Snow Leopard: How do I add a folder to the Finder sidebar?

This isn't a problem specifically focused on Snow Leopard but a common issue with the Mac Finder, particularly if you customize your sidebar so that you can add folders that are other than those in the "recommended" set or, as I do, if you remove folders that you don't use and are just taking up space.

Fortunately, it's pretty darn easy to work with and Snow Leopard's Finder works exactly as the earlier versions of the Finder do (though it is apparently completely rewritten for performance and is clearly a lot snappier!). So let's see how to add my "Movies" folder to the Finder sidebar...

First step is to open up the Finder to where you can see the folder you want to add. Here's how it looks on my Mac:

Notice on the left sidebar that the folders "Desktop", "taylor", "Applications", "Pictures" and "Documents" are listed, along with one of my own folders, "Cool Apps". But no "Movies" there, even though you can see the Movies folder in the middle of the main area.

To add it, drag the desired folder icon onto the sidebar, then slowly move it up and down until you see the blue target bar appear exactly where you want it added:

Let go of the mouse and it'll appear, like magic!

That's all there is to it. If you want to zap it, simply drag the folder out of the sidebar, or Ctrl-Click on the item to generate the contextual menu:

Note that you can also go to the Finder Preferences...

... and make changes to the dynamic elements that appear in the sidebar:

Between all of those tips you should be able to fine tune your Finder sidebar to be exactly what you seek in Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard!

Tip: Looking for more info? I've adding a lot of Snow Leopard help on this site!