How to Hide My Activity From Finder on a Macbook

OS X, the Apple operating system that is installed on every Macbook, uses a file explorer application called Finder. In OS X, Apple included the History pane, a sidebar that allows you to see the files that you created, modified or accessed in three specific periods: today, yesterday and in the past week. While a great convenience for users looking for recently opened files when they do not remember the file's location, the feature can also be a privacy concern for individuals on shared computers. Fortunately, Apple has made it easy to hide your recent activity within Finder.

Instructions

1. Open Finder by clicking on Finder's icon in the quick launch menu bar.

2. Click on the option in the top toolbar named "Finder."

3. Choose the "Preferences" option from the drop down menu.

4. Click on the "Sidebar" button.

5. Uncheck the options named "Today," "Yesterday" and "Past Week" under the Search For heading.

6. Close the preferences window. Your settings will be automatically saved.

Tips & Warnings

• Hiding your activity can be undone by re-checking the options in the Finder preferences menu.

References

• Apple: Mac OS X v10.6 - Mac 101 - Finder and the Desktop
• Dummies: Setting Finder Preferences in Mac OS X
• Mac Tips: Finder Preferences