

The classic Mac OS Finder uses a spatial metaphor quite different from the more browser-like approach of the modern macOS Finder. There is a "favorites" sidebar of commonly used and important folders on the left of the Finder window. Like Safari, the Finder uses tabs to allow the user to view multiple folders these tabs can be pulled off the window to make them separate windows. It uses a similar interface to Apple's Safari browser, where the user can click on a folder to move to it and move between locations using "back" and "forward" arrow buttons. The Finder uses a view of the file system that is rendered using a desktop metaphor that is, the files and folders are represented as appropriate icons. In a tradition dating back to the Classic Mac OS of the 1980s and 1990s, the Finder icon is the smiling screen of a computer, known as the Happy Mac logo. It was rewritten completely with the release of Mac OS X in 2001. It was introduced with the first Macintosh computer, and also exists as part of GS/OS on the Apple II GS.

Described in its "About" window as "The Macintosh Desktop Experience", it is responsible for the launching of other applications, and for the overall user management of files, disks, and network volumes. The Finder is the default file manager and graphical user interface shell used on all Macintosh operating systems.
