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new folder it has within it all the file headings of my desktop.

When I create a new folder it has within it all the file headings of my desktop and I am using Mohave. Any idea what has caused this and how to stop it. I want the new folders to be blank and empty.


iMac 21.5″, OS X 10.11

Posted on Jul 23, 2021 7:31 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Jul 23, 2021 8:15 AM

Hello, catlady333.


I hope that 333 isn't the number of cats you may have! 😉


To answer your question, it sounds like something is confusing the OS.


If rebooting your Mac doesn’t fix the problem, see if the problem still happens in Safe mode (hold the shift key down at startup). It can take much longer (10 min) to safe boot so be patient.


How to use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support 


Safe mode forces the OS to clear certain caches and logs and do other miscellaneous housekeeping. It's non-destructive to user data so is safe to do.  Very often certain weird software behavior is corrected by simply logging in this way as a troubleshooting method. When you're in safe boot, the machine will not be at its best performance, especially with graphics, but that's normal.


Does the problem persist while in Safe mode? 

Exit safe mode by restarting your Mac normally and re-evaluate the issue again after a normal reboot.



3 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jul 23, 2021 8:15 AM in response to catlady333

Hello, catlady333.


I hope that 333 isn't the number of cats you may have! 😉


To answer your question, it sounds like something is confusing the OS.


If rebooting your Mac doesn’t fix the problem, see if the problem still happens in Safe mode (hold the shift key down at startup). It can take much longer (10 min) to safe boot so be patient.


How to use safe mode on your Mac - Apple Support 


Safe mode forces the OS to clear certain caches and logs and do other miscellaneous housekeeping. It's non-destructive to user data so is safe to do.  Very often certain weird software behavior is corrected by simply logging in this way as a troubleshooting method. When you're in safe boot, the machine will not be at its best performance, especially with graphics, but that's normal.


Does the problem persist while in Safe mode? 

Exit safe mode by restarting your Mac normally and re-evaluate the issue again after a normal reboot.



Jul 23, 2021 8:30 AM in response to D.I. Johnson

Thank you so much! I will try that and hopefully it will clear up a few quirks. As to my initial problem, I found out that it was something simple. I had changed the view option and did not realize that that would make all of the desktop items show up in my folder. I’ve been a Mac user for 15 years but still there’s lots to learn. Just one cat these days but he’s amazing 😊

new folder it has within it all the file headings of my desktop.

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