Desktop slow to refresh

[user1234]

But the problem is not restricted to the desktop. If I copy a bunch of files from one folder to another, it will take a long time to update the display in the destination folder. The length of time seems proportional to the number of files that are copied. If I copy 50 files, it will take 5 seconds or so for the folder to update and show all the files. It shows the spinning cursor in the meantime.

Does this only happen when copying files on the internal drive, or does it also happen when copying files between two folders on an external drive (with HFS+ or FAT32/exFAT), or when copying between internal and external?

I'm trying to figure out if this is related to APFS or not

 

[thagomizer]

Does this only happen when copying files on the internal drive, or does it also happen when copying files between two folders on an external drive (with HFS+ or FAT32/exFAT), or when copying between internal and external?

I'm trying to figure out if this is related to APFS or not

My boot drive is APFS. It happens to me most noticeably when copying files from an SD card to my boot drive. Perhaps under other situations as well. The speed of the SD card is not an issue. It takes far too long for the files to show up, and it did not take this long under OS X 10.12.

Even when saving individual files from a browser to the desktop, after the browser says the file save is complete, it takes a long time for the files to actually show up.

 

[JimZumaca]

I'm trying to figure out if this is related to APFS or not

I upgraded to High Sierra and maintained HFS+ and have this issue of slow desktop updating.
(Did the HS upgrade with that Terminal startosinstall converttoapfs NO command)
So it isn't APFS.
It's odd that I save a file from an app, and wait several seconds before seeing it popup on my desktop. Even screenshots take a while to appear.

Thanks for this thread! I haven't found this issue addressed anywhere else.

 

[user1234]

I upgraded to High Sierra and maintained HFS+ and have this issue of slow desktop updating.
(Did the HS upgrade with that Terminal startosinstall converttoapfs NO command)
So it isn't APFS.
It's odd that I save a file from an app, and wait several seconds before seeing it popup on my desktop. Even screenshots take a while to appear.

Thanks for this thread! I haven't found this issue addressed anywhere else.

Good to know, thanks for sharing!

I have also found out that Carbonite can cause this issue, although I can't confirm that myself as I don't use Carbonite.

It's weird that this issue isn't addressed anywhere else, since so many seem to be affected (most of who has probably not found this thread).

I urge everyone who experience this to send feedback to Apple so we can get their attention to this problem: https://www.apple.com/feedback/

 

[michang5]

Thank you for this thread!

Short response: I uninstalled SugarSync (following these instructions) and my finder slowdowns have disappeared.

Longer explanation: I got a new 2017 15' MacBook Pro at work recently. Trying to avoid the slowdowns I had on my previous work MBP, I've been very careful with installing extensions, apps, etc. I added SugarSync yesterday, let my files sync, and then disabled auto-activation of the app. This morning I started to have finder slowdowns — screenshots took 10 seconds to appear and saving a Photoshop or InDesign file would display a .tmp file for ~10 seconds before disappearing.

I tried a different suggestion of logging out of iCloud first. Nope. I ran Cocktail. Nope.

Luckily I found this thread. Uninstalled SugarSync. I'm back to instantaneous desktop actions now. And FWIW... I still have Adobe Creative Cloud active and Dropbox installed, but inactive.

Now to figure out how to get SugarSync functionality back without installing it...

 

[user1234]

Great!

I also have Creative Cloud and Dropbox installed, and both active. Non of them has caused me any issues.

 

[Ty1974]

I think we have pretty much established that there is an issue with finder sync in high sierra. Are all of you running APFS too? Kinda curious to see if it also happens with HFS+ or if it's APFS related

Don´t know if this issue is over and done, but I´ve got the same issue.
Running HFS+ (3TB fusion drive) macOS 10.13.4 on a iMac 27 (Late 2013) 3,5Ghz i7 and 32GB RAM.
Also my private iMac (older model) has the same issue, same macOS.

Feels like Apple would have done something about this by now?

 

[user1234]

This issue has been surprisingly quiet both from media and from Apple. I agree that Apple should have fixed it by now, or if it's at the fault of software developers not using official APIs (which I don't think it is) they should have updated their software.

It has been going on way too long. Between this and the bluetooth issues with High Sierra, and the issues with VMware Fusion and bluetooth, owning a Mac can be a frustrating experience... I moved away from windows over 10 years ago to get away from these kinds of issues.

