John Dorsey

Q: Mavericks Finder - how default to "double click opens new window"?

I am old and set in my ways.  I like having the Finder open a new window when I double click a folder.  Since 1984 I've arranged Finder windows in positions and sizes that suit me and I have never seen any reason to change.

 

In Mavericks however there does not seem to be a way to default to, "double click opens new Finder window".  My choices under Finder preferences are, open in the same window; or open in a tab.  I don't care for either.

 

Does anyone know of a way to restore the traditional Finder behavior in Mavericks?  Thanks in advance.

Mac Pro, OS X Mavericks (10.9), 18 GB RAM

Posted on Oct 22, 2013 5:54 PM

Close

Q: Mavericks Finder - how default to "double click opens new window"?

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

Previous Page 2 of 39 last Next
  • by Truth42,

    Truth42 Truth42 Oct 22, 2013 11:44 PM in response to John Dorsey
    Level 1 (20 points)
    Oct 22, 2013 11:44 PM in response to John Dorsey

    Works for me by holding down Command and double-clicking on a folder. This opens in new Finder window.

  • by PlotinusVeritas,

    PlotinusVeritas PlotinusVeritas Oct 22, 2013 11:54 PM in response to Truth42
    Level 6 (14,806 points)
    Oct 22, 2013 11:54 PM in response to Truth42

    SOLVED IT

     

     

    The default in preferences GENERAL is "open folders in tabs instead of new windows"

     

    UNCHECK this

     

    then when you hold down CMD + double click      you get a NEW WINDOW!

     

     

     

    unless that box is unchecked, youll only get a new TAB


  • by Truth42,

    Truth42 Truth42 Oct 22, 2013 11:51 PM in response to PlotinusVeritas
    Level 1 (20 points)
    Oct 22, 2013 11:51 PM in response to PlotinusVeritas

    Yes but you have to turn off the 'Open folders in new tabs…' preference in Finder prefs first.

  • by PlotinusVeritas,

    PlotinusVeritas PlotinusVeritas Oct 22, 2013 11:53 PM in response to Truth42
    Level 6 (14,806 points)
    Oct 22, 2013 11:53 PM in response to Truth42

    I saw your post right after i posted my post above.

     

     

    You only posted HALF the 'answer'  ,.......either way.......   good news.

  • by John Dorsey,

    John Dorsey John Dorsey Oct 23, 2013 3:55 AM in response to PlotinusVeritas
    Level 2 (426 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 23, 2013 3:55 AM in response to PlotinusVeritas

    It's easy enough to open a folder in a new window if you don't mind using two hands to perform this basic, essential Finder function, or adding the step of right-clicking and choosing from a menu list.  I preferred the old, original, simple way where a double-click opened a folder into a new place.  This is the simple, uncomplicated functionality that seems not only to have been removed as the default but removed altogether from the OS.

     

    I filed a report at http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html and urge others in the same boat to do likewise.

  • by Spectralfire,

    Spectralfire Spectralfire Oct 23, 2013 4:25 AM in response to John Dorsey
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 23, 2013 4:25 AM in response to John Dorsey

    I am right there with you John Dorsey, I am really annoyed that they have removed this and I sent them feedback as well.

    I'm hoping that someone smarter than me will find a terminal hack or something to restore this behavior. Otherwise I might just go back to 10.8

     

    Besides this annoyance. I am enjoying 10.9 Mavericks

  • by John Dorsey,

    John Dorsey John Dorsey Oct 23, 2013 4:47 AM in response to Spectralfire
    Level 2 (426 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 23, 2013 4:47 AM in response to Spectralfire

    Yes, I like it too.  The transition has been pretty smooth.  Also I note that Mavericks has restored the ability of the user to define default Safari fonts and sizes - not from within the application, but at least with third party apps such as Tinkertool.  That had vanished in 10.7 or 10.8 and it was really annoying!

  • by bblonshine,

    bblonshine bblonshine Oct 23, 2013 5:42 AM in response to PlotinusVeritas
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 23, 2013 5:42 AM in response to PlotinusVeritas

    That's my feeling about it as well. I need multiple finder windows to be open sometimes. Doing cmd click to open new windows adds additional steps to do what I could easily do before. This is a fundamental change to the way I use the interface and the way I work. I realize this is new software and I expect it to have quirks and a bit of a learning curve. But....

     

    Overall I like it, but I'm going to have some growing pains with it.

  • by McGroarty,

    McGroarty McGroarty Oct 23, 2013 6:53 AM in response to bblonshine
    Level 1 (51 points)
    Oct 23, 2013 6:53 AM in response to bblonshine

    It's not just double-clicking that exhibits this problem. Pressing Command-Shift-C, Command-Shift-H, etc to open various windows now replaces the contents of an existing Finder window.

     

    Obviously one can't bypass this behavior by holding Command - it's part of the shortcut. Right now, I'm using Command-N first to open a new window, then pressing the other shortcut. But I lose all the view settings for each entry under the "Go" menu with this approach.

  • by shioma,

    shioma shioma Oct 23, 2013 7:38 AM in response to McGroarty
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 23, 2013 7:38 AM in response to McGroarty

    I have exactly the same issue at the moment..

     

    One of the things that had been bugging me when I first started using mac and did not know how to change the settings and now again, once the relevant settings are removed.

     

    It is rather inconvenient, imho.

     

    Really hope it gets fixed...

  • by John Dorsey,

    John Dorsey John Dorsey Oct 23, 2013 8:40 AM in response to shioma
    Level 2 (426 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 23, 2013 8:40 AM in response to shioma

    I found this thread on ArsTechnica and am linking to it only to pin down one "no" here - the users there likewise didn't like the Finder's new browser-style (aka Windows Explorer) behavior and undertook to find the plist setting that might reverse it and again allow double-clicking to open a new window.  One commenter found an appropriate setting in Mountain Lion, but when he went to change it via Terminal in Mavericks, it had no effect.  This presents the unwelcome possibility that Apple has (inexplicably) removed this functionality completely from this version of the Finder, sigh.

     

    http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1208019&start=480

  • by dackman,Helpful

    dackman dackman Oct 23, 2013 8:53 AM in response to John Dorsey
    Level 1 (20 points)
    Oct 23, 2013 8:53 AM in response to John Dorsey

    So if you hide the toolbar, your folders open in new windows again? That'll do for me - I never use the toolbar anyway.

  • by bblonshine,

    bblonshine bblonshine Oct 23, 2013 8:59 AM in response to dackman
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Oct 23, 2013 8:59 AM in response to dackman

    Hiding the toolbar seems to only work for the current folder. When you open a new folder it returns with the same functionality as before.  I'm sure someone will find a solution at some point. I really don't like putting 3rd party utilities in place to give me what used to be core functionality.

  • by dackman,

    dackman dackman Oct 23, 2013 9:01 AM in response to bblonshine
    Level 1 (20 points)
    Oct 23, 2013 9:01 AM in response to bblonshine

    It's a pain, but I've found that if I hide the toolbar in each folder as I open it, it remembers this for when I re-open them afterwards.

  • by John Dorsey,

    John Dorsey John Dorsey Oct 23, 2013 9:07 AM in response to dackman
    Level 2 (426 points)
    Mac OS X
    Oct 23, 2013 9:07 AM in response to dackman

    That does indeed work.  I suppose it's because without the toolbar you no longer have a "back" button to return to the folder you just came from.

     

    I never use the toolbar either but I use the sidebar a lot, and sadly, as goes one goes the other!

     

    (BTW, it does not work to keep the toolbar in place and customize away the back button!)

Previous Page 2 of 39 last Next