Leopard Breadcrumb Navigation: Show Path in Finder

Contributor Icon Contributed by davak Date Icon October 17, 2007  
Tag Icon Tagged: Mac OS X Leopard

Breadcrumb Navigation is a navigation technique used within an interface to give the user a sense of where they are located in a structure. Within a file navigation system, breadcrumbs give the user direct feedback into where the current working location is. This tutorial shows how to enable and use this navigation tool.


Breadcrumb navigation is now a strong, available feature in OS X 10.5 Finder.

For example, if you just see that you are in the “image” folder, you really never know if you are in your main image folder, your buddy’s image folder, or even the image folder of some application. Breadcrumbs show where you are in the path… and allows you to back navigate easily.

Here is the default Finder without Breadcrumbs (or Show Path as it is called in Leopard) enabled.

To Enable Breadcrumbs:
1. Click View in the Finder Menu
2. Click Show Path Bar

Breadcrumbs or the Show Path Bar is now enabled…

In the simple example above, the breadcrumbs doesn’t add much information because the path is simple. However, look how helpful it becomes when the path gets complex like the example below…

To use the breadcrumbs, you can click on each of the sections in the Show Path bar. This will take you directly to the folder which you selected.

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  • Joe
    Thank you, it's about time. This is one of several options that should be on by default. Mac is spending money by the truckload with their "Switch to Mac" campaign. The problem is they have been using their macs so long they do not realize how user-unfriendly Mac has become. The simplest of tasks on the Mac require digging and clicking and dragging again and again.

    The default Desktop on the Mac doesn't even begin to compare to the ease of use that Windows gives users. You would have to compare the Mac to windows 3.1 to even begin.
  • Joris
    Thanx, couldn't find where to enable it ;)
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