Learn how to use the Finder’s file inspector to get a summary of multiple Mac items in a single floating window on macOS that dynamically refreshes as your selection changes.
You can quickly get information about an item on your Mac by selecting a file, folder, or disk and choosing Get Info from the contextual menu.
But did you know that you can make the Get Info command display a summary of information about multiple items in a consolidated floating palette window, which automatically refreshes as you select different files, folders, or disks in the Finder?
Get Info for the masses
macOS offers several different ways to quickly get information about the files, folders, or disks attached to your Mac. The most common method involves selecting one or more items in the Finder, right-clicking the selection, and choosing Get Info from the menu.
You can also trigger the Get Info action by selecting the file and pressing the Command + I keys.
By default, the feature opens a standard macOS window for each of the selected items. For instance, executing the command on four selected files on the desktop will open four different Get Info windows, one for each selection, which can easily clutter the desktop.
You can override that behavior with a modifier key to display a summary of information for multiple files in a single Get Info window — simply select multiple items in the Finder, hold down the Control key, and choose the option File > Get Summary Info from the menu.
Alternatively, press the keyboard shortcut Control + Command + I.
Whether you prefer seeing a separate Get Info window for every selected item or a quick summary of multiple items, this feature will get the job done by statically displaying any underlying metadata for whatever was selected when you invoked the Get Info command.
Show Inspector for power users
As noted by Daring Fireball’s John Gruber, the Get Info window wasn’t designed to refresh its content automatically as the user selects different items in the Finder.
Thankfully, macOS provides a more powerful Get Info command, which utilizes macOS’s dynamic file inspector. Hidden behind yet another productivity modifier key, this isn’t something average users could easily figure out on their own or discover by poking around the system.
Use the dynamic Finder file inspector
Follow these steps to quickly get summary information for multiple Mac files, folders, or disks selected in the Finder.
1) Open a new Finder window.
2) Select multiple items in the Finder window.
These may include your photos, videos, documents, and any other files that you want included in your selection, such as folders and any disks attached to the computer.
3) Now right-click the selection to reveal the contextual menu, then hold down the Option key.
Doing so changes Get Info to Show Inspector — choose it to display a summary of the items.
You can also hold down the Option key when clicking the Finder’s File menu to choose that option from there. Alternatively, press the shortcut Command + Option + I on the keyboard.
4) You will now see a floating window palette that displays summary information for all of the selected Finder items, including things like the number of items in the selection, their total size, file permissions, the default app to open the selected file type, and so forth.
The key takeaway is that this Finder inspector can be kept open while you adjust the selection. It’ll auto-update group summary information to reflect your added/removed items.
Keep in mind that changing any piece of information in the Show Inspector window, such as the default app to open these file types or extensions, will change that piece of information for all of the items included in the selection. And if your selection is mixed, you may not be allowed to update certain metadata via Get Info or the Finder’s file inspector.
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