Who do I reset finder preferences?

My 5 yo has done something to my mac such that he appearance of icons, dock, etc is all screwed up. The only thing that I can liken it to is a bizarre setting in photobooth, which is now applied to the desktop. (A picture is worth a thousand words).
I have tried checking finder prefs, appearance, screensaver, displays. All to no avail. Is there a finder preference file that I can delete?
Other accounts are not affected. I know the ultimate solution would be to delete the account and start over, but I would rather not.
thanks

There is a Finder preference file in Users/~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.finder.plist.

Similar Messages

  • Reseting Finder Preferences?

    Hi Mac Community! =D
    I have the problem that I want to reset the finder preferences and I used to do it by deleting the finder.plist file because that way I kill the annoying SBBOD as well, but this time, each time I delete the finder.plist the finder preferences remain the same (and also the annoying SBBOD).
    Any help?
    Thanks!
    Mart

    baltwo wrote:
    Thanks for the feedback. Good computing.
    Hey mate, I've deleted all the com.apple.[something].plist files and it seems that solved the SBBOD problem and the finder preferences now seems to get restored each time I delete the finder.plist file. Also, running these commands:
    mkdir ~/.Trash
    If you get a message stating that the folder exists, run the following:
    sudo chown $UID ~/.Trash
    chmod u+rwx ~/.Trash
    seems to fixed the SBBOD and the finder preferences thing as well. I was having problems with trashing files and that command solved the problem and somehow, the system is now more stable. I'm not getting the SBBOD, indeed.
    Well, just that update
    Ø3

  • Can not select 'Show HD' in Finder Preferences

    Just performed Data Migration on a new iMac Intel late 2011 from a 2 year old iMac Intel.  For some reason, the Macintosh HD does not display on the desktop.  If I go to Finder Preferences I can not select Hard Disks.  The box is not selected, but If I try to click it, it will not stick.  How do I fix that.  Not much on the internet concering this peculiarity.

    OK, try a couple of things. First is to do some resets, the first I'd recommend doing is restarting the computer in  Safe Mode, this will clear some caches. It's possible one is corrupt. Next is to reset the SMC and PRAM, each of these should be done 2x to ensure they work. Finally if that doesn't do it open Disk Utility (Applications - Utilities - Disk Utility) and Repair Disk Permissions 2x.
    SMC RESET
    Shut down the computer.
    Unplug the computer's power cord and all peripherals.
    Press and hold the power button for 5 seconds.
    Release the power button.
    Attach the computers power cable.
    Press the power button to turn on the computer.
    PRAM RESET
    Shut down the computer.
    Locate the following keys on the keyboard: Command, Option, P, and R. You will need to hold these keys down simultaneously in step 4.
    Turn on the computer.
    Press and hold the Command-Option-P-R keys. You must press this key combination before the gray screen appears.
    Hold the keys down until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
    Release the keys.

  • How to restore lost Finder preferences in 10.6.5?

    Running 10.6.5 on a MacBook Pro 2.4Ghz i5.
    In each Finder window, I had, over months and years, set up a specific setting according to my needs:
    Some windows had different background color;
    Some windows were set to list view, some to icon view;
    Some had icons of a certain size, some had icons of a smaller or larger size;
    Various windows were sized and arranged on the screen to meet various requirements;
    and most importantly, in each window the icons in icon view were often arranged in a specific organizational pattern.
    In fact, this is how I organized my work flow -- moving icons from one area of a Finder window to another to represent their various stages of completion in projects.
    I've been using Finder this way for years, never a problem.
    But after a recent Shut Down and Restart, for no apparent reason, ALL of my existing Finder preferences were wiped away for every window.
    Now, all windows have been reset to have the same background color, all windows the same size and the same location on the screen, all be in icon view, have the icons all be the same (maximum) size, and worst of all all rearranged alphabetically in a grid. All my customization was wiped clean, and all windows reset to what I presume was the default appearance.
    No data or files were lost, as far as I can tell. The computer seems to be functioning perfectly as it always does in every other way. The only thing that went wrong was that the Finder preferences were zeroed out and reset.
    For most people, this really wouldn't be much of a problem, as they don't really use the Finder icons and windows to organize concepts and workflow as I do; but for me this is a disaster, because now I've lost track of all sorts of "information" encoded in how each window appeared and how icons were arranged.
    I could laboriously by hand try to restore each window to how I thought it was, but there are literally hundreds or thousands of windows, each containing in some cases hundreds of icons representing hundreds of work files in various stages of completion, and the whole process would take me weeks to get it back to the way it was, and even then it would certainly be inaccurate, as I'd be relying on my memory.
    So my question is: Is there any way to get back and restore my Finder preferences to the way they were before this mysterious "Finder Amnesia Event," or whatever it was? Or do i just resign myself to accepting this setback and go about restoring each window's set-up by hand?

