Finder Window defaults to small size in 26.5.2

[Tajhad]

As the title says. Every time I open a Finder window, it opens in a small window. I manually expand it to a bigger size, but next time I reopen it, it defaults to a smaller size. I have tried resizing it while holding down the "option" key, but it makes no difference.
A small annoyance, I know. But does anyone know how to fix it?

 

[benholt]

Finder saves window geometry per view mode, and it really only writes that state out when you close a window with Cmd+W. If the window closes some other way (Finder relaunch, forced quit, logout with "reopen windows" unchecked), it doesn't get persisted. So the sequence that works consistently for me on 26.5.2: open a new Finder window, resize and position it exactly how you want, then Cmd+W to close it, then Cmd+N to open a fresh one and verify it comes up at the same size.

If that still resets across a reboot, check System Settings > Desktop & Dock — "Close windows when quitting an application" being on will nuke the saved geometry too. Toggle it off and the size should stick across sessions. Nothing wrong with the install, Tahoe just got a bit stricter about when it commits the window-state plist.

 

[Tajhad]

Thanks for that. Didn't work originally - but after a reboot it is holding size. Thanks again.
The weird thing was that it was only happening with Finder. Any other app resized would hold that size.

 

[MacGizmo]

I got so tired of playing the window resizing game that I installed FinderFix so that all windows automatically open at my exact specified window size and position on the screen.

 

[orbital~debris]

Was just reading a similar thread about Mail column width, and added the following comment which may also be relevant here:

I've had this problem in several apps.

What worked for me, for the most part, has been to open each affected app with the Shift key held down (to reset the saved state of the app's windows), next set the window size and sidebar widths as you prefer, then quit the app.

But from what @benholt says, it sounds like an important step is to use Command+W instead of just quitting.