DrDeath

Q: Finder windows position and settings no longer stored

Since the update to 10.11.4, the Finder not only has forgotten what position and display options I had set before the update, it also no longer stores them: when I reboot or just restart the Finder, all the adjustments I made a gone again.

 

I already tried deleting the .DS_Store files and the Finder preferences, but to no avail. I also couldn't find any good tips on the web, but won't rule out I missed a good solution. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

MacBook Pro (Retina, Mid 2012), OS X El Capitan (10.11.4), null

Posted on Mar 24, 2016 8:48 AM

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Q: Finder windows position and settings no longer stored

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  • by DrDeath,

    DrDeath DrDeath Mar 27, 2016 7:17 AM in response to dialabrain
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 27, 2016 7:17 AM in response to dialabrain

    dialabrain wrote:

     

    DrDeath wrote:

     

    Since the update to 10.11.4, the Finder not only has forgotten what position and display options I had set before the update, it also no longer stores them: when I reboot or just restart the Finder, all the adjustments I made a gone again.

     

    I already tried deleting the .DS_Store files and the Finder preferences, but to no avail. I also couldn't find any good tips on the web, but won't rule out I missed a good solution. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

    In System Preferences>General: disable "Close windows when quitting an app". Make sure "Reopen windows when logging back in" is enabled in the "Are you sure…" dialog.

    No difference. That would be an undesired behaviour anyway.

  • by dialabrain,

    dialabrain dialabrain Mar 27, 2016 7:25 AM in response to DrDeath
    Level 5 (6,231 points)
    Mac App Store
    Mar 27, 2016 7:25 AM in response to DrDeath

    DrDeath wrote:

     

    No difference. That would be an undesired behaviour anyway.

    How so? You want the Finder windows to open in their same locations when restarting etc. That's what you said anyway. If "Close windows…" is enabled it closes all the Finder windows as well.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Mar 27, 2016 7:29 AM in response to DrDeath
    Level 10 (207,973 points)
    Applications
    Mar 27, 2016 7:29 AM in response to DrDeath

    Does the same thing happen with other applications, or only the Finder?

  • by DrDeath,

    DrDeath DrDeath Mar 27, 2016 7:33 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 27, 2016 7:33 AM in response to Linc Davis

    Linc Davis wrote:

     

    Does the same thing happen with other applications, or only the Finder?

    Only the Finder.

  • by dialabrain,

    dialabrain dialabrain Mar 27, 2016 7:36 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 5 (6,231 points)
    Mac App Store
    Mar 27, 2016 7:36 AM in response to Linc Davis

    FWIW Linc, on my Macs, no matter how many Apps and Finder windows I have open their locations and sizes are remembered as long as "Close windows when quitting an app" is disabled. If not, they are forgotten. FYI.

     

    Maybe I have special Macs.

  • by DrDeath,

    DrDeath DrDeath Mar 27, 2016 7:36 AM in response to dialabrain
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 27, 2016 7:36 AM in response to dialabrain

    dialabrain wrote:

     

    DrDeath wrote:

     

    No difference. That would be an undesired behaviour anyway.

    How so? You want the Finder windows to open in their same locations when restarting etc. That's what you said anyway. If "Close windows…" is enabled it closes all the Finder windows as well.

    You misunderstand. I don't want to keep the windows open all the time and reappear at the position where I left them when I logged off. I want to close the windows and have them reopen at the position and in the size they had where I used them the last time.

     

    Besides, your suggestion would also affect the behaviour of every other application, not just the Finder. I do not want to have every application and document window pop up again when restarting my Mac or even just the application.

  • by dialabrain,

    dialabrain dialabrain Mar 27, 2016 7:40 AM in response to DrDeath
    Level 5 (6,231 points)
    Mac App Store
    Mar 27, 2016 7:40 AM in response to DrDeath

    DrDeath wrote:

     

    You misunderstand. I don't want to keep the windows open all the time and reappear at the position where I left them when I logged off. I want to close the windows and have them reopen at the position and in the size they had where I used them the last time.

    Apparently I did. I know of no such function available on OSX. There may be a third-party App that could do it.

  • by DrDeath,

    DrDeath DrDeath Mar 27, 2016 7:46 AM in response to dialabrain
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 27, 2016 7:46 AM in response to dialabrain

    dialabrain wrote:

     

    Apparently I did. I know of no such function available on OSX. There may be a third-party App that could do it.

