How to Show Folders First in Mac Finder

Finder can show folders above files, but only in one sort order. Open Finder → Settings → Advanced and tick “Keep folders on top: In windows when sorting by name.” The catch is written into the label — it applies when sorting by name and nowhere else. Sort a window by date, size or kind and folders mix back in with the files.

Show folders first when sorting by name

With Finder active, press ⌘, (or Finder → Settings in the menu bar).
Open the Advanced tab.
Under “Keep folders on top”, tick In windows when sorting by name.

The change applies immediately, in every open window — no restart, no logout.

Keep folders on top on the Desktop

The same Advanced tab has a second checkbox, On Desktop. It’s independent of the first one: the desktop keeps its own arrangement, so if you want folders gathered above files there too, tick both.

The Terminal equivalent

The checkbox writes a single preference, which you can also flip directly:

defaults write com.apple.finder _FXSortFoldersFirst -bool true && killall Finder

killall Finder restarts the Finder process so it re-reads the preference — that step isn’t needed when you use the checkbox. Set it back with -bool false.

Why folders don’t stay on top when you sort by date

Windows Explorer keeps folders on top no matter which column you sort by — date modified, size, or type. Finder’s setting doesn’t: switch a window to Date Modified and folders scatter among the files, ordered purely by their own dates. The same happens in icon view when you choose View → Sort By → anything other than Name.

There is no hidden preference that extends folders-first to the other sort orders. If you browse mostly by name, the built-in option covers you. If you sort by date to answer “what did I touch last?” — a very Explorer habit — Finder has no answer.

Folders first on every sort order

ComfortFiles sorts folders first on every column, exactly as Explorer does: sort by date and you get the newest folders, then the newest files. It’s the default — nothing to configure. That behaviour, along with the folder tree and an address bar Finder does not have, is the point of the app: what else it fixes for switchers.

Frequently asked questions

Can Finder keep folders on top when sorting by date or size?

No. The setting is labelled "Keep folders on top: In windows when sorting by name" — sorting by Date Modified, Size or Kind mixes folders back in with the files, and there is no hidden setting that extends it.

How do I show folders first on the Desktop?

The same Finder → Settings → Advanced tab has a second checkbox, "On Desktop", which keeps folders above files among the desktop icons.

Is there a Terminal command for it?

Yes: `defaults write com.apple.finder _FXSortFoldersFirst -bool true && killall Finder`. It writes the same preference the checkbox does; `killall Finder` is needed for the change to be picked up.

Do I have to restart Finder or my Mac?

No. Ticking the checkbox in Finder Settings applies to every open window immediately. Only the Terminal method needs `killall Finder`.

Can I get the Windows Explorer behaviour, where folders stay on top in every sort order?

Not in Finder itself — it only ever applies folders-first to name sorting. Third-party file managers can do it; ComfortFiles sorts folders first on every column by default.