10.6.4: refresh Finder window?????

This community spirit where everyone feels obliged to respond on behalf of Apple that things found lacking must certainly be things that you don't really need, that's quite annoying. Why respond at all then?

Anyways, the lack of a refresh option for Finder windows is a serious shortcoming. When you mount an FTP server in Finder, it all works quite well (at least recently, since FTP was discovered by the Mac OS X folks), If anything changes on the server you just don't see it in the Finder window. If you are aware of the change, you can't tell the Finder about it. Closing and re-opening the window doesn't help either. You need to disconnect from the server and then re-connect to see the changed contents,

There must be a way to fix this in a future OS X version, it doesn't seem such a big change.

Here is an instance when a Windows user would use the Refresh command:

1. The thumbnails got overlapped in my folder.
2. I clicked on the buttons at the top of the folder's window: Show items as List, clicked show items as icons, etc. It didn't "refresh" the formatting. It seems to be in a free-form setting.
3. It didn't "refresh" the formatting.

Window users are used to Refreshing the page which utilizes the system's instructions to properly format the default alignment of items in a directory. It's quick and instinctual for us.

Question: How do Apple users command the OS to reformat a directory that might look like this? Like I said, I clicked the List button, clicked as Thumbnail button, etc.

As an example, can you explain the necessity to refresh the Finder window listing Applications?

Unless I install a new application, nothing changes, so there is no need to refresh. Or give us an example of what type of info in a Finder window needs refreshing on Mac OS X.

Once I'd done some cropping and editing of the files, I saved them as drafts in GIMP's XCF format, and also exported JPG versions for transfer to a website.

Going back to the Finder window I'd started the process from, I found no sign of the files I'd just saved, only the original RAW image files.

Whenever I work on anything - a text document, a .jpeg, or a video or anything else - I check where the 'save' dialog window wants to save it (by default) and change that, if necessary. If I'm in a new movie project, I will create a "new movie" folder in my Documents folder and save all the files to it. It will show up nicely in any Finder window and the saved files will be there.

In this screenshot example, the destination is the desktop:

So, if you save your files as you say you do, what is the 'save' destination? Your saved files will be wherever you've chosen them to be; if they're not, then you have a different problem.

This is a screenshot (blurred areas for the sake of anonymity) of a save destination window and a Finder window showing the same destination. I had this Finder window open after my file had been outputed. The save destination window is there showing my file is in the correct destination, though, it hasn't been updated in the Finder window. Even though I'm able to use the workaround that LucasBC had suggested, it's still a pain.

I've wondered if it's because it's on an external drive that it doesn't refresh/update right away.

And FTP server doesn't broadcast a change. You must send a get command to the server to see any changes. Even a dedicated FTP client wouldn't update the list unless you requested it. FTP has always been a very rudimentary thing integrated into the Finder. I doubt it will get any better. Here's where you request it, though: http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html

Hence the potential usefulness of a refresh button or command in Finder, as it is present in {substitute any other OS here}, which is what the OP pointed out. I think it is not only useful for FTP (where a refresh would then obviously re-get data from the server), but probably most network mounted folders.

Other than that, the FTP functionality works better than I had expected, shame that it's missing this tiny option to make it truly useful.

Thanks for the link, I didn't know about this. Let's see if this leads anywhere.

An old thread, but I feel obligated to reply as well. Alexander is absolutely correct. It is supremely irritating for someone to ask a specific question and for someone to chime in with "Why do you want to do that? Do this instead." In this particular instance, suggesting they close and reopen is a painfully obvious requirement, hence the original request.

Whether you have used your Mac for 26 years or 26,000 years and not needed what the OP is asking for is completely irrelavent. *HE* needs it. Answer the question or keep it to yourself. I actually *USE* my Mac and need to refresh all the time. I have multiple Finder windows open all the time, and am creating directories, shares, copying files and performing all manner of operations - particularly when building websites and managing folders, wiki, etc and having to close out and open the finder window again, and the *navigate back to where you were* is a total PITA. In Lion, some things automatically refresh - but things like shares and other network resources do not. Lion also provides for immediate rename-update which is a fantastic feature, but there could still be some improvement.

My reason for posting, however, it is to support Alexander's statements, and to simply ask people to think first before creating unnecessary churn on the list.

I am seeing this problem in my updated 64-bit Mac OS X 10.7.4 (Lion) as well. I haven't tried 10.8 (Mountain Lion) yet. It is easily noticeable with connected servers (Windows and Apple) through Finder.