If Finder is crashing, not relaunching, or missing UI elements, here are step-by-step methods to fix or restore expected behavior.
Method 1: Restart Finder with killall
killall Finder
Method 2: Manually Restart Finder
open /System/Library/CoreServices/Finder.app
Method 3: Using launchctl
launchctl stop com.apple.Finder launchctl start com.apple.Finder
Method 4: Reset Finder Preferences
rm ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.finder.plist killall Finder
Method 5: Clear Finder Cache
rm -r ~/Library/Caches/com.apple.finder killall Finder
Method 6: Re-enable Desktop Icons for Disks
- Open Finder
- Go to Finder > Settings (or Preferences)
- Under the General tab, check:
✅Hard disks
Method 7: Adjust Icon Spacing on Desktop
- Right-click on the desktop
- Choose “Show View Options” or press
Command-J - Adjust:
- Grid spacing
- Icon size
Method 8: Rebuild Launch Services
/System/Library/Frameworks/CoreServices.framework/Frameworks/LaunchServices.framework/Support/lsregister \ -kill -r -domain local -domain system -domain user
Method 9: Repair Disk with Disk Utility
- Open Disk Utility
- Select your startup volume
- Click First Aid to check and repair
Bonus: Apply View Options to All Finder Windows
- Open a Finder window
- Choose View > As Icons
- Press Command-J to open view options
- Adjust spacing, size, etc.
- Click “Use as Defaults”