    No, probally not.
    But there are security issues with 10.6.5 and you really need to Apple menu> Software Update to 10.6.8 right away.
    Perhaps that's is what caused it?
    Run a ClamXav scan.
    Run through this list if you have problems
    ..Step by Step to fix your Mac

  • Reset Finder

    Hi,
    I was just wondering if there was any way to reset Finder, so all previous preferences are removed, and it reverts to how it was when the system was first installed? I want to do this because quite a few strange this happen, such as when I copy a large amount of things to the clipboard, Finder no longer takes keyboard input, and the Applications folder always opens in List View.
    Thank you very much,
    Regards, George
    Message was edited by: planemaniac

    The Finder preferences are in ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.finder.plist. You can also relaunch the FInder from the Force Quit item in the Apple menu.

  • WTH???? What happened to Finder preferences?

    Once I finally (3 days ago) decided to take the leap and update to Yosemite, my Finder preferences window comes up blank! Help please

    Please read this whole message before doing anything.
    This procedure is a diagnostic test. It’s unlikely to solve your problem. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.
    The purpose of the test is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party software that loads 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.
    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 login 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 the test.

  • Kernel Panic - Finder Preferences

    Hi,
    After a recent Kernel Panic caused by a third party kernel module I've noticed that some of my system preferences have been reset. Specifically, my custom sidebar items have disapeared as have certain other Finder and Wireless Internet settings. I used disk utility to scan my hard disk immediately after the crash and no file system corruption was found. Does OS X reset these preferences automatically after a Kernel Panic?
    Bes Regards, Simon.

    Hello sj:
    I do not believe that OS X resets the preference files automatically after a kernel panic. However, it is quite possible that some of the preference files may have become corrupted after the panic. You may trash the problem preferences by doing a find on 'plist' and then moving those that you wish to trash.
    Barry

  • Reset Photoshop Preferences

    Hello,
    I try to reset Photoshop CS6 preferences on Mac OS X 10.6.8 with shortcut key and remove preference file but  nothing change.   I want to uncheck the check mark on scratch disk setting.  I have only one disk on Mac.  It has no scratch disk setting originally.  May I have your suggestion to  restore it.
    Best regards, Wilson

    Kelly,
    Thanks You so much for your advice.
    Best regards, Wilson
    寄件人：
    R_Kelly <[email protected]>
    收件人：
    Wilson Lo <[email protected]>
    日期：
    06/08/2014 10:13
    主旨：
    Reset Photoshop Preferences
    Reset Photoshop Preferences
    created by R_Kelly in Photoshop General Discussion - View the full
    discussion
    If you only have one disk (non partitioned), then you can't uncheck the
    scratch disk in the photoshop preferences.
    You need to have a scratch disk enabled in photoshop or photoshop wouldn't
    work very well, if at all.
    some more info:
    How to tune Photoshop CS6 for peak performance
    Please note that the Adobe Forums do not accept email attachments. If you
    want to embed a screen image in your message please visit the thread in
    the forum to embed the image at
    https://forums.adobe.com/message/6615261#6615261
    Replies to this message go to everyone subscribed to this thread, not
    directly to the person who posted the message. To post a reply, either
    reply to this email or visit the message page: [
    https://forums.adobe.com/message/6615261#6615261]
    To unsubscribe from this thread, please visit the message page at [
    https://forums.adobe.com/message/6615261#6615261]. In the Actions box on
    the right, click the Stop Email Notifications link.
    Start a new discussion in Photoshop General Discussion by email or at
    Adobe Community
    For more information about maintaining your forum email notifications
    please go to http://forums.adobe.com/thread/416458?tstart=0.

