How to Remove an Item from the Finder Sidebar on a Mac

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1 By Dragging (macOS Sierra)

2 By Dragging (Mac OS X Lion)

3 By Right-Clicking

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Last Updated: October 30, 2020

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This wikiHow will teach you how to remove an item from the Finder sidebar on a Mac.

Steps

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

By Dragging (macOS Sierra)

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   1
   Click and hold on the item you want to remove from the sidebar.
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   2
   Drag the item away from the sidebar until you see a small X.
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   3
   Let go of the mouse or trackpad. The item will now be removed from your Finder sidebar.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

By Dragging (Mac OS X Lion)

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   1
   Press and hold ⌘ Command.
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   2
   Click and drag the sidebar item you want to remove away from the sidebar area.
3. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/e\/ec\/Remove-an-Item-from-the-Finder-Sidebar-on-a-Mac-Step-6-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Remove-an-Item-from-the-Finder-Sidebar-on-a-Mac-Step-6-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/e\/ec\/Remove-an-Item-from-the-Finder-Sidebar-on-a-Mac-Step-6-Version-2.jpg\/aid1555057-v4-728px-Remove-an-Item-from-the-Finder-Sidebar-on-a-Mac-Step-6-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
   3
   Let go of your mouse or trackpad while still holding ⌘ Command. The item should disappear into a puff of smoke.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

By Right-Clicking

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   1
   Right-click the icon you want to remove.

   • If you're on a mouse with right-clicking disabled, press Control as you click.
   • If you're using a trackpad with multi-touch gestures, tap the trackpad with two fingers.
2. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/f\/fe\/Remove-an-Item-from-the-Finder-Sidebar-on-a-Mac-Step-8-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Remove-an-Item-from-the-Finder-Sidebar-on-a-Mac-Step-8-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/f\/fe\/Remove-an-Item-from-the-Finder-Sidebar-on-a-Mac-Step-8-Version-2.jpg\/aid1555057-v4-728px-Remove-an-Item-from-the-Finder-Sidebar-on-a-Mac-Step-8-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"<div class=\"mw-parser-output\"><p>License: <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noreferrer noopener\" class=\"external text\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fair_use\">Fair Use<\/a> (screenshot)<br>\n<\/p><\/div>"}
   2
   Select Remove from Sidebar.
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