    Well, the thing is that I shouldn't need a third-party app. What I want is simply the standard behaviour of the Finder and has been since decades. If you ever wondered what the (usually invisible) .DS_Store files are for: exactly for this purpose. But apparently somehow this is broken for me now since the last update.

  • by dialabrain,

    dialabrain dialabrain Mar 27, 2016 7:50 AM in response to DrDeath
    Level 5 (6,231 points)
    Mac App Store
    Mar 27, 2016 7:50 AM in response to DrDeath

    I won't quibble. I've been using Macs for 31 years now. If you could explain how you can position several Finder windows on your desktop, close them all then reopen them one by one or all at once at the same size and positions I'm willing to listen. I have OSX 10.6-10.11 available to try.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Mar 27, 2016 7:57 AM in response to DrDeath
    Level 10 (207,973 points)
    Applications
    Mar 27, 2016 7:57 AM in response to DrDeath

    Is that box checked in the General preference pane, or not?

  • by DrDeath,

    DrDeath DrDeath Mar 27, 2016 8:10 AM in response to dialabrain
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 27, 2016 8:10 AM in response to dialabrain

    dialabrain wrote:

     

    I won't quibble. I've been using Macs for 31 years now. If you could explain how you can position several Finder windows on your desktop, close them all then reopen them one by one or all at once at the same size and positions I'm willing to listen. I have OSX 10.6-10.11 available to try.

    After some consideration, you probably want something completely different than me.

  • by DrDeath,

    DrDeath DrDeath Mar 27, 2016 8:12 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 27, 2016 8:12 AM in response to Linc Davis

    Linc Davis wrote:

     

    Is that box checked in the General preference pane, or not?

    Doesn't matter since it doesn't make a difference. I have tried both settings.

  • by dialabrain,

    dialabrain dialabrain Mar 27, 2016 8:43 AM in response to DrDeath
    Level 5 (6,231 points)
    Mac App Store
    Mar 27, 2016 8:43 AM in response to DrDeath

    DrDeath wrote:

     

    After some consideration, you probably want something completely different than me.

    Just so you know I wasn't offended. It finally dawned on me what you meant. FWIW, OSX 10.6.8 behaves as you described. OSX 10.9.5 on the other hand, remembers the window size but not the position. I haven't got around to checking OSX 10.7 or 10.8 to see when exactly things changed from Snow Leopard.

     

    The fact is, things work differently now. There is nothing wrong with your install that needs fixing.

     

    edit: things changed it seems with OSX 10.9 which is when Tabs came to the Finder.

  • by DrDeath,

    DrDeath DrDeath Mar 27, 2016 9:19 AM in response to dialabrain
    Level 1 (5 points)
    Mac OS X
    Mar 27, 2016 9:19 AM in response to dialabrain

    dialabrain wrote:

    FWIW, OSX 10.6.8 behaves as you described. OSX 10.9.5 on the other hand, remembers the window size but not the position. I haven't got around to checking OSX 10.7 or 10.8 to see when exactly things changed from Snow Leopard.

     

    The fact is, things work differently now. There is nothing wrong with your install that needs fixing.

     

    edit: things changed it seems with OSX 10.9 which is when Tabs came to the Finder.

    Well, that's just not the case: until I installed the 10.11.4 update, both window sizes and positions were saved for me. I'm absolutely sure about that. Now, it stores neither.

     

    And maybe I have to point this out: it's not just window sizes and positions that are problematic, it's all display options, including the view type (icon, list, columns – even if I check "Always open in [whatever] view" in the Display Options window), icon size, icon spacing, sorting options, column width, background colour, you name it. The only thing that apparently still gets saved is the icon position when I can rearrange them freely. (And for some reason, the Desktop seems to be excluded from this problem.)

     

    So yes, there is definitely something wrong.

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Mar 27, 2016 9:20 AM in response to DrDeath
    Level 10 (207,973 points)
    Applications
    Mar 27, 2016 9:20 AM in response to DrDeath

    Please read this whole message before doing anything.

    This procedure is a diagnostic test. It won’t solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.

    The purpose of this test is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account. Enable guest logins* and log in as Guest. Don't use the Safari-only “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac.”

    While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your documents or settings. Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this behavior; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.

    Test while logged in as Guest by arranging some windows and then relaunching the Finder. Same problem?

    After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.

    *Note: If you’ve activated “Find My Mac” or FileVault in OS X 10.7 or later, then you can’t enable the Guest account. The "Guest User" login created by "Find My Mac" is not the same. Create a new account in which to test, and delete it, including its home folder, after testing.

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