  • How to delete/reset Photoshop preferences

    Background: Sometimes Photoshop can exhibit odd/erratic/weird behaviour.
    The first step is to make sure that you are running the latest version of Photoshop, by applying the relevant updates for your version of Photoshop listed on this page:
    http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/product.jsp?product=39&platform=Windows
    This behaviour can sometimes be overcome by resetting the Photoshop Preference file, or individual Tool Preferences.
    The procedures outlined below are the most common methods of removing the program preferences file.
    Q: I am experiencing weird behaviour in Photoshop. - How do I delete / reset my preferences?
    Photoshop versions after 6.0 (including 7.0, CS, CS2 ...CS6):
    A:If a tool is behaving erratically, first try resetting just that tools preferences, via the method outlined by Len Hewitt in the post below this one. 
    If you have larger troubles, hold down Alt, Ctrl, and Shift keys (Mac: Command, Option, Shift) while starting up Photoshop. A dialog box will appear asking if you wish to delete the preferences/settings file. 
    A2: You can also simply search your hard drive for a *.psp file and delete it. It will be called something along the lines of "Adobe Photoshop X Prefs.psp".
    Under Vista or 7, look here:
    Users/[Username]/AppData/Roaming/Adobe/Adobe Photoshop [version #]/Adobe Photoshop [version #] Settings
    Under Win 2k/XP the preference file will be found at:
    %windir%\Documents and Settings\[username]\Application Data\Adobe\Photoshop\[version #]\Adobe Photoshop [version #] Settings
    [NOTE: You need to set Window's Explorer Options to "View Hidden Files and Folders" to display the Preference file]
    Photoshop Versions 5.5 and earlier:
    Search for photos*.ini and delete (the file will be called photos followed by the version number - i.e photos55.ini for Photoshop 5.5, photos40.ini for Photoshop 4.0)
    Resetting the preferences will restore Photoshop settings to factory defaults.
    If removing the preferences files does not resolve the problem you should check the Photoshop Support pages for further guidance.
    http://www.adobe.com/support/products/photoshop.html
    Note that it is possible to keep a 'healthy' copy of the Preferences file, so that you simply overwrite the preferences file if needed. That way you won´t have to re-adjust your preferences in Photoshop after a Reset.
    More information on Photoshop preferences can be found at:
    Tech doc, CS5:
    http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/828/cpsid_82893.html
    Tech doc, CS4:
    http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=kb405012&sliceId=2
    Tech doc, CS3:
    http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=kb401600&sliceId=1
    Doc on manually removing Bridge preferences and cache:
    http://kb.adobe.com/selfservice/viewContent.do?externalId=332992&sliceId=1

    Is one of your tools behaving strangely — or not the way you expect — in Photoshop?
    For every tool in Photoshop's Tool Box, the user may choose to fully reset JUST that tool to its default settings. To do this, look up to the Options Bar. On the far left side you will see a button which displays an icon of the currently selected tool. This is the Tool Preset picker. Right-click on this button, and you will see two entries:
    Reset Tool
    Reset All Tools
    The first thing to try when a tool is not acting like you expect it should is to apply the command "Reset Tool" from this menu. Often this will cure a problem, and by starting your Photoshop troubleshooting with this procedure you aren't resetting Photoshop's entire behavior and environment to factory default in a wholesale manner. Instead, you're just getting that particular tool back to its default settings, leaving the rest of Photoshop's settings alone.
    The second option would be more appropriate in a classroom setting, to get a "fresh version of Photoshop", rather than for troubleshooting Photoshop issues.
    If this doesn't cure the problem you're having, then you may need to move on to deleting/resetting all of your Photoshop preferences to factory default.

  • Unable to find preferences in ichat to add another account?

    Have ichat, with mac.com account, want to add a jabber on too. Know how to do that, but only little buddies list opens when open ichat - how do I find preferences?! May be being really dense but just cant find it...
    Thanks for your help
    x

    Hi,
    To a certain extent this does depend on what you mean by Combined ?
    There is a Add-on called Chax that will let you create an "All Contacts" List where you can then have AIM and Jabber Buddies in one list (you then Hide the other Buddy Lists)
    The Add-on adds s pane to the iChat Preferences. You turn on the Option there - THEN - you use the Window Menu for the All Contacts List.
    This still will not let you Text Chat - or any other sort of Chat - from an AIM Screen name to a Jabber one.
    For Text Chatting only it i possible using things called Transports to Link the Jabber service to the AIM (Or MSN/Yahoo) one.
    This is not so much difficult but involved.
    Instructions
    This will not work for Video or Audio Chatting.
    10:29 PM      Thursday; May 26, 2011
    Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"
     G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
     MacBookPro 2Gb( 10.6.7)
     Mac OS X (10.6.7),
    "Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

  • Cannot get the past dialogue box to open in illustrator since upgrading to Yosemite. Click it but nothing happens. Also File Open works intermittently. Is this a finder preference issue?

