Overview

Adhering to a consistent file naming convention on MacBooks enhances organization, facilitates easier search and retrieval, and can prevent errors. The macOS allows for a flexible naming convention but there are best practices to follow. 

Guidelines

Allowed Characters

  • Use alphanumeric characters (A-Z, a-z, 0-9).
  • Include spaces and hyphens (-), but use them consistently.
  • Underscores (_) can replace spaces for better compatibility with web platforms.

Avoid Special Characters

  • Do not use the following: ! @ # $ % ^ & * ( ) | \ / : " < > ? [ ] ; ' , .

Case Sensitivity

  • macOS is case-insensitive by default, but be consistent in your use of case for ease of search.

Length

  • Keep file names concise but descriptive, ideally under 27 characters to ensure full visibility in Finder.