why folders disappear from finder sidebar in mavericks?

Apple did not fix it.

I've been using 10.12.6 for some time and it repeatedly loses mapped drives AND favorites. Buggy, buggy, buggy.

On 10.13 and my server just spontaneously disconnected and the sidebars disappeared.

Since so many years no fix to this annoying bug! I still can confirm it with HighSierra...

I know, but that's a really olfashioned "workaround"... it's unbelievable for a "modern" OS

Thanks. That did it for me. Now I know :-)

I'm on El Capitan 10.11.6 and it is still occurring

Started a few o/s's ago - and was fine for several months until today. It's usually shortcuts from the external drives

The issue is with the additional folders that the user adds later to the sidebar as shortcuts. They periodically disappear and it requires a restart to bring them back. It is a bug - and I notice that it's still present in Sierra 10.12.2.

i've found that there are two "flavours" of this bug. One in Finder itself, and the other in the file selector within apps, as you describe here. I've seen both versions, not necessarily at the same time.

I've sent Apple feedback about this and I urge others to do the same. Some of the posts reporting this problem (in this and other forums) are 4 YEARS old! I cannot believe this bug still hasn't been resolved. What on earth is Apple playing at?

No, I'm not running any software of that kind.

The favourites I've created (which periodically disappear) link to files on an external drive. Would be interested to know if this is the case for others reporting the problem?

I think our issue is also related to external drives and SMB connections. The only work around I have is create a folder of aliases on my desktop and add this to the side bar. A shabby fix for an annoying issue. Just leave the short cuts where they are apple.

Thanks camakin73, but that doesn't allow for copying / moving into the sidebar. This is the main reason I want favourites.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, it seems inconceivable that Apple haven't fixed this simple and widely reported bug for several years.

Yes, I do have that issue with network drives and I've used the same workaround (folder of aliases). However, the sidebar list disappearance also affects local favourites. Actually, come to think of it, it hasn't happened for quite a while - maybe it was quietly fixed in a recent release? I'm running 10.12.3.

But how are the SBS ones managed? We use SBS protocol but it's not a Windows-managed network. Also, I had other problems with SBS and I resolved them by using CIF instead - the servers can usually accommodate that.

Might be a corrupt .plist file. Have you tried:

From the Finder Go Menu (holding down option) select Library and locate this file:

~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.sidebarlists.plist

Delete it then restart (you'll have to re-add your favorites)

Might be worth doing a back up before you try this.

Worked for me (well, two weeks on and my favourites are still there!).