macOS Finder almost useless in Big Sur 11.3 update...

Question

macOS Finder almost useless in Big Sur 11.3 update...

Hi, I can't find anyone else reporting these issues after searching these forums (apologies if I have missed a thread).

After updating to 11.3, I instantly acquired the following problems with the Finder:

1) Copying from the macOS main disk to any removable drive usually takes several seconds to start copying; after completion, I get a "0 bytes left to copy, 5 seconds remaining" but it stays locked 10-30 seconds.

2) Double-clicking a ZIP file from the Finder results in the Apple archive app locking up and never unzipping.

3) I cannot eject removable drives (ExFAT, APFS) whether plugged into the MacBook or a USB-C hub ("another program is using the drive"). I have to "Force Eject" in every case. NTFS drives seem to unmount OK.

-> Force-quitting the Finder rarely fixes the issues.

-> A hard-reboot fixes all issues for between 1 and 12 hours.

I have no anti-malware installed/running in the background.

No other programs seem affected, only the Finder. My MacBook Pro is almost useless for work, due to the huge delays in file handling.

Any suggestions? Anyone else afflicted with these issues?

Thanks, MJS.

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 11.3

Posted on Apr 30, 2021 6:15 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Barney-15E

Level 10

116,776 points

Apr 30, 2021 6:20 AM in response to Michael Sanders2

Maybe try booting into Safe Mode to clear System caches, then restart normally.

After that, I would reinstall the OS. Seems like something went awry.

I have had various similar issues ejecting a USB Stick (MS-DOS) on Big Sur throughout it's existence. I usually don't have any problem ejecting an SSD.

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Answer 2

May 4, 2021 5:40 AM in response to Michael Sanders2

Hey,

Having similar issues. Right after 11.3, the finder got slower, but more importantly it randomly hides everything on a HFS+ sparse bundle volume (manually created, used for years without issues). The directory in the finder and in /Volumes appears completely empty, and I can't eject. If I reboot and remount the sparse bundle volume, all the files are back.

I tried:

upgrading to 11.3.1
booting in safe mode and erase /Library/Caches and ~/Library/Caches
copying all the files on the HFS+ sparse bundle volume to a new APFS sparse bundle volume

With all those, the disappearance problem remains.

If anybody has other ideas, it's making my work semi-unusable...

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Answer 3

May 4, 2021 5:50 AM in response to David_Steiner

Hi,

Yes, I upgraded to 11.3.1 today. Although the cache-cleaning solution, described above in this thread, fixed almost all of my issues (in particular the sluggishness) with the Finder, I was still occasionally dropping files into my "Downloads" folder and they wouldn't appear - they were there (checked with Terminal) but the Finder just wouldn't refresh itself. I note that the .1 upgrade today doesn't seem to have fixed this.

Regards, M

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Answer 4

Apr 30, 2021 6:52 AM in response to Barney-15E

Thanks! I have cleared all caches completely and restarted. All is well, but I shall report back after 12 hours or more of usage.

Regards, M

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Answer 5

May 1, 2021 7:16 AM in response to Barney-15E

The Finder is still looking good. Some issues ejecting removable drives still, but that always happened.

I think that clearing the caches was the trick. Thanks!

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macOS Finder almost useless in Big Sur 11.3 update...

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