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Monterey Finder Column View Bug Killing Me - Please Help

zachlegomaniac

zachlegomaniac

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 20, 2008
806
370
Since I downloaded Monterey, whenever I use Finder in column view, it springs backwards when I scroll horizontally. It also does not spring open folders when I hover a file over a folder so I cannot move files around without dragging them to my desktop, navigating to the location I want to place the file, and then dragging the file from the desktop to the desired location.

I am on 12.3. Everytime I update the software I pray that it will fix the issue. I am using a 2019 MacBook Air. My wife has them same exact computer with the same issue. My brother has a 2021 MacBook Pro and has never had the issue. Can anyone help? it is killing my workflow. Thank you!

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I noticed this same issue with the last update and it does continue with 12.3. The only way to avoid it is to have the window set wide enough to show the full folder name of the far left column. It's absurd.
 
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MacGizmo said:
I noticed this same issue with the last update and it does continue with 12.3. The only way to avoid it is to have the window set wide enough to show the full folder name of the far left column. It's absurd.
Click to expand...

Bummer. Thank you for confirming. I reported the bug to Apple twice (myself and my wife) in the late fall, but it looks like I'd need a new computer to fix the issue. I put Finder in full screen on my 27" monitor, but this leads to other work issues. It's so frustrating and disappointing.
 
Well I just got a new Mac Studio and the same thing happens. So take solace in knowing you don't have to spend thousands of dollars! ?
 
Have had the same issue for a while now on Monterey. Not sure when it started but definitely before 12.3. Still not fixed in 12.3.1.

Does no one use column view at Apple?
 
MacGizmo said:
I don't think that's the same bug. The column widths aren't a problem here, it's the inability to go back in the folder hierarchy. Perhaps it is the same bug, but I never experienced it until Monterey.
Click to expand...
Oh, I get it. Howard's described problem is he can't go any deeper; you can't go back up the hierarchy. I think it's the long name that's tripping you both up, though. Still sucks that the Finder isn't fixed yet.

I found this in the comments section of the quoted post:

Howard: Actually, as Jeff Johnson pointed out, this bug only occurs when you have QuickLook thumbnails enabled. The moment that you disable those, you don’t see it at all. It’s the transition from showing a thumbnail in the second column to showing folder contents there which triggers it, and the column width is left as it was for the thumbnail rather than being shrunk back down to what it should be for the second column.
Click to expand...

That may or may not work.
 
sgtaylor5 said:
Oh, I get it. Howard's described problem is he can't go any deeper; you can't go back up the hierarchy. I think it's the long name that's tripping you both up, though. Still sucks that the Finder isn't fixed yet.
Click to expand...
Yes. That's exactly my problem. I can edit the name of the thread (if that's possible) if anyone has suggestions. I'm going to try to fix this with someone at Apple support today, but based on what I've read here (and other threads via Google search) I'm not hopeful. If I make progress I will report.

I've reached out to Apple with both my wife's and my account, but no fix each time I download an update. I've hooked up a cheap, extra 27" monitor at the office to keep Finder open while I work, but it still doesn't always spring open a folder when I drag a folder or file over another. It's also a problem when I travel and am regulated to the 13" display.
 
sgtaylor5 said:
I found this in the comments section of the quoted post:

Howard: Actually, as Jeff Johnson pointed out, this bug only occurs when you have QuickLook thumbnails enabled. The moment that you disable those, you don’t see it at all. It’s the transition from showing a thumbnail in the second column to showing folder contents there which triggers it, and the column width is left as it was for the thumbnail rather than being shrunk back down to what it should be for the second column.
Click to expand...
I can't imagine how QuickLook would effect this situation. But it did make me try turning off "Show preview column" (maybe that's what he meant?) in the Finder window preferences (Command+J). This solved the issue completely.

The only problem is, I rely on the file info that shows up in the preview column and I don't want to have to hit Command+I to get the info window every time I want to see the modification time/date on a file.


Screen Shot 2022-04-08 at 2.18.57 AM.png
 
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MacGizmo said:
I can't imagine how QuickLook would effect this situation. But it did make me try turning off "Show preview column" (maybe that's what he meant?) in the Finder window preferences (Command+J). This solved the issue completely.

The only problem is, I rely on the file info that shows up in the preview column and I don't want to have to hit Command+I to get the info window every time I want to see the modification time/date on a file.


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Wow. Game changer. Thank you.
 
Ugh.. Still having the problem even with "show preview column" off. Glad to have the help, though.
 
zachlegomaniac said:
Ugh.. Still having the problem even with "show preview column" off. Glad to have the help, though.
Click to expand...
I am running 12.3.1 and Command + J does not have that "show preview column" option at all. Instead there is a "Show Icon Preview"
 

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I'm having the same issue, and it's extremely annoying. I've gotten into the habit of opening a new Finder window if I want to be able to easily look back and forth between two different columns, but we obviously shouldn't have to do that. Between this and the tap to click bug Monterey initially had, this has been one of my most frustrating upgrades in ~20 years. I'm on a 2019 iMac and running 12.3.1, for whatever it's worth.
 
