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User profile for user: jdoggy
jdoggy Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Finder window not appearing when saving files from various applications


Hello! I have a MacBook Pro that has been having this issue for a while and it happens over multiple applications. Sometimes when I try to save a file that has not been saved before, for example untitled-1.psd from Photoshop, the finder window does not appear after hitting CMD-S or File>Save.


This is not application related as it happens with Adobe illustrator, ScreenFlow, Chrome, PowerPoint, and so on. I am attempting to write to a location with proper permissions so it is not that either. The Finder application is still responding and I can open additional files, or save already open files that were previously saved. Again I cannot save a new file or do a Save-As. The Finder window just does not appear.


The only way I'm able to resolve the issue is to restart whatever application I am working in, however I lose any unsaved work. Restarting the computer seems to solve the problem for all applications for some period of time.



Posted on May 9, 2023 11:51 AM

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User profile for user: Barney-15E
Barney-15E
User level: Level 10
116,506 points

Posted on May 9, 2023 1:31 PM

They are not Finder windows. They are part of the app. Yes, they access file system, but it isn't the Finder that is displaying them. The Finder working or not has nothing to do with it.


Save won't bring up a dialog box unless it is hasn't been initially saved. Your example would tend to indicate it has not already been saved, but if something in the background wrote the file to disk as "untitled-1.psd," then Save would not present the Open/Save dialog.


Some apps do not use the Apple supplied Frameworks for displaying open/save dialogs. Do you see the same problem with Apple apps such as Pages or Keynote?


Weird problems like this can sometimes be resolved by starting up in Safe Mode as it clears some system caches. Once it is up and running in Safe Mode, try saving an untitled document. Then, restart normally.

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User profile for user: Barney-15E
Barney-15E
User level: Level 10
116,506 points

May 9, 2023 1:31 PM in response to jdoggy

They are not Finder windows. They are part of the app. Yes, they access file system, but it isn't the Finder that is displaying them. The Finder working or not has nothing to do with it.


Save won't bring up a dialog box unless it is hasn't been initially saved. Your example would tend to indicate it has not already been saved, but if something in the background wrote the file to disk as "untitled-1.psd," then Save would not present the Open/Save dialog.


Some apps do not use the Apple supplied Frameworks for displaying open/save dialogs. Do you see the same problem with Apple apps such as Pages or Keynote?


Weird problems like this can sometimes be resolved by starting up in Safe Mode as it clears some system caches. Once it is up and running in Safe Mode, try saving an untitled document. Then, restart normally.

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Finder window not appearing when saving files from various applications

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