Finder window default preferences not working

[downhillpony]

2009 Mac Pro 4,1 MVX 10.9.2

my Finder window default view option preferences don't work

every time i open a finder window it reverts back to size 12 fonts,
it also reverts back to standard functions such as icon view in stead of list view.
it also reverts back to standard column set up , i only want size and kind columns displayed.

i have to reset all these things every time i open a new window ....
and whats worse is it even reverts back to standard in the very same window
i am working in when i open a different folder or sidebar item.

very frustrating , especially the font size and column rearranging.

i have opened "view options" and set up everything to my liking
and ticked the "use as default box" ad nauseam....

why doesn't the "use as default" option work ?.....

i usually spend 1 to 2 hours a day sorting , moving and rearranging folders
and files in mass quantities between storage and internal hard drives.......
this is driving me insane.

 

[Gregg2]

You seem to have hosed up the operation. Use as Defaults will only affect folders you haven't mucked with. Imagine a user who had set some specific things in various folders who checked that box and discovered it altered all previously customized windows. That's why they did it that way.

However, once you've set up a folder in Show View Options, that should stay that way until you manually change it. I just wonder if you're jumping all over the place and losing track.

Open a folder, write the name of the folder down. Change its settings in SVO and close it, after you write down the settings of course. When you open that folder again, those settings should still be applied. If they're not, you might have corrupt Finder preferences.

 

[downhillpony]

i think you miss my point ......
i restart and open a brand new finder window......
i go and choose all my options the way i like them
and check the "use as default " box. then close the window.

default means default..... any new finder window i open up should follow those rules.....

i understand that any previously saved folder would have the parameters
it was saved under .... i get that.

what i want to know is why a new , fresh finder window does not open
up with my defaults ..
default should mean default , should it not ?

 

[Gregg2]

When I execute "New Finder Window" it opens a new window containing an existing folder's icons. In fact, it seems to always open my Documents folder, whether a window showing the Documents folder is open or not. So, that being the case, the answer to your question about defaults would be no. The folder has the settings embedded in it, so to speak. Checking the Use as defaults box will only affect previously unaltered folders within the folder named at the top of the SVO dialog box, and perhaps new Folders created within it.

I see that in Finder Preferences, I have "New Finder windows open" set to Documents. So that explains what is happening for me. It does have the option of choosing "Other", but that would still be an existing folder. But it's not possible to open a new window that doesn't open a folder (in my trials at least) nor is it possible to open a new window with different SVO settings than one showing the same folder that's already open.

Maybe I'm still not on the same page, but I'm trying to understand and to help. When you do "New Finder Window" what opens?

 

[downhillpony]

i think i have finally figured it out Gregg...

the settings you make in the Finder Preferences are absolutely defaulted...
as you said ..things like which folder it opens with , sidebar preferences , etc.

the view options window is a different animal altogether...
in order for the defaults to work i had to :
1) close all finder windows
2) open a new Finder window
3) open the view options window .....
and keep it open as i did the following procedure :
a) start at the top of your sidebar list and open the first folder ...
if your 1st folder is AirDrop skip it because it has no view options
open each folder in your sidebar one at a time and choose your options and
and tick the "use as defaults" ... keep the view options window open because
it will reset with every folder you open ...

do this for every folder in your sidebar .....
make sure you have all your devices and hard drives showing in the sidebar including external drives and your main device... maybe Gregg's Mac Pro,or or Gregg's MacBook Pro , whatever your computer's name is.

once you have set the view option defaults on all your sidebar folders ...
all the rest of the subfolders will obey the defaults.

now every time you open a new finder window it will be exactly how you like it.

the only caveat is that if you already have a finder window open and you open another one , it will have any changes you have made to your column settings in the first window .. such as size , date added, folder type ..et.

hopefully Gregg , together we have conquered this beast.

thanx for all your input.

 

[Gregg2]

Good news! Glad it's working better for you now. I keep things simple, so I had this nailed down soon after switching to OSX.

 

[Bloubum]

I have never changed and default view options in finder except view as list but suddenly my applications folder keeps changing the font size from 12 to 14. Only that folder. I followed the above instructions, restarted and it is back to size 14. This keeps happening no matter what I do.

 

[Gregg2]

com.apple.finder.plist might be in control of that, and has become corrupt.

Delete that plist file and Restart.

You could just try the Restart first, if you're not in the habit of shutting down.