Open Finder Windows Reset Suddenly

Question

Level 1

40 points

Open Finder Windows Reset Suddenly

I tend to keep multiple Finder windows open for easy access to folders as I work. I often keep them open for months at a time. (I know: probably not a great practice.) And generally, they stay that way even when I shut down and restart my computer.

But sometimes, apparently at random, they suddenly reset to the root folder. And my dozen placeholder views of the folders I need are suddenly gone.

Any ideas about how to manage that?

(Mac Mini (2018, 3.6 GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i3), Ventura 13.2)

Mac mini, macOS 13.2

Posted on Apr 23, 2023 7:43 AM

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Answer 1

jkknyc Author

Level 1

40 points

Apr 23, 2023 10:00 AM in response to Randall_2023

Thanks. But that's not exactly my problem.

I have windows open to folders I'm using. Suddenly and without any cause thatI can figure out, their views all revert to my default folder. (And, as you may be suggesting, it's the one I've set for "New Finder windows show".)

But when I look in the Recents folder from my sidebar, I see recent files, not folders. So I'm not sure that's a path back to where I was.

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Answer 2

ku4hx

Level 7

23,676 points

Jul 5, 2023 5:43 AM in response to jkknyc

"I often keep them open for months at a time"

I would advise against this. You need to restart periodically to clear caches and get back to basic operation. I restart generally abut once per week.

A simple restart can fix/avert a number of irksome little things.

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Answer 3

LSA2012

Level 1

18 points

Aug 17, 2023 11:42 AM in response to jkknyc

I have this problem too, and I believe it only started happening in Ventura. Would love to find a solution, I use finder in exactly the same way that the original poster does. For me, the root folder that the Finder windows reset to is not the absolute "root", it seems to be the highest folder in the path that is found on my Finder favorites list. (like it traverses the folder path upwards and stops when it finds a folder that matches something in my favorites list) Hope this extra information helps.

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Answer 4

LSA2012

Level 1

18 points

Aug 18, 2023 11:15 AM in response to LSA2012

Just an update: I added a new parent folder to my Finder favorites list that was one step down the folder path as described above. I then opened multiple finder windows for folders within that parent folder. Within a day, they had all reverted back to the parent folder - the one now on the favorites list. So there is some connection there to the highest level that the finder windows will reset to.

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Answer 5

Oct 13, 2023 1:02 PM in response to jkknyc

Don't know that it is applicable, but I'm having the exact same problem and it happens after the screen saver kicks in. Folders open all go back to either / or ~, depending on what they were open to before.

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