Finder is frozen or not responding

Why it happens

Finder can hang while it waits on something slow, like a network drive that dropped off, an external disk that's struggling, or a folder with thousands of files. A nearly full startup disk makes it much worse. Relaunching Finder clears the jam without touching your files or other apps.

How to fix it

1. Hold down the Option key, then Control-click (or right-click) the Finder icon at the left end of the Dock. Choose Relaunch from the menu.

2. If the Dock doesn't respond either, press Option-Command-Escape to open Force Quit, or choose it from the Apple menu. Select Finder in the list. The button changes to Relaunch, so click it.

   Apple menu›Force Quit…›Finder

3. Wait a few seconds. The desktop icons and Finder windows disappear and come back, and Finder should respond again.

4. If it freezes again soon, restart your Mac from the Apple menu. Then open General, then Storage in System Settings and make sure your disk isn't nearly full.

   General›Storage

Still not fixed?

1. Eject network drives and external disks you aren't using, using the eject button next to them in the Finder sidebar. A drive that's asleep or failing can hang Finder each time it looks at it.

2. If it only freezes in one folder, that folder may hold a damaged file or a huge number of items. Try switching that window to list view with Command-2, which loads faster than icons.

3. Install any waiting update in General, then Software Update. Finder bugs are often fixed in point releases.

   General›Software Update

4. Start up in safe mode to see if something you installed is the cause. On Apple silicon, shut down, hold the power button until the startup options appear, select your disk, hold Shift and click Continue in Safe Mode. On an Intel Mac, hold Shift as it starts.

5. Run First Aid on your Mac's disk in Disk Utility. If First Aid finds errors it can't fix, or Finder still freezes in safe mode, contact Apple Support, as the disk may need attention.

   Disk Utility›First Aid