Q: Slow loading Finder in Mavericks?

Here's what worked for me (found on a reddit thread which I can't find at the moment). It's the very first thing I tried after a fresh install didn't help with the speed either. Immediately fixed the speed issues for me! WHEW!!!

1) Go to the finder

2) Choose Finder -> Preferences from the menubar at the top of the screen.

3) Click the "Sidebar" button in the window that pops up.

4) Uncheck "Back to my Mac" if it is checked.

5) Close the window.

For any of you still suffering from this issue, who are using Dropbox, try the following:

Go to System Preferences > Users & Groups > Login Items > and delete Dropbox.

Restart the machine and confirm Dropbox is no longer loading (not in the menubar). And test the finder.

I have found on two machines now a hosed install of Dropbox that makes the finder absolutely useless. In the first case, clean creating the user from scratch solved the issue. The second one... I'm about to try right now...

I tried almost everything here to no avail. Sometimes some of the terminal commands would fix finder in the short term but then later it would slow down again. I booted in safe mode and the problem was not there and finder was snappy in safe mode. I tried changing all the different Finder preferences but that made absolutely no difference. Finally I saw the post, can't remember which page it was one, about the ethernet cable ( I'm connected using ethernet ) and disconnected the ethernet cable. I plugged it back in, rebooted, and Finder is back to being its old snappy self again and has stayed snappy 1 day later. Not sure why the ethernet connection was affecting finder, but its fixed and I'm happy.

This fixed it for me

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkxC9SUSw00

Hope it helps.

Updated to Yosemite, tried all fixes here, still opening any folder/HD from desktop takes about 30 seconds. I've checked guest user and it's all super fast - so it's just my main profile problem. Is there anything else to try?

Are you running Dropbox or Google Drive?

I still occasionally find that Dropbox slows down Finder. As a result I only run Dropbox when I want it to sync, after which I quit Dropbox and then restart Finder. Even after quitting Dropbox, Finder will stay slow until I restart Finder. I have heard similar problems have been experienced with Google Drive running, but in my case I traced it back to Dropbox.

Hi,

No dropbox or google drive. I honestly tried all suggested solutions here and none worked. It did happen when i updated to Mavericks so i was so sure it will be gone with Yosemite but it's still here. It's a small thing but drives me crazy - especially that i know that it's just my user specific problem. I'm actually thinking about moving whole profile to a new user.

Just delete the file ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.finder.plist.

From command line :

cd ~/Library/Preferences

rm com.apple.finder.plist

killall Finder

Finder will recreate the plist file and will be fast again.

OK kids, after spending hours trawling through the more than 247 posts, dozens of Google entries, and trialling the various "fixes" suggested in these posts & entries including but not limited to:

1) forcing Finder to default bu deleting its 'live' plist

2) updating /net .... command in one of the UIHelper view

3) removing NapApp flag in Finder components

4) .....

etc etc etc

.....

the ONE 'simple' AGE-OLD remedy that worked for me is FIXING the Permissions in ALL files and file-systems and VERIFYING that my entire 512GB MacIntosh-SSD is absolutely HEALTHY (no HW errors).

Good luck and may the Force be with you all ....

Hi,

I emphatized with you, after trialling almost all of the suggested solutions herein, I too was a little frustrated but then feeling 'blessed' by just doing my 'simple' AGE-OLD remedy that worked for me. That is FIXING the Permissions in ALL files and file-systems and VERIFYING that my entire 512GB MacIntosh-SSD is absolutely HEALTHY (no HW errors).

I did that by using the Mac Disk Utility (command+R buttons together as I retsarted my machine), selecting "Disk Utility" and then, sequentially did the below actions:

1) VERIFY Permissions and then FIX Permissions

2) VERIFY Disk (and then FIX disk if you need to).

And ... voila ... after retsarting my machine, Finder comes 'alive' and (very) FAST again.

Good luck ....

Hi all,

Months later since this thread started, and I was having the very same issue with a super slow finder in Mavericks. I only just made the jump to it, and was immediately regretting it.

I tried all sorts of things, and it wasn't until I got this golden Terminal Command tip from rubyreddevon, did the problem find resolution. Thanks so much Ruby - that Terminal trick.  Worked immediately. What up Apple... sheesh...

looks like this the best solution to the problem. I didn't even realize Mavericks slowed down,

I had issues on many levels, like Lightroom (Adobe) Dropbox etc slowed down.

Thanks a lot

blurped wrote:

 

sudo defaults write com.apple.Finder NSAppSleepDisabled -bool YES

 

It's a logical solution, since it clearly is the AppNap causing the issue. I tested the command out on my new MBP running OS X Mavericks and I'm no longer having 30 second wait times for large libraries to load.

kufan0001 wrote:

 

Grr.... maybe I will hold off on trying this then as it does not seem to be helping everybody. How irritating!

 

It's absolutely worth a try. Here's why:

 

1) We know AppNap is a new feature that puts the finder to sleep when not in use

2) So logically we can infer that disabling AppNap will solve the 'AppNap' lag

3) We can fix it by going to Applications/Utilities/Terminal to issue a very basic command

 

The command is:

 

sudo defaults write com.apple.Finder NSAppSleepDisabled -bool YES

 

It's strange, I tried that Terminal command in Mavericks 10.9.5 (latest with all updates) and the Finder still naps.  I watch it nap in Activity Monitor as if I didn't change anything.  I copy and pasted the command into Terminal exactly as seen quoted above and also even tried a restart of the computer, but the Finder still naps.

Did Apple change something in 10.9.5 or otherwise so we cannot stop the Finder from napping even after using that Terminal command?

Have you trashed your Finder Preferences and restarted your Mac?

Pete

Thanks, Pete.  I've done that before while troubleshooting Mavericks Finder sluggishness, but I hadn't seen that's what people are doing after doing the Terminal command.  Does everyone have to trash the Finder prefs afterwards or it doesn't work, or is this a suggestion since it's not working for me after a restart without trashing the Finder prefs?