You may not have known that every document window in macOS has long had a proxy icon in the title bar, next to the filename. The proxy icon is not just cosmetic, they are very useful. You can drag it to Mail to attach the document to a message, to a Web browser to upload it, or to any other location you can drag a document’s icon in the Finder (top screenshot, below, showing Preview in Catalina). You can also drag proxy icons from Finder windows to Open and Save dialogs to navigate to the location of the proxy icon and even pre-fill the filename when saving. this is someting that I use on a daily basis. Alas, in macOS 11 Big Sur, in at least the Finder and Preview, Apple chose to hide the proxy icon and the drop-down menu that lets you rename, tag, or move files using controls on the title bar (middle screenshot, below). Plus, the new title bar design tends to truncate file names. The good news is you can still mouse over the filename to expand the name. It then reveals both the proxy icon and the drop-down menu (bottom screenshot, below). Apple’s desire to reduce onscreen clutter makes usage more cumbersome than before, but all the functionality is still present.
Tutorial Home
Expand All
macOS Classes
Classes on macOS
2 Lessons
Tutor for macOS
Getting Started with the Mac
8 Lessons
Working with the Menu Bar
4 Lessons
Working with the Dock
7 Lessons
Working with the Finder on the Mac
21 Lessons
Working with Applications
18 Lessons
Working with Documents and Folders
19 Lessons
Working with macOS
19 Lessons
macOS Preferences or Settings
30 Lessons
Maintenance and Troubleshooting
15 Lessons
New Features added in macOS Upgrades
New in macOS Mojave
12 Lessons
New in macOS Catalina
18 Lessons
New in macOS Big Sur Lessons
15 Lessons
New in macOS Monterey Lessons
6 Lessons
Return to Tutor for Mac