 

[joaojoaquim]

It seems Google's Back and Sync app was updated on April 27th (to version 3.41.9267.0638) and this problem was fixed. Taken from their release page:

• Fixed an issue on macOS High Sierra where users experienced a delay in seeing recently taken screenshots on their desktop.

https://support.google.com/a/answer/7573023?hl=en&ref_topic=7573022

I've tested it and so far so good. Solved my issue.

 

[user1234]

Great! I'll give it another try

 

[H2SO4]

It seems Google's Back and Sync app was updated on April 27th (to version 3.41.9267.0638) and this problem was fixed. Taken from their release page:

• Fixed an issue on macOS High Sierra where users experienced a delay in seeing recently taken screenshots on their desktop.

https://support.google.com/a/answer/7573023?hl=en&ref_topic=7573022

I've tested it and so far so good. Solved my issue.

Didn't work for me but thanks for the suggestion.

 

[justbobf]

Didn't work for me but thanks for the suggestion.

I had the same problem with screen shots taking forever to appear. Thought the problem might have to do with the McAfee anti-virus software my cable company provided and pushed. Uninstalled the software.

Current state is that screen shots appear quickly; but, I use a program called Capture One. When I move files to the Capture One trash and then click on the trash, the items are not there. I have to click on another folder in that program and then back and then they appear.

This used to happen in the Finder too, I think.

Anyone found a solution?

 

[user1234]

I'm stuck with Lightroom so I don't know how Capture One handles trash (I have only used it a couple of times).

To clarify, when you move files to the Capture One trash, they don't then appear in the internal trash in Capture One? Or are they supposed to be moved to the system trash? If inside Capture One I would assume it's a problem on their end.

Are these files stored on external or network drives? (I'm guessing they are).

I have long had an issue where files I delete on external drives won't show up in the trash folder until I either unmount and remount the drive, or restart my computer. I haven't actually tried restarting Finder yet for some reason, but I have had this issue since at least 10.12 and on two different computers. Maybe it's related?

 

[DeauxmayneOwner]

Likewise, I've been seeing this issue with files on the desktop (iMac18,3; 64Gb RAM; stock 512Gb SSD, APFS; MacOS 10.13.4). With screenshots, for example, I could see a big delay (10secs) on both the desktop itself, and in Finder when pointed to the Desktop. I don't run any kind of sync (Google, Apple, etc). However, I changed the location of my screenshots to point to a dedicated folder in Documents, and now screen shots are rapid, going to that new folder. One other thing I changed had to do with Location Services. I can't believe it would matter, but at the suggestion of something I saw elsewhere, I disabled Location-Based Suggestions, Find My Mac and Wi-Fi Networking from the System Services in the Location Services panel. All that work did *seem* to speed up screen shots to the Desktop -- maybe a couple of seconds before they'd appear. In their new location, it's heartbeat-fast. While I still believe there's something going on with the Desktop, it does appear it's better after the Location Services changes, and screenshots are *definitely* faster going to somewhere else on the filesystem. YMMV.

 

[foliovision]

Syncovery also triggers this non-updating Finder window issue. Super frustrating. Alternative finders - like good old PathFinder 5 (pre-rewrite) continue to update in real time.

I followed the command line force HFS+ High Sierra procedure (search How to Install High Sierra without APFS for detailed instructions) as I have no wish to trust my files and livelihood to beta test a new file system.

High Sierra is a real winner - we all get to start using alternative Finder programs or give up sync of all kinds. Just like the broken networking in Yosemite ('discoveryd') which Apple had to permanently replace by its predecessor mDNSResponder to get networking working reliably again.

Another good alternative Finder with which I have experience is Forklift 3. I didn't try it when this problem was in front of me. Having trouble replicating the empty directory with Forklift 3 and Path Finder 5 running. Starting Path Finder 5 after facing an empty folder did not update the empty directory. More troubleshooting necessary - hope this helps you guys though. user1234 helped me track this issue down (sync programs).

 

[shadiradio]

Not sure if this is helpful information at all, but my Finder has been behaving normally for a little while now (and I'm still using all my cloud software). At least, operations such as screenshots, file renaming, and copying / deleting are instantaneous now when they used to have a major delay. I'm not exactly sure when it started behaving normally, perhaps in the last OS update (but not listed in the release notes from Apple). Just in case this is useful, the relevant software I'm running is:

• Mac OS 10.13.5 (17F77)
• Google Backup and Sync (3.42.9858.3671)
• Adobe Creative Cloud (4.5.0.331)
• iCloud drive has always been off for me, even when I had the issue

 

[idothings]

Thanks for this thread - helped me a lot!

