts Excel in safe mode. The /automation switch disables all automatically opened files and auto-run macros.

One Switch Mac App

To use a command-line switch to start Excel, follow these steps:

Mac Switch Opening App For File Download

  1. Select Start, and then select Run.

  2. In the Open box, type either of the following lines (but not both):

    excel.exe /safe

    excel.exe /automation

  3. Select OK.

Note

Switch

If Microsoft Windows Installer starts when you use one of these command-lines switches, clickCancel to finish starting Excel.

Facebook App For Mac

Press the ESCAPE key

Note

This is only a temporary solution that will not fix the issue. To use this method, it must be done every time that you start Excel.

Another method for preventing files from automatically opening is to press the ESCAPE key (but do not press and hold). When you press ESCAPE after the files start to open, Excel is prevented from opening additional files.

Using this method, you may receive one or both of the following messages:

  • Would you like to cancel opening all files from your Alternate Startup File Location?
  • Would you like to cancel opening all files from your XLStart Location?

If you click Yes in either message, Excel starts without opening any additional files from the startup locations.

Note

Do not hold the ESCAPE key. If you do this, the messages will be closed before you can click Yes.

References

For more information about Excel startup folders, see the following Microsoft Knowledge Base articles: