VAMacGuy

Q: Folder arrows, in list view, have disappeared. How do I view them again?

I'm running Yosemite (10.10.5) on a 27" iMac (mid-2011). The arrows have only disappeared at the top directory level of the Finder—all other levels are intact.

 

Also, this is not the case on a similarly equipped MacBook Pro (2015). How do I fix that issue?

Airport Extreme 802.11ac, OS X Yosemite (10.10.5)

Posted on Apr 27, 2016 10:17 AM

Close

Q: Folder arrows, in list view, have disappeared. How do I view them again?

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

Page 1 Next
  • by Ferd II,

    Ferd II Ferd II Apr 27, 2016 10:29 AM in response to VAMacGuy
    Level 7 (28,412 points)
    Applications
    Apr 27, 2016 10:29 AM in response to VAMacGuy

    VAMacGuy,

     

    Have you tried to "Customize Toolbar?" Finder>View>Customize Toolbar..., or right-click on the Toolbar, and choose Customize Toolbar...

    SmallWings.png

  • by VAMacGuy,

    VAMacGuy VAMacGuy Apr 27, 2016 10:55 AM in response to Ferd II
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 27, 2016 10:55 AM in response to Ferd II

    Hey Ferd:

     

    That's a cool trick and one that I hadn't explored before (thanks!), but it doesn't fix the problem. I get the feeling I may need some sort of Terminal hack to bring them back. It might appear to be a minuscule issue—more of an annoyance, really—but it really gets in the way of everyday productivity. Without those arrows, I can't drag-copy any content at that level. I'm including a screen shot of my current, minimalist viewing state.

     

    Top_Level_Directory_Sans_Arrows.png

  • by Ferd II,

    Ferd II Ferd II Apr 27, 2016 11:24 AM in response to VAMacGuy
    Level 7 (28,412 points)
    Applications
    Apr 27, 2016 11:24 AM in response to VAMacGuy

    VAMacGuy,

     

    Could you provide a screenshot of the view that you are trying to reproduce. which exists on your MacBook Pro?

    SmallWings.png

  • by VAMacGuy,

    VAMacGuy VAMacGuy Apr 27, 2016 11:32 AM in response to Ferd II
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 27, 2016 11:32 AM in response to Ferd II

    You bet. Here's what it should look like (below). Funny thing is, even when I share the MBP directory on the iMac, the MBP directory displays the arrows correctly, but not the iMac. Go figure...

    Top_Level_Directory_With_Arrows.png

  • by Ferd II,

    Ferd II Ferd II Apr 27, 2016 11:58 AM in response to VAMacGuy
    Level 7 (28,412 points)
    Applications
    Apr 27, 2016 11:58 AM in response to VAMacGuy

    VAMacGuy,

     

    Thanks for that, it helped me understand your problem, but I'm not too sure that I will have a solution.

     

    After ensuring that you have a backup, two ideas come to mind:

    1. Drag the com.apple.finder.plist file which is located in your ~Library>Preferences Folder to your Desktop. Then log out/in or restart.

    2. Download and install the Mac OS X Yosemite 10.10.5 Combo Update

    SmallWings.png

  • by VAMacGuy,

    VAMacGuy VAMacGuy Apr 28, 2016 8:14 AM in response to Ferd II
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 28, 2016 8:14 AM in response to Ferd II

    Hmmmm...I can't seem to find such a file (even using spotlight). I'm already running 10.10.5 on (both) machine(s). Any other ideas?

  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root Apr 28, 2016 9:37 AM in response to VAMacGuy
    Level 9 (72,629 points)
    iTunes
    Apr 28, 2016 9:37 AM in response to VAMacGuy

    Here is how to access the file. Go to Finder and select your user/home folder. With that Finder window as the front window, either select Finder/View/Show View options or go command - J.  When the View options opens, check ’Show Library Folder’. That should make your user library folder visible in your user/home folder.  Select Library. Then go to Preferences.

