Cannot switch to open finder windows

when i command-tab to finder, my currently open finder windows do not appear! if i re-launch finder, finder behaves normally for a little while, but at some point open finder windows simply do not appear when i switch to the finder. i've properly switched to finder because my menubar says so; and if i use expose i can see that i do have a finder window indeed open, it's just hidden behind whatever application i was switching from.
at first i noticed this problem was occurring right after running certain automator workflows as finder plug-ins; only some caused this to happen, not all of my finder plug-ins. i ran the workflows IN automator and it did not cause the problem, but immediately after running them from the finder the problem appeared. i've been using these workflows for months: appzapper, cleanapp, and a couple i made.
but even if i don't invoke those workflows, the problem duplicates itself eventually, until i'm forced to restart finder!

SOLVED.
problem: having items in both the /Library/Contextual Menu Items and ~/Library/Contextual Menu Items.
the program NoteTaker by Aquaminds automatically installs an item into your global contextual menu items; for some reason, the existence of items in both folders would break open finder window focus when switching to finder, after any contextual menu item was invoked--even if it's a standard OS X one, like "get info"!
this has been annoying the crap out of me the last few days. amazing what revelations we have in the shower.

Similar Messages

  • Make all open finder windows come to the front?

    Things that used to be so simple on the Mac are now so complicated.
    I have a bunch of finder windows open. Most of them are hidden behind other application windows, like my browser.
    I used to be able to click anywhere on the desktop to make all windows come to the front. No longer. Later, I could do it by mousing all the way over to the Dock and clicking on the Finder icon there. Now even that doesn't work!
    How the heck do you simply make all open finder windows come to the front???

    DrBeckenstein:What to use in its place though?The utilities of choice for Mac OS X are Tech Tool Pro and Disk Warrior. Both of these pick up where Disk Utility leave off. When DU reports errors it cannot repair, you turn to one or the other of these two. Many Mac users like Disk Warrior for it excellent work in repairing and rebuilding directories. I use TTP because it not only does excellent work with directories, but it also does hardware checks, disk optimization, files checks, eDrive (emergency boot drive) etc. In the long run, though, it is largely a matter of personal preference.
    Again, I don't know what maintenance procedures you employ, but our Systems get rather sluggish sometimes as caches fill up, preference files become corrupted, the need for Unix maintenance allow CRONs to build up. Here are a few sites that offer good suggestions and links to resources:
    1. Macintosh OS X Routine Maintenance
    2. Maintaining Mac OS X
    3. Mac OS X: How to force background maintenance tasks (logs and temporary items)
    4. http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?messageID=607640&#607640
    I mentioned in my earlier post that if the problem is essentially with one application you can go into Home Folder > Library > Preferences, find the .plis for that application, drag it to the desktop and restart. Check to see if that makes a difference. If it doesn't you can replace the new .plist created with the one on the desktop, or just drag the desktop copy to the Trash.
    In your situation I would run Repair Disk from the install CD, then implement some of the suggestions on maintenance.
    One other thing to note: a too full HDD can cause problems. If it is over 50% full it could need disk optimization. If have near 85% of available capacity used, you are running a risk not only of compromised performance, but also of directory overlapping and, eventually of a crash.
    Good luck.
    cornelius

  • Is there a way to view just one open Finder window (without any other Finder or other application windows coming into view) from a Desktop hot corner in Yosemite?

    I just upgraded to Yosemite from Snow Leopard on a MacBook Pro. Previously, I could view just one open Finder window by viewing the Desktop via a hot corner and then selecting Finder from the Dock. This would pull only the top Finder winder into view, without showing any other open Finder windows, and most importantly, any other open application windows. I could then easily drag files/folder from my Desktop into the Finder window (which I do A LOT). Since upgrading to Yosemite, whenever I use the Desktop hot corner and select Finder from the Dock, it pulls every open application and Finder window back into view, putting Finder in front.
    Is there any way to view just one already open Finder window (or all Finder windows for that matter) without seeing all other open applications, without having to Hide the other applications or using Spaces?

