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Fixing Finder Crashes and Non-Responsive Behavior

Issue Description 

Finder freezes, crashes, or becomes unresponsive. 

Common Causes 

  • Corrupt Finder preferences 
  • Third-party extensions 
  • Network drives 

Step-by-Step Solution 

Step 1: Restart Finder 

  • Press Option + Right-click Finder icon 
  • Select Relaunch 

 

Step 2: Remove Finder Preferences 

  • Finder → Go → Go to Folder 

~/Library/Preferences 

  • Delete com.apple.finder.plist 

 

Step 3: Disable Finder Extensions 

  • System Settings → Privacy & Security → Extensions 
  • Disable Finder extensions 

 

Step 4: Restart Mac 

  • Test Finder performance 

Explore Further 

  • Create new user account for testing 

Prevention & Best Practices 

Avoid unverified Finder plugins.