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Change default finder size & position

I'm running macOS Ventura 13.2, whenever I open a new Finder it's small so I re-size and

re-position it but when I open a new Finder window my size/position changes haven't been saved and I get the same small window again.


Anyone know how to get Ventura Finder to remember size/position changes?

Posted on Jan 30, 2023 2:30 AM

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Posted on Jan 30, 2023 6:54 AM

This issue is not new to Ventura. It's ages old, so old that I can't even remember in which OS it first happened.


But... there is a simple trick to make Finder "remember" your preferred window size:


  1. Go to Finder > File (menu) > New Finder Window.
  2. Resize and position that window according to your preferences. Keep that window open.
  3. Repeat step #1 (or simply use the keyboard combination Command + N). You will see that the second window has the same size as the first one.


From now on, but unfortunately only until the next OS update or upgrade, all your Finder windows will have the size you want them to have. But opening a second, third, fourth, etc. window after the first one, will "tile" them slightly down and to the right (which is normal and by design).

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Jan 30, 2023 6:54 AM in response to godwyn1066

This issue is not new to Ventura. It's ages old, so old that I can't even remember in which OS it first happened.


But... there is a simple trick to make Finder "remember" your preferred window size:


  1. Go to Finder > File (menu) > New Finder Window.
  2. Resize and position that window according to your preferences. Keep that window open.
  3. Repeat step #1 (or simply use the keyboard combination Command + N). You will see that the second window has the same size as the first one.


From now on, but unfortunately only until the next OS update or upgrade, all your Finder windows will have the size you want them to have. But opening a second, third, fourth, etc. window after the first one, will "tile" them slightly down and to the right (which is normal and by design).

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Jan 30, 2023 4:42 AM in response to godwyn1066

In addition to VikingOSX's suggestion, you can delete Finder's .plist file and it will create a new one if it's corrupted. Then Fnder should start to remember your size, position settings.

Open Finder, click 'Go' in the top menu. Then Go to Folder. Type in ~/Library/Preferences. Find the file called,

'com.apple.finder.plist' and delete it. Close Finder. Log out, log back in. Try it again.

If you are seeing any other strange behaviors, you might also want to perform a Safe Boot. This corrects many issues when it boots up. It analyzes the system for problems and attempts to fix them.

Safe Mode - Startup

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Jan 30, 2023 4:23 AM in response to godwyn1066

Reboot your Mac. I have Ventura 13.2 and cannot reproduce what you describe in Finder as changes in dimension and position are reflected in the next Finder window, whether the first is closed or not. A second window is simply tiled downward and right of its identical predecessor.


Finder automatically updates its most recent Window changes to its Preferences (.plist) file and this is read by the next Finder window instance.

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Feb 3, 2023 2:26 AM in response to godwyn1066

You are welcome.


Not the case here, but some users confuse the Finder-like open and save dialogs with true Finder windows. Although these borrow on framework features also used in Finder, these dialogs do not read the Finder's saved preferences and are programmatically set to a specific opening screen location and size by the developer.

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Change default finder size & position

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