    Yes I've created an Automator Application that does the job, but the "watch me do" function that does the Mail Merge is a rather Clunkey work around, as the mouse moves all over the place, thats the part i want to remove and replace with a script, or work out a different way around it that avoids the "watch me do" function.
    Is this Possible? or where/who is there i can ask to write me a script, im not a novice to scripting, but i am a novice to Applescript.

  • File Open/Find Window

    Dear All,
    I want to call the file open/find window of MS windows from the forms 6.0. Please help.................................

    Create a Button Named Browse and Put When Button Pressed Trigger and write these code on When_Button_Pressed Triggers.
    DECLARE
         filename VARCHAR2(256);
    the_command varchar2(2000);
    BEGIN
    filename:= GET_FILE_NAME
    ('C:\',File_Filter=> 'TXT Files (*.TXT)|*.TXT|');
    :block3.file_name:=filename;
    END;
    Khurram Siddiqui ([email protected])

  • Switch over opened Bridge windows

    In all past versions off Bridge (in Mac), I can switch over opened Bridge windows by pressing command + ` (or ~). This functionality aparently is gone in CS6. What happened? Is there another shortcut for this now?

    Curt Y wrote:
    The mac command to switch to open window is command - shift - tilde.  Is this what you are looking for?
    I can confirm that works, Curt! 
    Leo,
    I can confirm Curt is right.  I just tried it in Bridge CS6 on my Mac running under snow Leopard 10.6.8:
    Command+Shift+Tilde does work to switch to another open window!
    Note that, on the Mac version, both [Control+SHIFT+~ ] and [Command+SHIFT+~ ] in Photoshop work exactly the same to cycle through open windows of the application.

  • Can't open Finder windows or Preferences

    I can't open Finder windows or Finder Preferences.
    When I click on the Finder icon in the dock, use File>New Finder Window, the Go menu, or Finder>Preferences, nothing happens. I even tried opening a folder from Spotlight and "Open in Finder" from a stack but still nothing. I ran a cleaner (Cocktail) but no change. It's like having a virus. (Safari Autocomplete and Facebook login also stopped working about a day before I noticed this).
    The only thing problematic that has happened recently was while I was on familyguyx.net, the page loaded without any trigger to one of those pop-ups that repeatedly appears until you reset your browser. Since then I haven't been on that site but these other issues have started.
    Any help is really appreciated!

    Do you possibly have the Applescript menu or even some text processor in your dock?
    If you have the Script menu, open the script editor from that menu and type this into the untitled window:
    tell application "Onyx"
    activate
    end tell
    Then run it.
    If you don't, open a text editor-if you can-and type the same thing into it. Select all of the text and look for Services>Script Editor>Run As Applescript. That should run the above script and open Onyx. Services is under the Application Name menu.
    If those don't work, let me know what you have in your dock, and maybe I can figure out another way.
    Jim
    Message was edited by: Barney-15E

  • Unable to open Finder window from Safari download list

    I have just noticed today that I cannot click the magnifying glass in the download list in Safari to open the Finder window with the location of the download.
    I have tried deleting the PLIST file as well as reinstall Safari - still can't get it to work.
    Anyone have some ideas?

    If you are referring to the com.apple.Safari.plist try something different.
    Quit Safari.
    Open the Finder. From the Finder menu bar click Go > Go to Folder
    Type or copy/paste:  ~/Library/Safari
    Click Go then move the Downloads.plist file from the Safari folder to the Trash.
    Relaunch Safari to test.

  • Open finder window on a specified place on the screen

    Hello,
    In trying to somehow replicate the drop stack in PathFinder (www.cocoatech.com), I use a very simple script that I save as app bundle and place on the finder toolbar. The script is
    do shell script "open /Users/myusername/temp"
    I know this is not quite Applescript, but it works .
    I have two questions to improve my little script
    1) Is there a way to force the new finder window to open on a specified place on screen (ideally to the side of and flushed against the window from which it was called)
    2) If I close the "temp" window without toolbar and sidebar (click on the oval top-right button), it will come that way when called again. However, I may forget sometimes to close temp that way. Is there a way to force a finder window to be opened without toolbar and sidebar?
    Any help will be appreciated.
    Thanks,
    MarceloC