    Cannot get the past dialogue box to open in illustrator since upgrading to Yosemite. Click it but nothing happens. Also File Open works intermittently. Is this a finder preference issue?

    one of those days --- it's the PLACE dialogue box

  • Finder preferences: How do I just DBL click folder to get a new window

    I don't want to have to push cmd and click folders Every time I want a folder to open in a new window. I want a New Window EVERY time I dbl click a folder, as I have done for as long as I can remember in Mac system. I like multiple open windows, and don't like being Forced into having to take extra steps every time just to do this task I do Hundreds of times a day.
    Thanks for any help, which these Help screens were Not.
    Open a folder in a new tab or window
    When you open a folder in a Finder window, the folder’s contents usually replace the current contents of the window. If you prefer, you can open a folder in a new tab or window.
    To open a specific folder, press the Command (⌘) key while you double-click the folder.The folder opens in a new tab or window, depending on your Finder preferences. To change the preference, choose Finder > Preferences, click General, then select or deselect “⌘-double-click opens a folder in a new tab.” (Deselect the option if you prefer a new window.)
    To open a new Finder window without opening a specific folder, choose File > New Finder Window or press Command (⌘)–N.
    If a Finder window’s toolbar and sidebar are hidden, then double-clicking a folder in the window (without pressing the Command key) opens the folder in a new window.
    RELATED TOPICS
    Finder preferences 
    ⌘-double-click opens a folder in a new tab
    If this is selected, double-clicking a folder while holding down the Command (⌘) key opens a new tab. If this is deselected, Command (⌘)-double-click opens a new window.

    Helgason: Thank you so much for this solution. I have been using it since March. But I just upgraded to Yosemite. And as you have noted on your website, it breaks the functionality of typing Command-Shift-A to go to Applications and such. Now that Yosemite has officially been released, are you going to create an update?
    Also, an update that returns the green button to being maximize instead of full screen (without having to hold down Option) would also be welcome!

