How to sort files in sub folders

Hi Frances54. You might try using Finder tabs. Use the first tab (the Finder window you open) to navigate the file structure in column view, and the other tabs to arrange and sort subfolders and files in the view of your choosing.

From Finder's menu bar, navigate to Finder > Preferences and click, or press the Command-comma (,) keys. First, select Open folders in tabs instead of new windows. Next, set the drive or folder you want new Finder windows to always show. Select the drive or folder in the pop-up menu below New Finder windows show:. Close Finder Preferences.

Press the Command-N keys to open a new Finder window. If not already selected, click the column view button in Finder's toolbar. Press the Command-J keys to show view options. In the view options window, select Always open in column view, Arrange By: None, and Sort By: Name.

In the Finder window, navigate and select a subfolder you want to view. Expand the window if necessary for easier viewing. Once a subfolder is highlighted, Control-click it and click Open in New Tab from the pop-up menu, or press the Command-Control-O keys.

If not showing, select the new tab. From the toolbar, click the button for the view you prefer, List view for instance. Set the options for the folder in the view options window: Arrange by, Sort By, and Show Columns. Select the view you chose to always open. For example, Always open in list view. You can change and set the view at any time. Whenever you open the folder in a new tab it will open to the view you set, even if you logout or restart your computer.

If you open a number of tabs, you can quickly cycle through them by holding down the Control key and repeatedly pressing the Tab key to go forward. To go backward, hold down the Control-Shift keys and repeatedly press the Tab key.

OS X Yosemite: Ways to view items in Finder windows

OS X Yosemite: Open folders in new Finder tabs or windows

OS X Yosemite: Finder preferences

If you prefer to use one window in column view for both navigation and arrange/sort, just toggle between by Name and by your preferred arrange/sort option. Once you've navigated to a folder you wish to view the contents of, apply the option. When ready to navigate to another folder, apply the by Name option. Since you are viewing the directory structure in column view, any arrange/sort option will apply to it, not just to the folder you've selected.

Another option is to to change the column view to another, such as list view, once you've navigated to and selected a folder. Use the back button in the toolbar to return to column view for navigation.

Can you please tell me what the difference is between Open in Column View and Browse in Column View? Also what is the difference between Arrange By and Sort By?

Always open in column view means that folder will always open in that view. Browse in column view means its subfolders will always open in that view as well. Arrange By organizes folders/files into groups by the option you've selected. Sort By doesn't organize into groups, it sorts the list of folders/files. If you use both arrange and sort, folders/files are arranged into groups and then sorted within each group by the option you've selected.

Keeping the view options window open allows you to quickly see what arrange/sort options are applied to each folder. You can also select arrange/sort options from the menu bar, or from a contextual menu by Control-clicking an empty space within the Finder window. To change either menu from Arrange By to Sort By, hold down the Option key.