    I think I answered my own question, thanks to an older post by Camelot on another topic. I use the following script
    tell application "Finder"
    set {l, t, r, b} to bounds of (Finder window 1)
    do shell script "open /Users/myusername/temp"
    set bounds of (Finder window 1) to {l - 305, t, l - 5, t + 300}
    set current view of (Finder window 1) to icon view
    set toolbar visible of (Finder window 1) to false
    set the sidebar width of the (Finder window 1) to 0
    set statusbar visible of (Finder window 1) to false
    end tell
    This works like a charm! Now my appetite is whetted, so I want an even more refined script . I tried to set the path bar to invisible (which I have visible by default), but failed. I tried with "set pathbar visible...", but that did not work. Maybe the Path Bar is a global property for all finder windows and cannot be set individually?
    Also, expressions of the form
    set the iconsize of (Finder window 1) to X (or with textsize or gridsize)
    are accepted and compiled by Script editor. However, all my attempts at puting a value for X led to an error at execution time. Is this the correct way to do this? What is the format to do it?
    I guess an even more encompassing question is where does one find this kind of info (as in being able to know everything I can set for a window with applescript...)
    Thanks again. This is a great support list!
    MarceloC

  • File can not be moved by drag and drop in the finder when not open Finder windows

    With the operating system OSX Snow Leopard, it was possible, for example, a file from the desktop to pull drag and drop on the Finder icon, the page opened after a short and you could put the file in a folder.
    At this stage I must first open the Finder to drag a file into the destination folder.
    Is it a setting or is there anything wrong with my Mountain Lion properly?
    It is often the case that several windows of other applications are open or in Fullscreen are, then I would, as I also already knew and am accustomed, for example a file regardless of the location from which drag drag and drop in the Finder without leaving the / program / ​​site to open the Finder, before returning to the file then select I wanted to move.
    Note: For all other programs it works.
    Finder not only in where it makes the most sense.
       Picture 1: Finder window opens when you drag a file to the Finder icon
       Picture 2: Finder icon flashes but the Finder window does not open. Finder windows have previously by clicking on the icon in the Dock will be open to pull a      file into it.
       Thanks in advance for your help :-)

    Yes, all I can tell you is that Finder does not have that function in ML. Your system is "working as expected".
    You can file feedback here.

  • Network drives open finder windows at every login?

    I just created a network drive and set it up so that when I log into my machine it should connect/mount the network drive.   However, now every time I log in it opens a finder window to that drive.    Mavericks appears to do the same thing on my macbook.     Just curious if there are any solutions to stop this from happening but still mount the drive.  I did find some older suggestions to fix the issue but none of them so far have worked.
    Thanks

    nevermind, fixed itself, i guess

  • Finder icon in dock for ALL currently open Finder windows?

    Hi all,
    I'm an ex-Windows user and I'm kinda used to having an item in the taskbar for all Explorer windows I have open.
    Is there a way to enable this in OS X? I'm pretty good with keyboard shortcuts and alt-tabbing back to Finder is easy but if I have 4 of 5 Finder windows open it's hard to find the one I want quickly.
    Can this be done?
    Thanks!

    digitalformula wrote:
    Question though - what do you mean by secondary function of the F3 key? I currently use it all the time for Exposé of course but that's all I use it for ... how can I make it do the thumbnail thing?
    The thumbnail thing on F3 is an Exposé function. To clarify, hitting the F3/Exposé key (you can configure if you want F3 or Exposé to be the primary function of that key in System Preferences > Keyboard) brings up miniature images of every active window. Sorry if that was confusing.
    Perhaps OS X Help says it best:
    "Your computer has a feature called Exposé that makes it easy to find windows when your desktop is cluttered. Even if you have many overlapping windows, Exposé lets you view thumbnail versions of all of them so you can find the one you need.
    To see all your open windows, press the Exposé key. If your keyboard doesn’t have an Exposé key, press Fn-F9. If your keyboard doesn’t have an Fn key, press F9.
    Exposé includes several other shortcuts for working with windows. For maximum clutter control, you can use it in combination with the Spaces feature.
    To set up Exposé, use Exposé & Spaces preferences."

