How to Turn On the Finder Path Bar and Status Bar

Turn on the Finder Path Bar and Status Bar from the View menu on macOS Sequoia, set view options with Command J, and show all filename extensions.

1. Turn on the Path Bar. Open a Finder window, then choose View > Show Path Bar. A strip appears along the bottom of the window showing every folder between the drive and the item you are looking at. Double-click any segment to jump straight to that level.
2. Turn on the Status Bar. Choose View > Show Status Bar. A thin line appears above the Path Bar giving the number of items in the folder and the free space remaining on the volume. In icon view it also carries the slider that sets icon size.
3. Add the Tab Bar, Preview, and Sidebar. Three more toggles sit in the same View menu. Show Tab Bar, at Shift + Command + T, keeps tabs visible with only one open. Show Preview, at Shift + Command + P, opens a right column with a large thumbnail and full metadata. Show Sidebar is Option + Command + S.
4. Set view options and make them stick. With a folder open, press Command + J. The View Options window sets sort order, icon size, grid spacing, text size, and which columns list view shows. Click Use as Defaults at the bottom to apply the same arrangement to folders that have no saved setting.
5. Show extensions and fix the search scope. Open Finder > Settings > Advanced. Tick Show all filename extensions so every file states what it is. Below that, set When performing a search to Search the Current Folder if you are tired of every search sprawling across the whole Mac.
6. Drag files onto a Path Bar segment. Drag a file from the window down onto any folder name in the Path Bar and the Finder moves it there. Hold Option as you drop to copy instead. It is the shortest route to filing something two levels up without opening a second window.