Why Mac Finder not Responding On macOS Catalina And How To Fix It

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Mac Finder is your-to-go feature for file management and navigation on your Mac. the name speaks for itself, since its called the Finder which means it is used to help Mac users manage and find files that you need. Almost all Mac have Finder feature. 

There have been reports of Finder not responding or unresponsive after they updated to macOS Catalina. Since Finder basically does everything for you in terms of productivity, it can be frustrating for you when Finder becomes unresponsive. Mac users often receives ‘not responding’ prompt message while others usually gets stuck up on the screen of their Mac. 

There are several reasons why Mac Finder not responding, such as but not limited to:

  1. Bad Configuration: there are instances when Finder configuration gets corrupted that might cause Mac Finder to be unresponsive.
  2. Memory Storage is Low: just as with other features on your Mac, when you are running on a low storage computer all other features and app will also function more slowly than usual. 
  3. Corrupt System Preferences: if the system preferences on your Mac gets corrupted, it can also affect Mac Finder causing it to cause issue of unresponsiveness or it may not properly work.
  4. Error on User Profile: sometimes when there is an error on the user profile used to log into your Mac, it is likely to experience Finder not responding. Logging out and Logging back into your account might actually help the fix. 

With the reasons mentioned above, do not worry for there are potential solutions to try in order to fix Finder not responding in macOS Catalina

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POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS ON HOW TO FIX FINDER NOT RESPONDING ON macOS CATALINA

Solution 1: Force quit Mac Finder : Force quitting and relaunching Mac Finder might actually helps resolves unresponsiveness issue

 

 

There are two ways on how to force quit Mac finder:

via Task Manager

  1. On your Mac, press keys Option + Command + Esc to open Task Manager.
  2. The list of running apps appears, Click and select on Finder
  3. Click Force Quit Option.

via Activity Monitor App

  1. Click on the Launchpad on the Dock of your Mac
  2. Find Activity Monitor App and click on it. On the Activity Monitor app you will see a list of running apps and process.
  3. Locate and Click on Finder
  4. At the top left portion, click on the “X”.
  5. A pop up message appears “Are you sure you want to quit this process? Do you really want to quit Finder?”, Click on Force Quit

Solution 2: Log out and Log back into your Mac

If force quitting Mac Finder does not fix the issue, you can try to Log out and log back in your Mac. This method technically force quit all running apps and processes when you log out, and when you logged into you Mac again it starts the process back. 

To do this:

  1. Click on the Apple Logo icon located at the upper left portion of your Mac Screen
  2. Scroll down from the drop-down menu and click on “Log out”
  3. A prompt message appears “Are you sure you want to quit all applications and log out now? If you do nothing, you will be logged out automatically in a few seconds.” , Click on Log out.
  4. You will also see an option “Reopen windows when logging back in”
  5. To Log back again, simply input your correct password. 

Solution 3: Power-Cycle your Mac

This solution involves shutting down your Mac and disconnecting from the power source. After which, switching it on back again. This is to force remove from your Mac those temporary configurations that can fix Finder not responding. The Configurations might be corrupted that may have caused the problem with Finder. Before performing the steps below, make sure to save your work to prevent losing them after the procedure. 

  1. Log out from your Profile account by clicking on the Apple Logo icon at the upper left portion of the screen. Then click on Log out.
  2. Next, shut down Mac Computer. To do this, click on the Apple Logo icon then click on Shut down.  
  3. Disconnect your Mac Computer from its power cable. Wait for at least 2-3  minutes
  4. Then, reconnect devices i.e power cable, internet equipment
  5. Press and hold the Power Button.
  6. Log into your computer

 Try to launch Finder to check if the issue has been fixed.

 

Solution 4: Manage Storage Space

As mentioned, having a low storage space can affect how an app and features functions on your Mac causing Finder to be unresponsive. To manage storage space, make sure to delete files and contents that are no longer needed, such as movies and music, pictures and clear recycle bin if necessary. Make sure to leave at least 5gigabyte of extra storage space on your Mac. After clearing some space, restart your Mac computer then try launching Finder again to check if it resolves the problem.

Are you still experiencing problems on Finder not responsive on macOS Catalina? If so, connect with us: 

If you have any questions & concerns regarding your macOS or iPhone , feel free to connect with us using this form. We will be of help and will provide you with a free technical support. Just make sure to provide us with the details as possible for us to make an accurate assessment and provide you appropriate intervention. Also, do let us know your experience along the way. I look forward to hearing from you