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I'm still on Big Sur on my 2018 Mac mini, because of this bug.
It drives me crazy on a M1 Mac mini upgraded to Monterey.
 
djpyle said:
I'm having the same issue, and it's extremely annoying. I've gotten into the habit of opening a new Finder window if I want to be able to easily look back and forth between two different columns, but we obviously shouldn't have to do that. Between this and the tap to click bug Monterey initially had, this has been one of my most frustrating upgrades in ~20 years. I'm on a 2019 iMac and running 12.3.1, for whatever it's worth.
Click to expand...
I agree on the frustration. I can't wait to have a free moment to call Apple, but I am impossibly busy with work at the moment. I have a feeling I'm going to spend a lot of time on the phone with them for little return, but I don't know what else to do.
 
Same problem. Talked to higher level AppleCare advisor.
He suggested resetting the Bluetooth card via terminal. Didn’t help. Obviously.
He said it must be a software bug.

M1 iMac, 16 GB RAM.
 
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zachlegomaniac said:
Since I downloaded Monterey, whenever I use Finder in column view, it springs backwards when I scroll horizontally.
Click to expand...
For me, it doesn't happen all the time. But when it does it is most annoying. I have not yet found what turns the misbehaviour on and off. I have only noticed it since 12.3.1 (or may 12.3).
 
I am also experiencing this bug since I updated from Catalina to Montery a few month ago.
The tip to disable the preview pane didn’t really help, but I think, the point is, that Finder scrolls back to the right, whenever there is something to be updated on the screen, possibly because the preview pane asynchronously keeps checking for changes.

I then noticed, that the Finder bug primarily occurs when navigating in folders that belong to a Dropbox or Seafile folder hierarchy. Both Dropbox and Seafile install a Finder extension that displays an icon next to the filename to indicate wether the file has been syncronized to the service. After disabling their Finder extensions (under Preferences/Extensions/Finder extensions) the scroll-right-behaviour now only occurs every now and then.

This is not to say, that Dropbox and/or Seafile are buggy. But I suspect that Apple changed the screen update behaviour of the Finder in a way that this bug is triggered.

As a side note, I also saw this bug appear on Samba shares. I believe that this has to do with the asyncronous loading of file metadata by the Finder, but I have to further investigate, what is going on here.
 
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rsplaul said:
I am also experiencing this bug since I updated from Catalina to Montery a few month ago.
The tip to disable the preview pane didn’t really help, but I think, the point is, that Finder scrolls back to the right, whenever there is something to be updated on the screen, possibly because the preview pane asynchronously keeps checking for changes.

I then noticed, that the Finder bug primarily occurs when navigating in folders that belong to a Dropbox or Seafile folder hierarchy. Both Dropbox and Seafile install a Finder extension that displays an icon next to the filename to indicate wether the file has been syncronized to the service. After disabling their Finder extensions (under Preferences/Extensions/Finder extensions) the scroll-right-behaviour now only occurs every now and then.

This is not to say, that Dropbox and/or Seafile are buggy. But I suspect that Apple changed the screen update behaviour of the Finder in a way that this bug is triggered.

As a side note, I also saw this bug appear on Samba shares. I believe that this has to do with the asyncronous loading of file metadata by the Finder, but I have to further investigate, what is going on here.
Click to expand...
This is great information. I am having the issue primarily with Dropbox in Finder. Since upgrading my Mac the issue hasn't been as bad as with the 2019 MBA, but it still occurs. Thank you for sharing.
 
zachlegomaniac said:
This is great information. I am having the issue primarily with Dropbox in Finder. Since upgrading my Mac the issue hasn't been as bad as with the 2019 MBA, but it still occurs. Thank you for sharing.
Click to expand...
Are you saying, that with a newer Mac model the issue doesn’t occur all the time, even with activated Dropbox Finder extension? On my 2017 MBP, the bug occurs in 100% of the time and instantly after scrolling left, when navigating inside a Seafile or Dropbox hierachy (with activated Finder extensions).
 
rsplaul said:
Are you saying, that with a newer Mac model the issue doesn’t occur all the time, even with activated Dropbox Finder extension? On my 2017 MBP, the bug occurs in 100% of the time and instantly after scrolling left, when navigating inside a Seafile or Dropbox hierachy (with activated Finder extensions).
Click to expand...
Yes. My wife has the same 2019 MBA that I did before upgrading and has the exact problem 100% of the time as well. With the new 2021 MBP I have it occurs only some of the time (with activated Finder extensions). It’s strange.
 
zachlegomaniac said:
Yes. My wife has the same 2019 MBA that I did before upgrading and has the exact problem 100% of the time as well. With the new 2021 MBP I have it occurs only some of the time (with activated Finder extensions). It’s strange.
Click to expand...
Did you or does your wife have any other Finder extensions installed on the 2019 MBA, that are not installed (or activated) on your new MBP? In my case, there are also the extensions from Nextcloud, Google, Microsoft OneDrive and the "Core Sync Helper" from Adobe Creative Cloud, and I guess, any of those could trigger the annoying Finder behaviour …
 
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