Learn how to restart the Mac’s Finder when it is locked up.
Did you know you could force quit the Finder on the Mac? It’s actually called Relaunch, as the Finder restarts as soon as you force quit it. See how you force quit or relaunch the Finder through the Apple menu or directly fro the Dock in the video for the Mac.
Video Transcript (video also has closed captions):
In this video, I’m going to show you how you can restart the Finder. Basically, what we do is we force quit it, and then it relaunches. Let’s see how we force quit or relaunch our Finder on the Mac. Let’s go to my Mac.
Now, as you may know, the Finder here is always running. We cannot quit out of the Finder, but what we can do if you’re having a problem with it is relaunch it. Basically, we just force quit it, and then being that it has to be open, it relaunches.
So how do we relaunch this Finder if we’re having a problem? We have a couple of different ways. One way is by going up to the Apple menu, and then we go over to Force Quit. We have a window that opens up with all of our open applications. And if we look here, you’re going to see Finder. Before I select Finder, you will also see that we have a button that says Force Quit. But when we go to the Finder here, watch what happens; it changes to Relaunch. That’s because we cannot force quit the Finder; well, actually, what we are doing is we are force quitting it, but then it’s opening back up. So it’s relaunching. I select any other app here, let’s go to Numbers; you’re going to see it says Force Quit. Because we’re going to quit it, and then we have to open it back up. But again, when we go to the Finder here, it’s called Relaunch because it’ll quit it, and then it’ll relaunch it. So, this one way is through the Apple menu. We just go to our Force Quit Applications and select Finder, and then we click on Relaunch.
We can also do this through the Dock. If I go down to my Finder here in the Dock and I hold down the option key, you’re going to see we have an option for Relaunch. All I have to do is select this, and it’s going to relaunch the Finder.
Now you only want to use this when you’re having a problem with the Finder. It’s not something that I would recommend you do on a regular basis, but every once in a while, you may find that you can open up other apps, you can move around with other apps, but when you go to the Finder, it is locked up. Well, instead of restarting it, what you may want to try is relaunching it. Again to relaunch it. You just go up under the Apple menu and go to Force Quit and click on the Finder and Relaunch. Or you can hold down the option key while clicking on the Finder in the Dock and relaunch it from there.
So that’s how you force quit or relaunch the Finder on the Mac.In this video, I’m going to show you how you can restart the Finder. Basically, what we do is we force quit it, and then it relaunches. Let’s see how we force quit or relaunch our Finder on the Mac. Let’s go to my Mac.
Now, as you may know, the Finder here is always running. We cannot quit out of the Finder, but what we can do if you’re having a problem with it is relaunch it. Basically, we just force quit it, and then being that it has to be open, it relaunches.
So how do we relaunch this Finder if we’re having a problem? We have a couple of different ways. One way is by going up to the Apple menu, and then we go over to Force Quit. We have a window that opens up with all of our open applications. And if we look here, you’re going to see Finder. Before I select Finder, you will also see that we have a button that says Force Quit. But when we go to the Finder here, watch what happens; it changes to Relaunch. That’s because we cannot force quit the Finder; well, actually, what we are doing is we are force quitting it, but then it’s opening back up. So it’s relaunching. I select any other app here, let’s go to Numbers; you’re going to see it says Force Quit. Because we’re going to quit it, and then we have to open it back up. But again, when we go to the Finder here, it’s called Relaunch because it’ll quit it, and then it’ll relaunch it. So, this one way is through the Apple menu. We just go to our Force Quit Applications and select Finder, and then we click on Relaunch.
We can also do this through the Dock. If I go down to my Finder here in the Dock and I hold down the option key, you’re going to see we have an option for Relaunch. All I have to do is select this, and it’s going to relaunch the Finder.
Now you only want to use this when you’re having a problem with the Finder. It’s not something that I would recommend you do on a regular basis, but every once in a while, you may find that you can open up other apps, you can move around with other apps, but when you go to the Finder, it is locked up. Well, instead of restarting it, what you may want to try is relaunching it. Again to relaunch it. You just go up under the Apple menu and go to Force Quit and click on the Finder and Relaunch. Or you can hold down the option key while clicking on the Finder in the Dock and relaunch it from there.
So that’s how you force quit or relaunch the Finder on the Mac.