  • Cannot bring up Finder preferences and general Finder issues in Yosemite

    Since installing Yosemite, I've been having multiple issues with the Finder:
    Finder seems to hang occasionally when trying to delete a file
    Finder seems to hang occasionally when trying to empty the trash
    When trying to open the Finder preferences, it either doesn't open or opens a blank panel (with nothing in it)
    Looking at the Console when trying to opening the Finder prefs, I can see this Exception being logged:
    Jan 11 16:15:15 JasonMBPRetina Finder[260]: An uncaught exception was raised
    Jan 11 16:15:15 JasonMBPRetina Finder[260]: *** -[__NSArrayI objectAtIndex:]: index 0 beyond bounds for empty array
    Jan 11 16:15:15 JasonMBPRetina Finder[260]: (
      0   CoreFoundation                      0x00007fff899b864c __exceptionPreprocess + 172
      1   libobjc.A.dylib                     0x00007fff8bfe66de objc_exception_throw + 43
      2   CoreFoundation                      0x00007fff8989174e -[__NSArrayI objectAtIndex:] + 190
      3   AppKit                              0x00007fff8d931e59 _NSAccessibilityEntryPointValueForAttribute + 1823
      4   AppKit                              0x00007fff8d4b8296 NSAccessibilityChildren + 41
      5   AppKit                              0x00007fff8d4b8246 NSAccessibilityUnignoredChildrenForOnlyChild + 98
      6   AppKit                              0x00007fff8d4b815c NSAccessibilityUnignoredDescendant + 27
      7   AppKit                              0x00007fff8d4b80e2 -[NSNibAXAttributeConnector establishConnection] + 74
      8   AppKit                              0x00007fff8d90cf66 -[NSIBObjectData nibInstantiateWithOwner:options:topLevelObjects:] + 1065
      9   AppKit                              0x00007fff8d41ef05 loadNib + 384
      10  AppKit                              0x00007fff8d98cf80 +[NSBundle(NSNibLoading) _loadNibFile:nameTable:options:withZone:ownerBundle:] + 313
      11  AppKit                              0x00007fff8d98d67d +[NSBundle(NSNibLoadingInternal) _loadNibFile:externalNameTable:options:withZone:] + 150
      12  AppKit                              0x00007fff8d65efed -[NSWindowController loadWindow] + 313
      13  AppKit                              0x00007fff8d664684 -[NSWindowController window] + 80
      14  Finder                              0x0000000101dc5a14 Finder + 1604116
      15  Finder                              0x0000000101dc59e5 Finder + 1604069
      16  libsystem_trace.dylib               0x00007fff88d74cd7 _os_activity_initiate + 75
      17  AppKit                              0x00007fff8d60a497 -[NSApplication sendAction:to:from:] + 410
      18  AppKit                              0x00007fff8d6245da -[NSMenuItem _corePerformAction] + 382
      19  AppKit                              0x00007fff8d6242f7 -[NSCarbonMenuImpl performActionWithHighlightingForItemAtIndex:] + 114
      20  libsystem_trace.dylib               0x00007fff88d74cd7 _os_activity_initiate + 75
      21  AppKit                              0x00007fff8d671b96 -[NSMenu performActionForItemAtIndex:] + 131
      22  AppKit                              0x00007fff8d671b06 -[NSMenu _internalPerformActionForItemAtIndex:] + 35
      23  AppKit                              0x00007fff8d671952 -[NSCarbonMenuImpl _carbonCommandProcessEvent:handlerCallRef:] + 107
      24  AppKit                              0x00007fff8d619eeb NSSLMMenuEventHandler + 724
      25  HIToolbox                           0x00007fff9593e32c _ZL23DispatchEventToHandlersP14EventTargetRecP14OpaqueEventRefP14HandlerCallRec + 1260
      26  HIToolbox                           0x00007fff9593d76e _ZL30SendEventToEventTargetInternalP14OpaqueEventRefP20OpaqueEventTargetRefP14HandlerCallRec + 386
      27  HIToolbox                           0x00007fff95952286 SendEventToEventTarget + 40
      28  HIToolbox                           0x00007fff95987795 _ZL18SendHICommandEventjPK9HICommandjjhPKvP20OpaqueEventTargetRefS5_PP14OpaqueEventRef + 428
      29  HIToolbox                           0x00007fff959bae8d SendMenuCommandWithContextAndModifiers + 59
      30  HIToolbox                           0x00007fff959bae34 SendMenuItemSelectedEvent + 188
      31  HIToolbox                           0x00007fff959bad06 _ZL19FinishMenuSelectionP13SelectionDataP10MenuResultS2_ + 96
      32  HIToolbox                           0x00007fff959c28b1 _ZL14MenuSelectCoreP8MenuData5PointdjPP13OpaqueMenuRefPt + 702
      33  HIToolbox                           0x00007fff959c249e _HandleMenuSelection2 + 446
      34  AppKit                              0x00007fff8d59fd1e _NSHandleCarbonMenuEvent + 277
      35  AppKit                              0x00007fff8d43ba40 _DPSNextEvent + 1843
      36  AppKit                              0x00007fff8d43ae80 -[NSApplication nextEventMatchingMask:untilDate:inMode:dequeue:] + 194
      37  AppKit                              0x00007fff8d42ee23 -[NSApplication run] + 594
      38  AppKit                              0x00007fff8d41a2d4 NSApplicationMain + 1832
      39  Finder                              0x0000000101c43960 Finder + 22880
      40  libdyld.dylib                       0x00007fff8c2045c9 start + 1
      41  ???                                 0x0000000000000001 0x0 + 1
    Can anyone help?

    Do a backup.
    Go to Finder and select your user/home folder. With that Finder window as the front window, either select Finder/View/Show View options or go command - J.  When the View options opens, check ’Show Library Folder’. That should make your user library folder visible in your user/home folder.  Select Library. Then go to Preferences/com.apple.finder.plist.  Move the .plist to your desktop.
    Re-launch Finder by restarting and test. If it works okay, delete the plist from the desktop.
    If the same, return the .plist to where you got it  from, overwriting the newer one.
    Thanks to leonie for some information contained in this. 

  • I lost all my colored tags in OSX - They are not listed when I go to Finder/Preferences/Tags.  How can I get them back

    I lost all my colored tags in OSX - They are not listed when I go to Finder/Preferences/Tags.  How can I get them back

    Hi, try this...
    Bootup holding CMD+r, or the Option/alt key to boot from the Restore partition & use Disk Utility from there to Repair the Disk, then Repair Permissions.
    Reboot.

  • Hi First time Posting.  I can't find Preferences.  It is not listed in Finder.  Please make it simple, thanks, Carol

    Hi, My first time posting.  Have been going in circles and need some help.  Started with not being able to find my memory stick, didn't show up on desktop.  Think I found a way in but the main problem right now is I cannot find Preferences.  All posts I have checked say to go to Finder and click on Preferences, but it is not there.  Can anyone help.  Thanks

    You have to click on the word "Finder" in the menu bar. (If you do not see the word click anywhere on the desktop.) When you do that you will see a list of options. In the list, click on Preferences. Another pane will open.
    Now click General (on the top row), then select everything by clicking on all the boxes in the section "Show these items on the desktop:"
    Close this pane.

Maybe you are looking for