Mavericks Finder - how default to "double click opens new window"?

I am old and set in my ways. I like having the Finder open a new window when I double click a folder. Since 1984 I've arranged Finder windows in positions and sizes that suit me and I have never seen any reason to change.


In Mavericks however there does not seem to be a way to default to, "double click opens new Finder window". My choices under Finder preferences are, open in the same window; or open in a tab. I don't care for either.


Does anyone know of a way to restore the traditional Finder behavior in Mavericks? Thanks in advance.

Mac Pro, OS X Mavericks (10.9), 18 GB RAM

Posted on Oct 22, 2013 5:54 PM

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547 replies

Nov 29, 2013 11:10 PM in response to Adam Meath

It has been mentioned that the current work-around is to manually hide the toolbar in each folder, and then the Finder will allow you to open those folders in a new window when double-clicked. However, some have reported that the Mavericks Finder (as with Lion and Mountain Lion) can often 'forget' those settings and default the folders back to the standard window size and position and with the toolbar in place.


I found that Finder Window Manager, although not updated in several years, works fine in 10.7 and 10.8. This app allows window configurations to be saved and restored very quickly - useful for when the Finder 'forgets' the saved settings.


http://www.jonn8.com/fwm/


If it still works in Mavericks (?), it might be useful for the people that have reported the above problem when using the suggested work-around.

Nov 29, 2013 11:11 PM in response to Adam Meath

Personally I think Adam Meath is totally ON topic as he's hit at the core of the issue here - Apple is dumbing down the OS & we are losing long standing functionality as Apple rushes to make desktop computers (that some of us actually use to do work & stuff...) act like the iOS.

I don't need or want my desktop machine to act like a giant iPad but Apple is trying to make me use it like one.

So Adam's question, which directly relates to the gist of the thread about how windows now open, 'Do they still care about their long standing customer base?" is a very legitimate one that I'd like to know the answer to that myself.
And yes I have sent feedback to Apple but we all know that's just a pointless blackhole.

Nov 29, 2013 11:18 PM in response to Adam Woodhams

Adam Woodhams wrote:



I don't need or want my desktop machine to act like a giant iPad but Apple is trying to make me use it like one.


You chose to download and install Mavericks. If you are not happy with it then revert to your preious system from the backup you made fore installing Mavericks.


OS X Mavericks: Revert to a previous OS X version


Yes Apple has changed direction, as have Microsoft, and if iCloud is an example with over 340 million users, then they have done so successfully. If a lack of Double click on the desktop is a major issue, then you will be more upset with future implementations or removal of old features.


If you don't like Apple's Feedback option, you can ring them or write them a letter. 😉


Cheers


Pete

Nov 29, 2013 11:49 PM in response to petermac87

petermac87 wrote:


You chose to download and install Mavericks.

Correct. But I was not expecting the removal of such long standing core features.
Apple is big on listing what they are including in updates, perhaps they should also be more forthcoming with what they are removing to allow users to make balanced decisions.
And I really fail to see what the adoption rate of iCloud has to do with Apple making the finder operate like a dumbed down browser.
For those of us that actually use our Macs for work changes like this to the finder are a serious productivity issue. It's not just a case of getting used to something new.

Nov 30, 2013 7:13 AM in response to petermac87

I think the above post is directly to the point. And it seems that most people on this thread have sent feedback to Apple (if we are to take their statements at face value).


Does Apple wish to position itself, as it always has, as the slightly quirky, base-caring company for computer users, or is it now positioning itself as a giant OS/iOS company in which all operating systems are basically the same, as are all end-users?


The evidence seems clear. Mac's OS is moving towards iPhone's/iPad's iOS. For better or worse.


Everyone here (including the above poster) is talking about (among other things) not being able to double-click a folder to open it. That IS the topic.


Telling someone they shouldn't have installed .9 isn't really helping, and just sounds...elitistl. Nowhere in the release notes was there a statement that the folder's action was being changed. And folder action on a Mac is a very basic behavior. It's not gingerbread GUI. It relates directly to workflow. It's important. He (and the rest of us) were caught completely off guard. This is not like when one of the previous releases (.6?) broke firewire connectivety to many peripheral devices. That seemed inadvertant. This was clearly done on purpose.


Apple is selling a lot of units now. It is selling to the masses. The original core group is no longer as important as it once was to Apple's corporate well-being. Word of mouth by this group, or brand loyalty, is no longer important to Apple. It is selling so many units that to lose this group does not, to Apple, matter. This is too bad, but it is a reality.


I recently had an iPhone break a month out of warranty. In the past Apple would have taken care of me. Not this time. After I complained up the ladder, I got a call from Tim Cook's (formerly Steve Jobs') offical "responder." Too bad, but it was out of warranty. That's it. Done.


We had a good run, but companies change as they get bigger. Apple is simply doing what it thinks is best for its stockholders (of which I am one) and its bottom line. It's NOT a couple of guys in a garage anymore. It's NOT the company for people who think "different." It's a company that sells electronic equipment. Buy its stuff if you like it, buy something else if you don't.

