Tags - Tags disappear in Finder and colors don't work

Question

Tags - Tags disappear in Finder and colors don't work

I'm using Tahoe 26.0.1 on a MacBook Pro 16-inch, purchased in April 2025.

Problem 1:

The Finder correctly displays the colored Tags dots in the bottom left sidebar. If I add a Tag to a folder and then click the Tags dot in the Finder sidebar, it doesn't display the folders for that Tag.

Sometimes it works for a few hours, then all the Tags disappear.

Folders still have the chosen Tags, even after hours or days, but they don't appear when I click the Tags in the Finder.

Problem 2:

Folders with Tags aren't always colored.

Sometimes as soon as I add a Tag to a folder, it becomes colored, then after a few hours, it disappears. The colored Tag dot on the folder is still visible, but the folder itself has the default color.

MacBook Pro 16″, macOS 26.0

Posted on Nov 5, 2025 11:12 PM

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Answer 1

dialabrain

Level 10

135,815 points

Nov 6, 2025 1:43 AM in response to gabrielefrompesaro

Try updating to Tahoe 26.1.

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Answer 2

Nov 7, 2025 12:53 PM in response to gabrielefrompesaro

What you describe is not normal behavior.

Use tags to organize files on Mac - Apple Support

See if the problem is present when you boot in safe mode, which disables 3rd party extensions and performs some system cleanup.

Start up your Mac in safe mode - Apple Support

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Answer 3

VikingOSX

Level 10

123,230 points

Dec 15, 2025 4:33 AM in response to gabrielefrompesaro

I never use the Finder sidebar Tags facility. Especially when I want to narrow the scope of what is found when I want to see just folders, I do not want to see all folders and files tagged with the same color or those tagged with multiple tags containing that tag color.

Let's say I have four red tagged folders and one that is yellow. Only one red and yellow tagged folder are on my Desktop. I can issue the following Spotlight search query in the Finder Window search field:

kind:folder (tag:red OR tag:yellow)

and that displays only the five tagged folders I seek including a red-tagged folder on iCloud Drive. The same search works when using the Tahoe Apps tool in the Dock and choosing cmd+2 to open the Files view in that interface for the Spotlight query.

Tested: Tahoe 26.2

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Answer 4

Nov 7, 2025 4:42 PM in response to gabrielefrompesaro

gabrielefrompesaro wrote:

This Tahoe was born badly, and will die badly.

And yet, Tags are working as they are supposed to for me on macOS 26.1, and did so on 26 and 26.0.1. Sad that you have spent thousands of euros but aren't willing to spend time trying to get your Mac working as you would like, and as mine (and presumably most other users') are. But it's your choice. Good luck.

If you change your mind, Safe Mode and/or create a new user to test. Or not.

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Answer 5

Nov 7, 2025 2:01 PM in response to gabrielefrompesaro

Indeed. To reiterate...What you describe is not normal behavior.

You can choose to try and troubleshoot the issue, or you can choose to live with it. You stated, "And the funny thing is, no one knows how to fix it," which begs the question – what steps have you taken to try to fix it? That might help, because there would be little sense in repeating them.

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