The file manager application on macOS is Finder. It is the system’s main tool for browsing folders, organizing files, opening applications, and managing disks, network volumes, and connected devices.
Finder originated with the original Macintosh 128K, released in 1984, and its smiling computer icon became one of Apple’s most recognizable symbols. The modern version was substantially rebuilt for Mac OS X, released in 2001, while preserving the desktop-and-folder metaphor used by earlier Macintosh systems.
Finder is more than a folder browser: it also launches applications, supports file searches through Spotlight, offers multiple viewing modes, and includes features such as tabs, tags, and Gallery View. A common mix-up is calling it “File Explorer,” which is Microsoft Windows’ equivalent. Terminal can manage files through commands, but it is a command-line shell rather than macOS’s standard graphical file manager.