Nov 30, 2013 12:29 PM in response to petermac87

I AM on topic. I am not ranting. Apple dictionary:

rant |rant|verb [ no obj. ]speak or shout at length in a wild, impassioned way


I in no way have been wild or impassioned. You gave the poster, who was on topic, an unhelpful and somewhat rude (to my mind) answer. I merely stepped in and stated both my opinion of your posts above and my feeling that Apple is, indeed, moving in a new direction (in which I actually agree with your point as well).


You said, "If you don't like Apple's Feedback option, you can ring them or write them a letter. 😉"


I answered that with my recent experience as an example of where that might get him.


The issue, as it has been throughout this thread, is that Apple has taken away the double-click option to open folders as new folders. The posters have been speaking of it, trying self-helps, offering each other suggestions as to how to implement a change back to "the way it was." In effect, they have been doing what this site was set up to do: talk to each other, and also to exchange information and offer and seek help.


You, on the other hand, offered nothing but "You chose to download and install Mavericks. If you are not happy with it then revert to your preious system from the backup you made fore installing Mavericks,"

"Yes Apple has changed direction, as have Microsoft, and if iCloud is an example with over 340 million users, then they have done so successfully. If a lack of Double click on the desktop is a major issue, then you will be more upset with future implementations or removal of old features," and the quote at the top of this post. None of which are helpful to either the poster or the situation.


Then, to be snarky to me is just more of the same. Be helpful here. These discussion pages are for more than just running up a post count. Adam Meath made a totally reasonable post. If you can't help him, then just..don't..post.




Cheers, The Dude Abides

Nov 30, 2013 12:31 PM in response to The Dude Abides

I think most of the recent posts have been right on point. Last I checked, this is a discussion board, not a question board, and from what I see, everyone is giving their own interpretation as to "why Apple has gotten rid of the option to open a new window on double click". Looking at the trend of how things have gone over the past few years is how I think you answer that question. Personally, I used to be a power user and relied solely on mac. Unfortuantely, I have shifted the focus of my work and the tools I use simply because Apple doesn't care to provide them anymore. Is it because they want to cater to a more generic user to make more money? Probably, and as they should if their main goal is to run a business in the effort to increase the cost of their stock. Are they shunning their original base by doing so? Absolutely. When you look at this whole chain of events from the rarifed atmosphere, you could have seen this coming a lot earlier...


- Xserve RAID is discontinued (understandable, they didn't want to play in the enterprise storage market)

- Xserve is discontinued (this was a rather nasty one, and they showed they weren't interested in enterprise)

- Xsan is *********** (multi-OS version cluster support was canibalized)

- OS X Server was turned into a toolset (death of the pro server offerings)

- Final Cut Pro was turned into an X app (features were severly cut for a long amount of time)

- Rapid updating of OS (to make it harder for professional, or even prosumer apps, to catch up for compatability)


and now you're finally seeing it bleed from the pro, to the prosumer to even the veteran consumer base. It's simply just a lot more apparent now but it's been a long time coming. Most consumers will just accept it as it comes and adapt, but there will be those from the original base that will not. I still use a Mac Mini for doing work, but the 3 Mac Pros, 11 Xserves and 5 Xserve RAIDs have all been replaced by Dell.



Just in case there's any confusion as to whether this is a rant or proper discussion, to simplify:


Q: Why can't I double click and open a folder like I have been able to for over a decade?

A: IMO, because Apple decided that it doesn't make sense from a UX perspective anymore given the new consumer base they need to appease to make a buck. Given their behavior over the past 2-3 years, it's not surprising either and my approach has been to move to other solutions that best fit certain needs and remain using Apple for what I think makes sense.

Nov 30, 2013 12:39 PM in response to Alex Geis

Alex Geis wrote:



- Xserve RAID is discontinued (understandable, they didn't want to play in the enterprise storage market)

- Xserve is discontinued (this was a rather nasty one, and they showed they weren't interested in enterprise)

- Xsan is *********** (multi-OS version cluster support was canibalized)

- OS X Server was turned into a toolset (death of the pro server offerings)

- Final Cut Pro was turned into an X app (features were severly cut for a long amount of time)

- Rapid updating of OS (to make it harder for professional, or even prosumer apps, to catch up for compatability)



In your humble opinion, of course. You too should be starting your own thread (for what value it may be to anyone😕)


Pete

Nov 30, 2013 1:40 PM in response to John Dorsey

What I don't get about issues like this is why?

I don't mean why do Apple want the OS to 'evolve' (it's devolving in my opinion) after all it's all about progress or someone's vision of progress.

Surely they could have implemented their desired UI changes & left in, as an option, the ability for the UI to operate the way it has for over 15-years.

Surely such a thing would not be a huge drain on system resources just as labeling with a bar rather than dot should have been left as an option.

Why totally erase it from the OS? That's what I don't get.

It just seems to be a mindless purge to me.

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Mavericks Finder - how default to "double click opens new window"?

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