Prefer to sort your desktop items yourself, but still want everything all nice and neat? Still, the ability to sort desktop files and folders by, say, Date Modified or Date Created could be a powerful feature for anyone who’s sifting through dozens of photos, text files, or other documents. Note that no matter which automatic sorting option you choose, your Mac will group your icons by type-meaning internal hard drives come first, then shared and external drives, and finally your folders and files. Next, click the drop-down menu that’s labeled “Sort by” and pick an option, from Name and Size to Date Created and Date Last Opened. (If you’re fond of keyboard shortcuts, you can also hit Command-J after clicking the desktop.) Just right-click your desktop, then select Show View Options.
Here’s your secret weapon for cleaning up your desktop: the “View Options” menu.