  • After Sleep clicking on desktop icons does not open Finder window

    The Subject line says it all. This problem has occurred 3 or 4 times since installing Leopard and does not occur after every sleep. The Finder window can still be opened from the Finder toolbar. The problem can recover after another sleep.
    Patrick

    Apple support is wonderful!  The fix took a while but I was able to boot up with Shift key and make changes as directed that restored my auto logon.  Downloading Lion update now which is supposed to fix the Keychain problem.  If anyone else has this problem - here is the Case # for reference -
    287505756,

  • OSX Open/Finder Window Grows

    Not sure if I am the only one having this problem put I do have it on two MBPrs, a 15" (early 2013) and a 13" (early 2014) both running version OSX 10.10.2.
    My finder window when selecting the open file or save a file in various applications (Adobe CC apps, Chrome, Firefox, Word, Excel, Keynote, iPhoto, etc) seems to grow by one line every time I open a document or save a document. This happens until the window has filled the full screen. I can still resize the window to smaller but then the process happens over again.
    Any help would be much appreciated.
    A friend suggested resetting the PRAM and that seems to have no effect on the problem.

    Please read this whole message before doing anything.
    This procedure is a test, not a solution. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
    Step 1
    The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account.
    Enable guest logins* and log in as Guest. Don't use the Safari-only “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac.”
    While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your documents or settings. Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this behavior; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.
    Test while logged in as Guest. Same problem?
    After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.
    *Note: If you’ve activated “Find My Mac” or FileVault, then you can’t enable the Guest account. The “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac” is not the same. Create a new account in which to test, and delete it, including its home folder, after testing.
    Step 2
    The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, by a font conflict, or by corruption of the file system or of certain system caches.
    Please take this step regardless of the results of Step 1.
    Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards, if applicable. Start up in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. You must hold down the shift key twice: once when you turn on the computer, and again when you log in.
    Note: If FileVault is enabled in OS X 10.9 or earlier, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.
    Safe mode is much slower to start up and run than normal, with limited graphics performance, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain models. The next normal startup may also be somewhat slow.
    The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.
    Test while in safe mode. Same problem?
    After testing, restart as usual (not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of Steps 1 and 2.

  • Open finder window shortcut

    I used to be able to open a new finder window by pressing Alt + Command + Spacebar together.
    Then one day pressing these keys started opening the Search window.
    Any idea how I can reset this?

    Barney-15E,
    On the comments to the second article you posted, some people confirmed they can use the Cmd-Opt-Spacebar as a global default shortcut to open a new Finder window (not Spotlight)  — http://contented.qolc.net/articles/osx-global-shortcut-key-new-finder-window/#co mment-61887, users thesmarti and Bradley. Moreover, users CT and Avinash in this forum confirmed that too.
    I know that "tapping the Finder icon in the Dock opens a Finder window if one isn't already opened", but as you say, it only does it if one Finder window isn't open. If you have one open, then you have to right click on the icon, etc. And if you have an application in fullscreen, the icon is not there and it takes a while for it to appear... Not ideal.
    I guess I could solve this using Automator as you suggested, but I'm frustrated because this shortcut used to work on my Mac when I bought it and it stopped working who knows why after some months.

  • How can I sort two open Finder windows differently?

    I have two Finder windows open. I want to sort one by date and one by name. Whenever I try changing one window, Finder changes the other window too. What am I doing wrong?

    terry,
    Now not optimal but you can open the folder you want to organize by say size, and name or Whatever, in to windows. Organize one by name for my example, and in the other start a spotlight search with a space (Hit the spacebar once). Change the search criteria from Macintosh HD and select the folder you were in, if the spotlight search isn't in list view change it to list view. And now you can organize the to windows independent to each other.
    But as this is still not the most optimal solution I would send Apple your feedback by going to http://www.apple.com/feedback/macosx.html
    Also I've never used it but you could look into MuCommander it might do what you would like. http://www.mucommander.com/
    Weston

Maybe you are looking for