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

Oct 23, 2013 12:43 PM in response to John Dorsey

Note: If you make a window have no toolbar but then you open it from a window that HAS a toolbar, it re-adopts the toolbar, even if you later open it in it's own new window again. Hope that made sense, lol!


The toolbar trick is helpful, as is being able to hit command when double clicking but it just isn't as efficient as it was before. AND even with these tricks, I find my windows don't always remember the place I had them on the screen when I re-open them! I'm a little OCD with where everything is on my screen so it's driving me bananas! I'm gonna give this a week or two and if I either don't get used to it (looks unlikely) or we don't see a fix (official or otherwise), I'm definitely gonna go back to Mountain Lion. What a shame.

Oct 23, 2013 12:50 PM in response to Thrust

In the "making lemonade out of lemons" department, I am finding it useful to take two or three windows that I had previously set up with similar display characteristics, like downloads & documents (list view, tall window, sorted by mod date) and putting them all together in a tabbed set rather than aligning them in a kind of offset overlap. I think that'll be useful.


I don't know what happens if, after carefully setting up this window, I make the mistake of closing it. I too am learning that the new Finder doesn't always keep track of window characteristics.

Oct 23, 2013 6:36 PM in response to John Dorsey

Hi everyboxy, I use Apple since 1980 and a Macintosh Plus since 1984.

I love to place my windows in the right place and find them again there when I open them.

All my desktop is organized with windows overlapped show me the name in top of the window.

I choose if show them in Icon view or list... but all of this is gone.

Everytime I open the Application folder it appears as it wants, list, icon.... noooo... list view sorted by type... not as you want OSX 🙂!

The only thing that Apple didn't chage is the possibility to CMD (Apple) + click on the name of the window and show the tree of the file/folder, also inside application.


I have a solution, for Apple OSX Maverick (10.9.1) dev.

Finder->Settings-> and... three options:

1- what to do when double click

2- what to do when CMD+double click

3- what to do when ALT+double click

... for every option a popup menu.


is it correct?!?

Oct 23, 2013 7:11 PM in response to Alex Geis

The solution for now has already been described, but here it is:


First, on any Mac, open Finder preferences, and deselect "open folders in tabs..."


Then, for a trackpad, mouse, or whatever, in System Preferences using your trackpad or mouse preferences, or other device software, enable "secondary click" or "right click".


On a MBP, for example, then all you do is click a folder inside another folder by putting two fingertips from one hand on the trackpad and click it with your thumb. A contextual menu opens up and the first item on the list is "open in a new window".


It's not hard, each new window has its' own name at the top, and that's all there is to it.


But I understand that retaining a double click option to do it specifically would be nice for some folks.

Oct 23, 2013 7:29 PM in response to hawkhart

I wouldn't call that a solution, but a workaround. Yes, with extra steps you can accomplish the same thing you once (always!) could with two quick clicks. However the objection is not that you can't get there; it's to the extra steps.


On top of which even when you do employ the workaround, the new Finder seems to forget the details about folders' separate windows about half the time, forcing the user (yet again) to set them up just the way they liked them.


If it's a new, intentional paradigm, it's poorly considered, poorly introduced, and poorly implemented. It *feels* like a bug -

Oct 23, 2013 7:25 PM in response to John Dorsey

John is 100% correct. In all honesty, I work on 5 desktops over 3 27" monitors cause I keep several windows open specifically cause I have lots of things going on. A lot of the time, finder windows as well. I tend to have enough windows open that the tab sizes become too small to tell what is open at any given time.


Plus, I use a Wacom on my central machine, which makes this a potential nightmare. I wouldn't imagine upgrading to 10.9 on that machine if the old version of double click that has been around for over a decade isn't brought back.

Oct 24, 2013 1:18 AM in response to John Dorsey

Another fault of the "workaround" is that even if you do spawn a window from a toolbar-less folder, it will have a toolbar if you haven't explicitly disabled it for that folder.


In 10.8, if you had the "Always Open Folders in New Window" setting checked, then toolbar-less folders always spawned toolbar-less windows.


In 10.9 I am going numb from pressing Apple-Option-T so much.


I am also finding that folders randomly lose their position and toolbar state and show up like the default Finder window in the middle of the screen. This has happened with Applications quite a few times now.

Oct 24, 2013 4:50 AM in response to John Dorsey

You're right.


I don't want to discuss about a default, but about sometihing that I WANT to choose or being able to change to fit my needs.


For me having multiple Finder windows is a need.


* * *


So, in general, send feedback to Apple ( http://www.apple.com/feedback/ ) asking to restore the


"Always Open Folders in New Window" setting


ASAP.


* * *


Please excuse my poor English 🙂

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

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