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

How about Pro Bono instead?

I don't see what U2 has to do with any of this. 😀

He loves a benefit event.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for this plugin! I had programmed my mouse to enable me to open folders in a new window, but that still did not address the problem of when I chose to open folders via the finder menu (e.g., utliities) from using what ever was the top open folder, regardless of how small that folder happened to be sized on the screen.

I have written Apple on several occasions about removing this functionality, but here we are two updates later to Mavericks and it does not appear they are listening much to the feedback and complaints about this issue and remain determined to tell us how we should best work on our computers rather than leaving that freedom up to us. In my opinion this is not only frustrating, but sad. The main reason I had left Windows PC's behind was the fact that I had to go through so much irritation to just simply work the way I wanted to work. The ease and transparency of the Mac, and the capacity to tailor the environment to the way I worked was a compelling reason to pay a premium for such functionality. While I certainly appreciate new options being given with newer renditions of the OS, I wish they did not come at the expense of ones that have been longstanding.

Well said, John. For the first time in 28 years I’ve felt that the Apple Corporation resents its faithful customers and wants them to switch to an OB (= other brand).

The unexplained vandalism that Mavericks has done to Macintosh’s time-honored trick of simply double-clicking to open a folder in a new window makes me wonder whether if the boys and girls in Cupertino ever decide to make road vehicles they will take it upon themselves to rejig the vehicles’ steering mechanism so that a left turn requires a clockwise rotation of the steering-wheel and a right turn requires an anticlockwise rotation. I mean, it isn’t as if we wouldn’t eventually get used to that new configuration when driving a particular “improved” vehicle, even if later the same day we would be called upon to drive a vehicle that used the silly oldfashioned anticlockwise-rotation-makes-left-turn system. Our brains easily handle such complications without causing accidents, ossifer.

And Cupertino cutely allows no way for the world to opt out of this pointless bit of vandalism that has been done to Mac OS other than reverting to an earlier version such as the fully user-friendly OS 10.5.8 Leopard that I still happily use in my trusty ancient G4 PowerBook when I’m not using the OS 10.9.1 Mavericks that’s in my MacBook.

Anyway: In case anybody has still not digested the two best and simplest suggestions that have cropped up in various forums about Mavericks and folders, here’s a distillation:

In Mavericks, a folder opens in a new window when we use either . . .

• the command key with a double-click, or

• right-click and then choose the resulting menu’s first option, “Open in New Window.

THANK YOU VERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRY MUCH, Helgason!!!! You TOTALLY rock!! Hopefully Apple will change this Finder behavior in future updates, but for now this is f'ing AWESOME!!
I really really REALLY appreciate that you took the time to write this plugin!!
Next stop: apple's feedback forum to ask them to change it!

It's not awesome if it throws out something people use all the time -- a VERY simple option -- and does other things like not let KEEP WINDOWS IN DIFFERENT SIZES - when they open in the same window. THis is about as dumb as it gets. I work visually with my folders and this doesnt work that way, when sizes and locations mess up. AND i work in nested folders -- and if i get into one I can't drag and drop a file in one operation -- I have to put it on a desktop.
WHICH genius did they hire from Microsoft WIndows team to come up with this idiocy, which is what it is. THe worst problem in WIndows has ALWAYS been the default "only one window open at a time because you're too dumb to find two."

PUT THIS VERY SIMPLE OPTION BACK IN OR THE DESKTOP IS RUINED FOR VISUAL PEOPLE , FOR WHOM IT WAS DESIGNED. The ghost of steve jobs is going to get the idiot who removes simple functions for no reason except that they like list-based behaviors instead of spatial ones.

You need to tell Apple. We are only users like yourself.

Tell them here

feedback

Pete

Sorry Helgason -- got to uninstall it. It DOESN"T work right because it won't open folders inside folders in new windows (so you can have parent and child folders both open), and you've make it so can't use option-click to make a new window without closing the old. Bad move. See my earlier comment about visual people. If this doesn't work with nested folders, it's not a fix.

thanks for sharing, however.

HELP -- how do you uninstall the plug in -- I need to have EMBEDDED FOLDERS BOTH OPEN and with option-click closing the old file, i'm screwed even if I throw out the plugin. ??

HELP HELP, this is urgent

OK, i've tried throwing it out, and then both relogging in and rebooting the coputer, and I still can't get two windows open at the same time. This is not funny. HOW DO I GET OPT-CLICK to stop closing a parent folder?

Opt-Click is supposed to close the parent folder and open the folder clicked on. If you want BOTH to stay open you need to (a) have the toolbar at the top in the hidden state and (b) click (simple click (double-click, no other keys held down) on the folder. Then you will have both windows open.

Alternatively (if you like your toolbar shown at the top) then right-click and you have the open to Open in a New Window for your folder.

Thank you very much from one very tired academic who tries hard but is still very sad the plugin doesn't work for folders that are children of other folders. Appreciate the quick reply; you are a gentleperson of mercy

Sorry about that! I'm following two very long threads and each has its 'plug-in' that's being hotly discussed. I mistook this thread for that other discussion. I don't have SIMBL installed - apologies for going off course!!!

But I am a bit mystified by this situation. I found this thread when I first upgraded to Mavericks and had the problem the OP posted. But once I discovered that all I had to do was hide the Toolbar at the top of a window to regain the familiar double-click-a-folder-to-open-it-in-a-new-window behavior, I stopped looking for other solutions. Sure it's a bit of a bother (when I visit a window that has a toolbar and I forget to hide it) but it's the least of the bothersome aspects of Mavericks (e.g., that my folder's column width settings are forgotten at seemingly random times).

I don't know the behavior of your plug-in but if you can get back to the original state then I don't see why hiding the toolbar wouldn't work for you. I have folders with children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren (etc.) -- some so deep that Excel grumbles. I can open as deep as I like with a double-click. (Perhaps I'm misunderstanding your issue??)

katebat, I've been using Helgason's TheLostFinderNewWindow plugin for a couple of weeks now and it works fine for me on all windows including children and grandchildren of other folders.

When I first installed it it didn't work even though I rebooted. However, for some reason it worked the next morning after the computer had been closed down overnight.

It doesn't allow opt-click to close the old window, but I can live with that. I can't work with windows opening in the same window and I can't work without the toolbar and I thank Helgason again.

One thing though katebat, please remember that this isn't a chat room and it's best if you post then wait a while before posing again to give people a chance to reply. We are all in different time zones and replies aren't necessarily going to be instant!