Finder is unresponsive when selecting several files.

Question

Finder is unresponsive when selecting several files.

Hi Everyone,

I'm at my wit's end right now. Has anyone had this problem?

In the finder when I select too many files (right around 1,000 or 1,500) I get the spinning beachball and finder becomes unresponsive. In the past I've selected way more than that to copy and paste and it did it without any hiccups. It does this with raw images & jpegs. I haven't been able to test it on other files. I believe it started doing this with the Catalina 10.15.2 update but I'm not 100% sure. Can anyone help me?

Here are the things I've done to try and fix or find the issue and it didn't work:

restart computer
reset RAM, PRAM, etc.
complete restore of Catalina
tested to see if it only does it on only external drives but it does it on internal and external

The only workaround I've found is copying a folder that contains all the files. But I can't select all the files in the folder. I need to be able to select the files in folder to move them.

Thanks in advance!

MacBook Pro 15", macOS 10.13

Posted on Dec 26, 2019 7:35 AM

Reply

Answer 1

CarlAVII

Community Specialist

Dec 29, 2019 2:09 PM in response to q.charles1991

Hi q.charles1991,

Thanks for reaching out here in the Apple Support Communities. I understand that since updating to macOS Catalina 10.15.2, you can no longer select, copy, and paste and move more than 1,000 - 1,500 files without the Mac becoming unresponsive.

I'm glad to help with this.

You've done some good troubleshooting already, so let's isolate a little more.

You mentioned that you've selected more to copy and paste in the past. Are you using copy and paste functions now to move files? If you are, what happens if you select the files, and drag them to the new location?
Test in a new administrative user, to rule out any issues with your main account: How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac

Let me know what happens.

Best Regards.

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Answer 2

Jan 19, 2020 10:27 PM in response to q.charles1991

So I just found a solution for this. When I'm in the finder and I select View>as icon that fixes my problem. It only does the spinning beachball when I'm in the column view. Haven't tested out the other views. Not sure why it would do this but thankful that I have somewhat of a solution.

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Answer 3

brenden dv

Community Specialist

Jan 15, 2020 8:18 AM in response to q.charles1991

Hi q.charles1991,

Since this happens in a new user, next try restarting in safe mode.

1. Shut down the Mac by holding the power button for 5-7 seconds.

2. Restart and immediately hold down the Shift key.

3. Release the Shift key when you see the login window.

It can take a few extra minutes to boot into safe mode. Your screen may flash or flicker when logging in to safe mode. Those behaviors are expected. The following article has more details on safe mode: Use safe mode to isolate issues with your Mac

Test to see if you can copy the files while in safe mode. Then, shut down again and restart normally, and test again.

Take Care.

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Answer 4

Leanne_68

Community Specialist

Jan 16, 2020 8:41 AM in response to q.charles1991

Hi q.charles1991,

You've tried a lot of good steps, and it looks like it might be best to contact Apple Support directly to see what your next options are.

You can contact them with this link: Apple - Get Support

All the Best.

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Answer 5

Jan 13, 2020 11:49 AM in response to CarlAVII

Hey there. Sorry for my late response. I'm not able to copy or drag them. It becomes unresponsive when I select the files. I've also ran the new administrative user test as well. Still didn't help.

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Answer 6

Jan 16, 2020 4:50 AM in response to brenden dv

I tried that as well. Didn’t work either. 😩😩😩

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