How to set new Finder windows on Mac to open in the size you want

Perhaps more than any other macOS feature, the Finder is universally hated by Mac owners for its inconsistencies, bugs, missing features and overly flaky behavior.

Finder in macOS is plagued with the bafflingly inability to remember window sizes and positions, which is odd considering that past OS X versions allowed a window to be opened exactly how it was left.

Thankfully, it’s possible to override a window’s default opening behavior on macOS and set it to open to the same size as the last one you created. This tutorial will teach you how to set a Finder window’s default opening behavior.

How to get a new Finder window in the size you want

Step 1: Open a model window by double-clicking the drive icon on your desktop, or click the Finder icon in the Dock to create a new window.

Step 2: Set the new window the size you want. Don’t navigate to a different folder as resizing the window must be the first way you interact with it.

Step 3: Close the window.

Step 4: Close all open Finder windows, if any, by hitting the Command (⌘) – Option (⌥) – W combination on the keyboard. You can also hold down the Option key while clicking each window’s close button or while choosing Close All Windows in the Finder’s File menu.

Step 5: Now hold down Option while right-click the Finder icon in the Dock to reveal options. Choose Relaunch.

That’s all there is to it!

From now on, all subsequent Finder windows will now open in the same dimensions, whether you resized them manually or not. In a typical Apple fashion, new windows offset slightly in location.

If you though about resizing a Finder window and setting its other attributes before accessing the Finder’s View Options (⌘-J) to choose the Use As Defaults button, think again—that option behaves somewhat erratically as it doesn’t appear to save the window size and proportions.

Last but not least, you might consider giving dedicated tools like Total Finder a whirl. Among other things, Total Finder opens the same window at the same size every time.

Should you find this tip useful, please bookmark the article and consider passing it along to your Mac friends and support folks.

Oh, and we like feedback so chime in with your thoughts in the comments and submit your tutorial ideas to tips@iDownloadBlog.com.