  • by VAMacGuy,

    VAMacGuy VAMacGuy Apr 28, 2016 10:10 AM in response to Eric Root
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Apr 28, 2016 10:10 AM in response to Eric Root

    Thanks, Eric—that's also nice to know. However, all nuking the Finder preferences did for me was to take my start-up drive off the Desktop (restored through a view option in Finder Preferences). Still no lock with the folder arrows, however--:(!

  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root Apr 29, 2016 10:53 AM in response to VAMacGuy
    Level 9 (72,629 points)
    iTunes
    Apr 29, 2016 10:53 AM in response to VAMacGuy

    Did you try the combo update?

  • by VAMacGuy,

    VAMacGuy VAMacGuy May 2, 2016 3:51 PM in response to Eric Root
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 2, 2016 3:51 PM in response to Eric Root

    Sure did. Here's the resulting warning message:

     

    Software_Update_Alert.png

     

    I assume, because I'm already running 10.10.5, there's nothing to update.

     

    Oh, well—thanks anyway. She's an old workhorse, getting ready to be put out to pasture before too long. Five years is an eternity in the world of ones and zeros. Three years ago, she had a brain transplant—new logic board, new HD and power supply. Starting to run hot again—so her days are numbered.

  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root May 3, 2016 12:13 PM in response to VAMacGuy
    Level 9 (72,629 points)
    iTunes
    May 3, 2016 12:13 PM in response to VAMacGuy

    Try a restart.

     

    Do a backup, using either Time Machine or a cloning program, to ensure files/data can be recovered. Two backups are better than one.

     

    Try setting up another admin user account to see if the same problem continues. If Back-to-My Mac is selected in System Preferences, the Guest account will not work. The intent is to see if it is specific to one account or a system wide problem. This account can be deleted later.

     

    Isolating an issue by using another user account

     

    If the problem is still there, try booting into the Safe Mode using your normal account.  Disconnect all peripherals except those needed for the test. Shut down the computer and then power it back up after waiting 10 seconds. Immediately after hearing the startup chime, hold down the shift key and continue to hold it until the gray Apple icon and a progress bar appear. The boot up is significantly slower than normal. This will reset some caches, forces a directory check, and disables all startup and login items, among other things. When you reboot normally, the initial reboot may be slower than normal. If the system operates normally, there may be 3rd party applications which are causing a problem. Try deleting/disabling the third party applications after a restart by using the application un-installer. For each disable/delete, you will need to restart if you don't do them all at once.

     

    Safe Mode - About

     

    Safe Mode - Yosemite

  • by VAMacGuy,

    VAMacGuy VAMacGuy May 3, 2016 3:12 PM in response to Eric Root
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 3, 2016 3:12 PM in response to Eric Root

    Ouch—I thought my iMac booted slowly, without Safe Mode! Alas, neither logging in using a different user account nor booting into Safe Mode were able to restore the arrows. For giggles, I also rebooted using the OS on my Back Up drive (a clone of my local HD), Rebuilt the Permissions and Repaired the Disk, to no avail.

     

    FYI, I'm pretty fastidious about updating software and performing regular, routine maintenance (using Disk Utility and Onyx) and don't often encounter issues such as this. As I mentioned previously, my issues have mostly been hardware related (including a replacement video card, last year, that I neglected to mention).

     

    Any other ideas?

  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root May 4, 2016 11:39 AM in response to VAMacGuy
    Level 9 (72,629 points)
    iTunes
    May 4, 2016 11:39 AM in response to VAMacGuy

    Since it is a system wide problem, the only other thing I can think of to do is to boot into the Recovery Partition (command - R on a restart) and reinstall the OS.

  • by VAMacGuy,

    VAMacGuy VAMacGuy May 6, 2016 7:37 AM in response to Eric Root
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 6, 2016 7:37 AM in response to Eric Root

    What are the chances that the issue disappears if I upgrade to El Capitan?

Page 1 Next