OS X Mountain Lion Bible

Getting Item Information

OS X stores lots of information about items that aren't available from their icons. Some of that information, such as date modified and file size, is visible in several Finder view modes, as Chapter 3 describes.

Using the Info window

But the Info window provides a handy one-stop shop for all the information—technically called metadata—that OS X has on items. To open the Info window, select an item and choose File⇒Get Info or press +I in the Finder. (You can also press and hold Option and choose File⇒Show Inspector or press Option++I to open the identical Inspector window.)

Figure 4.3 shows three Info windows: one for a folder, one for an image file, and one for a disk. The window is divided into sections, each with different classes of information: the icon and summary, Spotlight Comments (not available for folders), General, More Info (specific to that item type), Name and Extension (not available for folders), and Preview. (The Open With option for files, the Shared Folder option for folders, and the Sharing & Permissions section for all items are all covered in Chapter 3.)

Icon and summary

At the top of the Info window is an icon for the item, as well as its filename, its size, and the date it was last modified. You can copy and paste icons from one Info ...