Open Folders and Files in One Click on Mac (Without Digging Through Finder)

If you open the same project folder or document every day, navigating through Finder each time is wasted effort. macOS has a few built-in ways to shortcut that, and you can also pin folders and files as one-click tiles on a bar at the edge of your screen.

Short answer: the best app for pinning folders and files next to your apps, in my opinion as its developer, is Jetty: it adds up to four extra docks to the edges of your screen, or floating anywhere, each with tabs of one-click tiles for apps, files, folders, websites and Shortcuts. It is a $9.99 one-time purchase on the Mac App Store and needs macOS 14 or later.

Disclosure: I build Jetty. Note that Jetty's tiles live on bars at your screen edges (or floating), not in the menu bar. The menu-bar item lists and manages the bars.

What macOS gives you

Dock folders (Stacks). Drag a folder to the right side of the Dock and it opens as a fan, grid or list showing the folder's contents. That works for one folder at a time and shows everything inside it.

Finder sidebar. Drag a folder into the sidebar's Favorites section. It is a quick way to reach it, but it works from a Finder window, not from other apps. From another app you have to switch to Finder.

Aliases on the Desktop. Hold Command-Option while dragging to make an alias. Aliases work, but they clutter the desktop, and your windows cover them anyway.

Recent Items. The Apple menu keeps a list of recently opened apps, documents and servers. That helps with recent work, not with a fixed set you choose.

All of these work. None lets you put apps, folders and files in one organized place.

For documents you opened recently, see how to open recent files on Mac.

Mix apps, folders and files on one bar

In Jetty, a tile can be an app, a file, a folder, a website or a Shortcut. To add one, drag it from Finder onto a bar or use the Add Tile button. Click the tile to open it.

A "Morning" tab might contain your email app, your project folder, the daily report spreadsheet and a reference PDF. One click each, no Finder windows to navigate.

Folder tiles show their contents

A folder tile opens a popup that lists what is inside the folder. Click an item to open it. This is useful for a "Downloads" or "Current project" folder you dip into several times a day.

Project folders next to their tools

Put your "Client X" folder on the same tab as the apps you use for that client. The tools and the files sit together.

Deep files, one click

A spreadsheet five levels down in Documents can become a tile. Drag it onto a bar once. From then on you click it instead of navigating.

Where the tiles live

Jetty's bars are pinned to the top, bottom, left or right edge of your main screen, or you can unlock a bar and drag it anywhere. They float above normal windows and stay on screen when you switch desktops, so you can click a tile without going to Finder.

If you want a bar out of the way, the × button on it hides it. The menu-bar item (a small grid icon) lists your bars so you can show, edit or delete them, but you open your files from the bars, not from the menu bar.

What this does not do

Jetty does not show a list of recent files, and it does not search. A tile always points to the item you picked. If you move or delete the original file, remove the tile and add the file again from its new place.

For more ways to keep your launch points tidy, see how to organize Mac apps by project and our Dock app comparison.

How we checked

Jetty's details on this page were checked against the app's source code and its App Store listing on 2026-10-10 and are collected on the facts page; I build Jetty. For built-in macOS steps, Apple's Mac User Guide is the reference for your version of macOS.

FAQ

How do I open a folder quickly on Mac without Finder?

You can add the folder to the Dock, or put it on a one-click bar tile with an app such as Jetty. Either lets you open it without browsing Finder.

Can I pin a single file on a Mac?

Yes. In macOS you can make an alias of it. In Jetty you drag the file onto a bar and it becomes a tile.

Does Jetty live in the menu bar?

Jetty has a menu-bar item, and it lists and manages your bars. The launch tiles are on the bars at your screen edges.

Can I mix apps and files in one place?

In Jetty, yes. A tab can contain apps, files, folders, websites and Shortcuts together.

Get Jetty on the Mac App Store. $9.99 one-time purchase, macOS 14 or later.