External Hard Drive & Keywords vs Tags for files

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Level 1

9 points

External Hard Drive & Keywords vs Tags for files

So a couple things...

First, I typically use Chrome, but occasionally will have to use Safari because a webpage won't display correctly when trying to save. Second, the majority of my files are on an external hard drive, which I desperately need organized, but don't know where to even begin.

That said, today I was saving an order receipt from a website via the Print dialog (Print > Save as PDF), and had to use Safari. I noticed the Save As dialog has fields to add Keywords and Tags, which I think of as being the same thing, but that obviously is not the case.

So, I feel dumb even having to ask, but...

What exactly is the difference between adding Keywords and/or Tags to a file?
Are they searchable for files stored on an external hard drive?
If so, which is easier and faster to add to [numerous] existing files?

Thanks in advance to anyone who responds!

MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 11.0

Posted on Nov 15, 2020 11:03 AM

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Answer 1

VikingOSX

Level 10

126,100 points

Nov 23, 2020 1:09 PM in response to DIYdee

Keywords are PDF metadata within the PDF, and tags are externally introduced by the application save panel, programmatically, or by Finder.

Different Spotlight searches:

kind:pdf keyword:mypdfkey
kind:pdf tag:red
kind:pdf tag:unique

You can see which keywords are assigned to a PDF by using the Inspector (⌘+i) in Preview, and switching to this view of it:

where you see the custom keyword that I just added. And from Spotlight:

Tags on the other hand can be one of the standard tag color names, or they can be set up in Finder Preferences : Tags as custom names assigned to a specific color. Here, I have assigned a custom purple tag named "Unique Tag" to the same PDF file. And from Spotlight, I can readily find it:

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Answer 2

Old Toad

Level 10

217,244 points

Nov 23, 2020 12:21 PM in response to DIYdee

Yes, the keywords are searchable with Spotlight.

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Answer 3

jeremy_v

Community Specialist

Nov 23, 2020 12:16 PM in response to DIYdee

Hello DIYdee,

Thank you for reaching out in Apple Support Communities. We understand you'd like to gather additional details about Tags and keywords for files on your Mac. We can help provide you additional information.

Tags is an additional benefit to help organize the data on your Mac. You can use this feature in combination with keywords to quickly reach and locate your files. In addition, you can use both Tags and keywords to search for files on an external hard drive. Here's some helpful articles with additional information:

Kind regards.

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External Hard Drive & Keywords vs Tags for files

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