The issue I had: Files turned up delayed when dragging from browser to desktop
I had new files showing up on the desktop delayed only when dragging e.g. images from a browser window (Chrome or Safari) to the desktop. Copying, moving or renaming files on the desktop always worked fast.

What I tried without success...
Disabled and uninstalled Adobe CC and Dropbox. Tried to force quit any suspicious process in the Activity Monitor. Also logging out from iCloud and back in again or rebooting did not change anything.

Enabling iCloud desktop syncing solved the issue for me...
I always kept iCloud desktop syncing disabled. After enabling "Desktop & Documents Folders" in System Preferences > iCloud > iCloud Drive > Options dragging images from any browser to the desktop started to work fast and instantly - no system reboot needed. Sadly turning iCloud Desktop off again brought back the issue - so I am forced to use the iCloud synced desktop for now.

Experienced on a late 2015 iMac - macOS 10.13.6 (17G65) - APFS Apple SSD

 

[user1234]

That's strange that iCloud sync turned off would make this happen. I have always had it turned off for what it's worth and for me it was only Google backup and sync that caused the issue.

On a side note: I wish there was an option to sync the desktop but not the documents folder. I keep things I currently work with on the desktop which would be nice to sync, but I don't want to sync my documents folder which contains files I'm not comfortable having in the cloud.

 

[michang5]

I noticed that SugarSync pushed an update on 7/2 — https://support.sugarsync.com/hc/en-us/articles/204736464

3.9.8

• Fixed a scenario that would delete files
• Fixed another memory leak
• Fixed a high CPU situation
• Fixed multiple crashes
• Cleaned up unnecessary entries in log files

Has anyone tried it? Did it fix the slow screenshot issue?

 

[Jorg1312]

I have the same issue with Cubase. When I bounce a new audio file it takes a long time to appear. When I try to bounce it again cubase says it already exists but finder doesn't show it.
I had a feeling its spotlight so I set my entire system drive as private in the spotlight settings. This instantly fixed it. Now I can't search any files anymore though which doesn't help.
I don't have google sync running or installed.

 

[softex]

I had the same painful and annoying issues on a brand new 2019 MBP 13. After endless trouble shooting I found something that works!

My solution was to delete the desktop folder and replace it with a symbolic link called "Desktop".

# create a desktop back up - just in case
mv /Users/myUserName/Desktop /Users/myUserName/Desktop.bak

# create a symbolic to your new desktop folder, call it "Desktop"
ln -s /Users/myUserName/myPath/Desktop/ ./Desktop

# reboot

# enjoy :)

 

[pruppert]

I have had the same frustrating problem. After some searching, it seems this is due to a macOS bug in the Finder Extension API in High Sierra. To fix this behavior, you should disable Finder Extensions in System Preferences (see below image). This immediately fixed the problem for me. This bug is supposedly fixed on Mojave 10.14, but I have not been able to upgrade to be sure.

 

[user1234]

I have had the same frustrating problem. After some searching, it seems this is due to a macOS bug in the Finder Extension API in High Sierra. To fix this behavior, you should disable Finder Extensions in System Preferences (see below image). This immediately fixed the problem for me. This bug is supposedly fixed on Mojave 10.14, but I have not been able to upgrade to be sure.

View attachment 820231

That makes sense!
This may finally explain which part of macOS the bug was in.

 

[ihf]

I have had the same frustrating problem. After some searching, it seems this is due to a macOS bug in the Finder Extension API in High Sierra. To fix this behavior, you should disable Finder Extensions in System Preferences (see below image). This immediately fixed the problem for me. This bug is supposedly fixed on Mojave 10.14, but I have not been able to upgrade to be sure.

View attachment 820231

That fixed it for me. Turned off Funter Finder Extension.

 

[MilaM]

I have had the same frustrating problem. After some searching, it seems this is due to a macOS bug in the Finder Extension API in High Sierra. To fix this behavior, you should disable Finder Extensions in System Preferences (see below image). This immediately fixed the problem for me. This bug is supposedly fixed on Mojave 10.14, but I have not been able to upgrade to be sure.

View attachment 820231

Turning off all Finder Extensions in Preferences worked for me. I had this problem up to the most recent release of macOS 10.14.5. Hopefully the problem won't come back later.