How to Fix Sidebar Missing on Finder

Finder is a great tool on Mac that helps you organize your files and folders. It’s basically the same as File Explorer on Windows. In addition to serving as a file manager, Finder also includes Utilities and a Sidebar to display drives and shortcuts.

Fix missing Sidebar on Mac

While the Sidebar is enabled by default, you may sometimes find it missing from the Finder. This is quite inconvenient because it makes it harder to navigate between different folders and folders on your Mac.

If your Finder Sidebar is missing, here’s how you can restore the sidebar and solve the problem.

What is the sidebar on Finder

If you’ve ever used the Finder on your Mac, which you’re sure to use if you’re reading this, you’ll notice that there’s a column on the left side of the Finder window. This column is where your favorite folders and folders, internal and external drives, iCloud drives, etc

Mac Finder

You can also find various categories on the Sidebar like Recents, Apps, Downloads, Photos, etc. These categories make it easier to navigate and find the relevant files you are looking for. This is exactly why the Sidebar is such an important component of the Finder.

How to bring the sidebar back

If your Finder window doesn’t show the Sidebar anymore, you can bring it back by following some simple steps.

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Step 1: Launch a Finder window on your Mac.

Step 2: The menu bar at the top of your screen should now have options for Finder. Click the View option.

View Options in Finder

Step 3: Select the Show Sidebar option and this will bring the left column back in your Finder window.

Show sidebar options

Now that the Main Sidebar is back in the Finder, you’ll be able to navigate between different folders on your Mac with ease. However, restoring the Sidebar doesn’t mean it restores your essential options on the Sidebar.

The Sidebar options can disappear at times, which is equally annoying. So you won’t see any folders or drives in Favorites, Locations, and Tags. If that’s the problem you’re having, here’s how you can bring those options back to the Sidebar.

How to recover missing folders and drives on the sidebar

Want to add missing folders and drives on the Sidebar? Here’s what you need to do.

Step 1: Open a Finder window on your Mac.

Step 2: Make sure the Sidebar is enabled first using the method above.

Step 3: You will find several categories listed on the Sidebar. This includes Favorites, Location, iCloud, and Tags. When you hover your mouse pointer over these options, you’ll see a small arrow next to each option. Click this arrow to restore all hidden options.

collapse arrow on finder

Step 4: If you want to hide the options in a certain category, hover over that category and click the down arrow next to it.

Hide missing options in the sidebar

By following these two methods, you can restore your Sidebar and restore all the components contained therein. However, there is another aspect that may be important to many people – customizing the components in the Sidebar.

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Not everyone can use all the options or locations in the Sidebar. So having multiple folders listed there all the time can be confusing or distracting. On the other hand, some users may want more locations to appear on the Sidebar. The good news is that you can customize the Sidebar to your liking.

How to add or remove items from the sidebar

Want a cleaner Sidebar look in Finder? Follow these steps.

Step 1: Open a Finder window on your Mac.

Step 2: Click the Finder option on the menu bar at the top of your screen.

Install finder

Step 3: Select Options.

Finder Options

Step 4: Navigate to the Sidebar tab.

sidebar tab

Step 5: Here, you will see a list of all the items that can be displayed on the Sidebar. Only choose the ones you require. You can uncheck options that you don’t use often like iCloud, Hard Disk, Connected Servers, Cloud Storage, Recent Tags, etc. This will clear up some clutter.

Search items are missing in the Sidebar

Step 6: Close the Preferences window and macOS will apply your settings.

You now have a custom Sidebar that best suits your specific needs. If you find that the specific time you’re looking for is missing from the Sidebar, you can now add it to make your work easier.

Restore the sidebar

Here’s how you can bring the useful Sidebar back to the Finder and quickly switch between your favorites and folders. If you copy files between multiple folders or use tags to separate different file types, the Sidebar is an important element to have. It even lists the external devices you have connected to your Mac.

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