Command-Alt-Space shortcut to open new Finder window stopped working

Command-N only opens a new Fidner window if I'm already in Finder, but not if I'm using another program.

So I repeat the question: what shortcut can I use to I open a new Finder window, without being already in Finder? Is there a default shortcut for this? Command-Alt-Space has been doing that by default in my computer, till it stopped working. And I did not program that shortcut. Somehow by default it was programmed to do so.

Hi Avinash,

No, unfortunately I couldn't solve this problem yet. It's quite annoying in fact...

Other users, like CT, confirm that "the out of the box default behavior for Option-Command-Space is to open up a Finder search window", which means I'm not crazy... I don't understand how this suddenly stoped working. Restore defaults option in "Keyboard Shortcuts" doesn't make it work either...

Thanks Eric, but I already tried creating a keyboard shortcut, but it only works if I'm already in Finder. The cool thing about the Option-Command-Space shortcut was that it worked no matter what program you were using.

And thanks for the apps suggestions. But I don't think I want an app for this... First of all I want to know why the default shortcut stopped working and if there's any easy way to make it work again...

Thanks Barney-15E for the Automator suggestion. I haven't tried it, but I wonder if there's an easier way to do this? I mean, opening a new Finder folder is probably the most basic and repetitive thing everyone does in a Mac. How come there's no default shortcut?? In fact there was one and it suddently stopped working! 😟

Barney-15E,

On the comments to the second article you posted, some people confirmed they can use the Cmd-Opt-Spacebar as a global default shortcut to open a new Finder window (not Spotlight) — http://contented.qolc.net/articles/osx-global-shortcut-key-new-finder-window/#co mment-61887, users thesmarti and Bradley. Moreover, users CT and Avinash in this forum confirmed that too.

I know that "tapping the Finder icon in the Dock opens a Finder window if one isn't already opened", but as you say, it only does it if one Finder window isn't open. If you have one open, then you have to right click on the icon, etc. And if you have an application in fullscreen, the icon is not there and it takes a while for it to appear... Not ideal.

I guess I could solve this using Automator as you suggested, but I'm frustrated because this shortcut used to work on my Mac when I bought it and it stopped working who knows why after some months.

Only CM says he uses the shortcut as a workaround to open a Finder window that happens to be a search. But he might be referring to the wrong shortcut, because on my Mac I do that by default with Ctrl-Option-Space and not with Command-Option-Space, which is the shortcut I've been speaking about. Command-Option-Space seems to work for others: thesmarti just says, "….or simply hit: alt+cmd+space". Bradley says, "I believe alt+cmd+space was added in Lion. I’m on Mountain Lion and it does the job." avinash2603, "Option+Command+Space used to open finder. Now its opening spotlight."