Buzz
Your Mac's menu bar can serve as a hub for numerous handy utilities. Whether it's organizing your schedule or placing a digital sticky note, there's a menu bar tool for nearly every need. Recently, I came across a practical app named Folder Peek, which allows you to add any folder from your Mac directly to the menu bar. This versatile tool can be utilized in various ways, with my top choice being its use as an app launcher.
Leveraging Folder Peek as an App Launcher
After installing Folder Peek on your Mac (just click "Get" in the App Store), select the folder you wish to add to your menu bar. A clever tip: selecting the Applications folder will show all installed apps when clicked, allowing you to launch them directly. This is ideal for reducing dock clutter and can be quicker than using Spotlight (or a superior alternative).
To fully optimize this setup, some configuration is needed. Click the Folder Peek icon and press Command-Shift-, (the comma key) to open the settings window. Customize the folder's appearance by selecting an icon, assigning a title, and navigating to the Menu section. My preferences include the Date Accessed sorting order and Large file icon size, with a maximum of 15 icons displayed. Experiment with these settings to find what works best for you.
Additional features to explore
With the ability to add any folder to your menu bar, this app offers a wide range of possibilities. For instance, adding a folder containing photos allows you to swiftly preview them using Folder Peek. I found this method faster than using the Spacebar for previews and arrow keys for navigation, especially on my M1 MacBook Air. Additionally, you can preview text files, PDFs, and explore the contents of sub-folders. When sub-folders are open in Folder Peek, pressing Shift reveals more options like Get Info or Path.
Clicking the folder title at the top of the drop-down menu opens the folder in Finder. A unique feature is using Folder Peek to quickly access bookmarked webpages. Simply drag a URL from Safari into a folder on your Mac, then add this folder to the menu bar using Folder Peek. All saved pages will be listed, and clicking them opens them in your default browser.
The app also includes additional features, which you can discover by opening folders and pressing the Option key.
