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why folders disappear from finder sidebar in mavericks?

Why do, for no apparent reason, the folders I have added to the Finder's sidebar just disappear when I open a Finder window?

Posted on Nov 13, 2013 7:53 AM

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222 replies

Jan 29, 2015 2:15 PM in response to Jon Levinson

Me , too.

0.) I see the TC, but when i click on the server in sidebar, i get no drive icon.

Just to add my experience:
1.) changed Time Capsule Gen 2 to actual generation, same problem.
2.) Started with OSX 10.10 (?maybe)

3.) APPLE K in Finder brings back the drive, but shortcut in Sidebar still is broken.
4.) Disable and re-enable WIFI helps to bring back Sidebar link.

Feb 4, 2015 11:51 AM in response to natedog828

Natedog828, in case you didn’t see my previous post, we’re using Default Folder X in our 4-person office, and it’s made navigating much easier.


Although I would love to see this longstanding problem with the Sidebar fixed (I always prefer a built-in solution to an add-on), Default Folder X is great. If Apple fixed the Sidebar issue, I’d still use DFX for it’s ability to provide other controls, such as accurate recent folders (another Apple weakness), and lots of customizability.


Erick

Feb 6, 2015 7:48 AM in response to Jon Levinson

I just wanted to add my 2C on this and what I have seen.


Like many of you, I have the disappearing favorite folders for network drives. The standard favorite options you select in finder settings seem to stay without a problem. Some of my users are accessing these network folders on a daily, or multiple times a day. IE critical to business.


One of the biggest issues I see is, once connected to a network resource, under devices, the drives don't show up like the older OS's. As an example, I have users that connect to 192.168.1.4/common/ (a common repository that houses exports from a database) which is an smb share on an IBM power 8 (AIX 7). Under devices, you may see 192.168.1.4 but when you click on it you do not see the share "common". It DOES however show on the desktop (the share drive "common").


Additionally we are also having the favorite folders disappear (after we drag on over). This is happening for an OSX 10.6.8 server (AFP and SMB) and the IBM server.


My fix has been a log in script that auto connects any of the drives automatically on log in. It is a "tell" app that also passes username and password to access the share. This seems to be the only way I have been able to have users avoid the disappearing favorite folders. I am not sure if it works the same as (after connecting to the share) dragging the drive to your log in items. This may accomplish the same thing as my app (along with remember password checked off)


I still view this as a bug.

Feb 24, 2015 8:49 AM in response to Jon Levinson

1) I confirm this bug on a rMBP Mid 2014 with a freshly installed OS X 10.9.5 where sidebar links to folders residing on external volumes disappear.


2) Very sad to hear that this bug is still unfixed even in OS X 10.10 Yosemite.


3) @NDchemE 's workaround hint to CMD-drag to the sidebar did not help it.


4) I tried other workarounds as well, but none of them was reliably fruitful:

  • Make sure that the Finder has a or no window with one of the linked folders opened, then unmount.

    —> No reproducable workaround affect.

  • If you have an external storage medium with multiple volumes, try "Eject" or "Eject All"

    —> No reproducable workaround affect.

Use different volume eject methods

  • Methods
    • Eject via side bar
    • Eject via dragging from desktop to Trash
    • Eject via dragging from a Finder window at root level to Trash
    • Eject via selecting volume and issuing eject shortcut (CMD-E)
  • —> No reproducable workaround affect.

  • Sometimes one of the mentioned workflows caused the links to remain in the sidebar, to only disappear at a later time.

    I could not reliably isolate the bug, meaning I could not clearly determine cause and effect.

    Mar 2, 2015 12:44 PM in response to Jon Levinson

    Note to Apple: COME ON GUYS!! We are living in a networked, mobile world... Having accessible, persistent links to network shares is part of the mainstream user's reasonable expectations.


    Microsoft has had mapped network drives NAILED... for a long, long time.

    OS X has a longstanding major fail in this category, which has me at a loss for why??!?!


    MAC DEVELOPERS: Do y'all use laptops & connect to network shares?? If so, please tell us how you eliminate the chore of reconnecting after every unintended network blip, laptop snooze, or trip to Starbucks, etc...

    Mar 19, 2015 11:17 AM in response to Jon Levinson

    After trying every workaround and shortcut to this problem, including installing Default Folder app to make navigation easier, it seems like the problem has been resolved with the update to 10.10.2. I just started adding folders to the sidebar again, and after multiple sleeps and restarts, the folders are coming back each time. I would like others to verify this result. This has been frustrating since switching to a new Mac Pro, with all of my work drives being connected via Thunderbolt rather than internally. Each sleep or restart would remove the folders. Now, when I wake or restart, the folder are missing initially when the desktop come back up, but when the drive mounts, the folders are popping back up in the sidebar! Please, confirm my results if you have updated to Yosemite 10.10.2

    Mar 27, 2015 1:53 PM in response to Jon Levinson

    I never had this problem with 10.9.x, provided that I made sure SMB drives were connected prior to trying to click on one of my favorites, but after upgrading to 10.10.2 yesterday, they disappear even when no finder window is open prior to connecting to SMB drives.


    Oddly, just now I had to restart (due to a complete system freeze, separate issue), and when it came back on, ONE of my 9-10 favorites - the first one, if it matters - remained, but the rest were gone.


    I tried creating an alias but the system does not allow me to drag the alias to the favorites.


    So...I guess I'm just adding my 2 cents to the list in hopes that it will add up to many dollars and Apple will actually attempt to fix the thing. Grr...

    Mar 31, 2015 8:41 AM in response to Jon Levinson

    Just as a fun update:


    Yesterday morning when I came to work after the weekend, all 13 of my favorites were still there. Today when I got to work, four of my 13 favorites were there. 😕


    So to summarize the work days since upgrading to Yosemite:


    Day 1: All disappear

    Day 2: All but one disappears

    Day 3: None disappear

    Day 4: All but four disappear


    How does this make any sense? Aren't computers supposed to be logical?


    For now I have conceded defeat and created a folder on my desktop with 13 aliases in it, and put THAT folder in my favorites in the sidebar, as I do not feel like re-doing it every morning.

    Apr 18, 2015 11:48 AM in response to Jon Levinson

    Also have this issue, very annoying..


    I've tried with both AFP and SMB shares. I add some network shortcuts to my sidebar and then Finder 'gets confused' whenever I disconnect from these shares.


    If I re-connect to server #1 then the shortcuts I made for server #2 randomly change to server #1 shortcuts, really bizarre behavior. Windows 8 seems to be a lot more solid in this regard.


    Using a mid 2014 rMBP.

    why folders disappear from finder sidebar in mavericks?

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