How to Sort Folders First on Mac

Finder can sort folders above files: open Finder → Settings → Advanced and check “Keep folders on top: In windows when sorting by name.” The catch is in the name of the setting — it only applies when sorting by name. Sort a folder by date, size, or kind, and folders mix back in with the files.

Turning it on

With Finder active, press ⌘, (or Finder → Settings in the menu bar).
Open the Advanced tab.
Under “Keep folders on top”, check In windows when sorting by name.
Optionally also check On Desktop — same idea for desktop icons.

The change applies immediately to every Finder window. No restart needed.

The limitation: name sorting only

Windows Explorer keeps folders on top no matter how you sort — by date modified, size, or type. Finder’s setting doesn’t: switch a window to sort by Date Modified and folders scatter among the files again, sorted purely by their own dates.

There’s no hidden setting to extend folders-first to other sort orders. If you mostly browse by name, the built-in option covers you. If you habitually sort by date (“what did I touch last?”) — a very Windows-Explorer habit — Finder has no answer.

Folders first, on every sort order

ComfortFiles sorts folders first on every column, exactly as Explorer does: sort by date and you get the newest folders, then the newest files. It’s the default — nothing to configure. That behavior, along with the folder tree and address bar, is the point of the app: what else it fixes for switchers.