"Name" portion of my Finder windows too long

Thanks Paulv_itworks for your effort. This fix seems to work for a single folder. However, as soon as I switch from, for example, "Documents" to "Downloads", the columns' settings are "gone" and name column is too wide again. I tried setting the root HD folder, in hopes the settings would be inherited to other folders, but no luck there.

Update

Looks like what it takes, is to delete all .DS_Store files from OSX and, then set the default settings

(they are not applied for folders which have their own settings stored in a .DS_Store -file).

I used this command to remove the files and kill Finder (OSX Mavericks): "sudo find / -name .DS_Store -delete; killall Finder" (use at your own risk).

I have the same problem, however, with the names of local drives. Remote drives open correctly. E.g. If I want to attach a file to a mail, the window open in the full width of the screen whatever the width of the mail window is. The mail window is pushed to the center of the screen. How nice to have an undocumented feature for centering documents.

I never managed to tame this super annoying "feature" of Mavericks.

My solution was to install XtraFinder. No I can set the width to "Automatically adjust the width of columns" and type in a max width for each column.

Campox...found the answer, and it is better than mine which was to just add a bunch of other things to the view options, which inevitably shrank the name.

Just hold option when you shrink the name field. That's it.

You speak of the windows in the finder that are too large and and often invisible, but we want to speak of the windows within applications such as export or imports that are too small and I have to resize them every time a thousand times a day?

Here is a video showing the Option key having no effect.

http://youtu.be/HU2GML69zXk

Granted, the problem we're discussing is usually more drastic than what's shown in this particular window, but the fact remains: the Option key has no effect.

I found a solution that seems to fix this.
1.) Open a new finder window

2.) If All the columns aren't visible, drag the lower right corner of the window to the right until they are.

3.) Resize the Name column to be narrower.

4.) Close the window immediatey.

5.) Open another new finder window. Is this finder window too wide?

-if yes:

a.) drag the lower right corrner to the left to make the window the width you want.
b.) close the window immediately.
c.) open a new finder window again.

-if no:

a.) you don't need to do anything else.

This seems to have permanently fixed the problem for me.

I have an ugly apple script that i fire with quicksilver

Things could be better - but maybe somebody likes this way too.

tell application "Finder"

activateapplication "Finder"

tell application "System Events" to keystroke "t" using {option down, command down}

delay 0.1

tell application "System Events"

tell process "Finder"

clickmenu item "Zoom" of menu 1 of menu bar item "Window" of menu bar 1

end tell

end tell

tell application "System Events" to keystroke "t" using {option down, command down}

delay 0.1

end tell

They we're right, adjust column width and THEN adjust the windowsize to let it "sink in", make the Finder understand what you want. Close the window, f.e. Applications (shift-cmd-a) and column width is as you'd like them...

I'm absolutely amazed how many things that worked well years ago in OSX (Panther, Tiger, SnowLeopard, ...) don't work anymore.

OSX is harder to use, less intuitive, less colorful, and less productive.

Honestly, the only thing keeping me with Apple today (I've ditched the iPhone) is good hardware and the fact the its the only high volume production OS with Unix underneath the hood. If somebody were to make a NEXT-like machine with Unix, or something similar, I'd probably give it a try.

Thank you so much Alex. It's still a bit of a wonky fix, but doing as you suggest has made it a much less annoying issue for me.

Rebecca

PS I love they way they marked Michael's temporary fix "solved"! Kind of obnoxious.

Installing XtraFinder (a free plug in to add functionality to Finder) solved this problem 100%. Did I mention that it is FREE?

In the settings there is an option to simply 'tick', which automatically adjusts the columns widths to fit the window size. It also allows the user to specify a given width for the Names column.

https://www.trankynam.com/xtrafinder/

Summary of Failed attempts (Mavericks):

Readjusting the size of the columns manually (holding the 'alt' key or not!) does have persistence, like people have mentioned, but only for THAT specific folder where you have adjusted it, so any new folders you make or folders that you haven't visited before still have the default column widths that are too wide.

I noticed this problem started for me when I used a montor with a much higher resolution than my MBP.

I have played around with the 'com.apple.finder.plist' file found in "/Users/your_user_name/Library/Preferences/", because this file should dictate the default columns widths and other parameters, however Finder appears have the incorrect values cached, or at least isn't paying attention to that file.

I did try deleting all the hidden '.DS_Store' files for every folder before too, but that also failed.

Thanks, LEVYMETAL, the script worked for me beautifully.

Used Keyboard Maestro's "Execute Applescript" macro function.

Send Apple feedback. They won't answer, but at least will know there is a problem. If enough people send feedback, it may get the problem solved sooner.

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