Slow loading Finder in Mavericks?

I'd like to know more and find a fix for this because it is very frustrating! I've got a 2.9GHz i7 with 12MB RAM and it is only since Mavericks the issue has appeared.

rubyreddevon - your suggestion looks good but will you have to do this every time you reboot?

Hi Stuart

The sudo command must be used with care as it enables you to operate without the regular protections built into OS X that prevent accidental adjustments to system level settings. In this particular case the command will only work if it is syntactically correct as stated in my post and you are in possession of the “root” password for the system. Furthermore if the result is not a solution to the problem then the command can be reversed, also as stated in my post. Therefore you shouldn’t be too nervous about using it, just do it carefully.

You won’t have to carry out this modification every time you boot, it is permanent, at least until you should decide to reverse it.

The modification certainly made a difference for me but I have to say that since Mavericks almost everything I do on my Mac Mini seems more sluggish - it’s such a pity.

Good Luck, perhaps if you have time you would let me know how you get on

Happy Days

Dave H

Hi Dave,

Thanks for getting back to me with a very helpful explanation.

The command certainly seems to have speeded things up - slightly, but noticeably.

There is still an issue when I go to open files in Photoshop and Finder takes forever to build/display directories. This really is a big problem as I'm doing this multiple times a day. I would have thought that any indexing would be done with successive uses so the problem shouldn't persist, but it does...

Reboot times with Mavericks are slower than previous version too. I use Onyx to keep my system clean and again, that runs slower on Mavericks than previous versions of OS X.

I don't know if that's the same problem, but sometimes when I switch finder-view-mode (Icon, List, Columns, CoverFlow) the lag disappears.

The slow loading finder issue is easily resolved by the instructions in this thread from Snaggletooth_DE and Posthumous

1. Open Terminal.
2. Enter "sudo vi /etc/auto_master"
3. Hit i for insert, which allows you to edit
4. Use arrow keys to move the cursor
5. Add a # to the front of the following line so it reads: #/net -hosts -nobrowse,hidefromfinder,nosuid
6. Hit escape, type :w and hit return to save changes
7. Type :q to quit
8. Reboot

Thank you Snaggletooth & Posthumous - this even solved the slow Photoshop/Finder issue I was having!

I used Posthumous' version on page 6: Posthumous' version of Snaggletooth fix

Seems like a strange fix, considering Activity Monitor claims that Finder doesn't use App Nap.

Success! Finally, no more 20-25 second wait to open files.

The file is in a hidden folder called "etc". The files is called ".auto_master.swo. The file is text, but not .txt. It's .swo, it can't be opened with a text editor.

If you still want to see it you can show hidden files with this terminal command:

defaults write com.apple.finder AppleShowAllFiles TRUE

Change "TRUE" to "FALSE" to hide again.

WARNING: These file are probably hidden for a reason.

I'm no terminal wizard so I found an easier way (for me at least) to make required changes in terminal:

1. Open Terminal

2. Type: sudo nano /etc/auto_master (using nano instead of vi makes it a little more user friendly)

3. arrow down to the command: /net -hosts -nobrowse,hidefromfinder,nosuid add a # to the front so it reads:

#/net -hosts -nobrowse,hidefromfinder,nosuid

4. press control + X to exit

5. Press Y to save

6. press Enter

7. Close Terminal

8. Reboot

All is well.

I did this before upgrading to 10.9.1 but undid the edit before upgrading to 10.9.1, now i can't get to work?

I scroll down to "/net" and add the "#", press control x and "Y", but after a reboot the "#" is gone?

Tried many times now, anyone have the same problem?

Is there something i missed when I did the edit on nano?

I’ve that done and tested sometimes, I think it works! I spend a lot of virtual beer!

Love and best wishes

charly

The answer is that it probably isn't the problem.

As many have noted now, when the problem is occurring Finder is sending packets outside of your network for every file operation you do. I suspect that ALL OSX Mavericks users are subject to this problem; however, if their DNS's return ~"not found" when queried then Finder quickly falls back to local resolution.

I worked around the the problem by setting up my own internal caching DNS. (Every system on my LAN is now blazing faster.) Not practical for everyone I know, but it points again at the problem others are seeing. Now, I can easily review logs of the activity and it's a bit more disconcerting than just viewing the activity because this "bug" seemingly allows any service outside your LAN to create a map and log of every system, drive (even USB), and file operation. Isn't this a horrible security problem? Please, correct me if I'm wrong.

I'll say again, I don't really think this is a bug per se, but rather a feature, and quite likely related to "everything to the cloud" features.

I can't believe that this hasn't been fixed yet. It's a real issue for me, a single user, self employed writer/designer. While it doesn't ultimately stop me doing stuff, the amount of time I spend waiting for the Finder to get its act together is painful. Every time I want to open a file, attach an attachment, 'save as', or simply check file sizes, I have to wait 20-30 seconds for the finder window to populate.

I've been experiencing this Finder lag since day 1 of installing Mavericks some time around November 2013. A few days ago I upgraded my Macbook Pro to an SSD and increased the RAM to 16gb. It wasn't a direct response to this issue (I've been promising myself an SSD for ages), but obviously I was hoping for a cure or at least an improvement. No such luck. Despite a clean install of Mavericks, the problem persists. The performance boost from the SSD in terms of boot up/shut down and app launch times is undeniable but that hasn't offset the fact that the experience of using Mavericks is still, for me, unsatisfactory.

I won't start messing in Terminal becasue a/. I'm not brave enough and b/. I'm no expert. Apple wrote it, so I'm still waiting for them to fix it.

You're quite right. That a crucial function like this can stay broken in an OS for such a long time is really unacceptable.

And the common user can expect this to be repaired by Apple. But this has not not not happend. I my self have after loooong time been forced to use the Terminal method to stop this nuisance.

Why we do not start our cavallerie to Cupertino?

I have unchecked:

#/net -hosts -nobrowse,hidefromfinder,nosuid

it works!

Wow.

I don't think this is actually a Mavericks problem, but this sure fixed it.

Thanks a million!