Finder is a tool to manage files that many users treat as one of the key features of a Mac. It runs with the Mac operating system, but sometimes, it slows down due to full storage or memory. Just like this, many reasons make Finder stop responding or work slowly. For example, corrupted system preferences, outdated third-party apps, and Finder’s poor configuration.
Freeing up space on Macintosh HD cannot provide the solution every time. Hence, it is important to learn how to stop finder action on Mac. Here are some ways you can stop Finder on your computer. If the built-in methods don’t seem to work, downloading a professional app can be the best option.
Keyboard Shortcuts
Use the force quit keyboard shortcut to stop Finder on your Mac. Press down Option + Command + Esc keys simultaneously on your Mac or select Force Quit from the Apple menu. Select Finder in the force quit window and tap on Force Quit. If the Finder becomes completely unresponsive, press the Command + Shift + Option + Esc keys to close it without any confirmation.
Normal Shut Down
If you are not able to close the Finder window, there might be several programs jamming the RAM, slowing down your computer. If this happens, you will see the spinning wheel on the screen. Among the many reasons why the spinning wheel appears, inappropriate functioning of an app is a common one. You need to close the Finder app to stop the spinning ball from moving consistently.
Apple Menu
If you get an error “You cannot open the application Finder because it is not responding”, then stop Finder immediately. There is the option to force quit Finder by using the Apple menu by selecting the Force Quit option in the Apple menu. The menu is available in the upper-left corner of the screen. Force Quit window will appear; select Finder and click Force Quit to close the app.
Activity Monitor
This is a native Mac utility that tracks active processes. It helps users in blocking or terminating some of the processes if required. Using Activity Monitor, you can easily stop the Finder action. For this, launch Activity Monitor in the Utilities and select Finder. Click the close button or press X. If it doesn’t work, restart your system.
Dock
If you’ve used keyboard shortcuts or the Apple Menu to determine whether force quit is working or not, then relaunch it. Use a specific option from the dock panel to reopen or relaunch Finder. To stop Finder on Mac from the dock, press and hold the Option key. Right-click on the Finder option in the dock and select Relaunch.
Terminal Command
To force quit Finder with Terminal, open the Terminal app by going to Utilities in the Applications folder. Copy and paste the command “killall Finder” and then press Enter to stop Finder. You can also use the Quit command “defaults write com.apple.finder QuitMenuItem -bool true” on Mac. However, to remove the Quit Finder option, run the command “defaults write com.apple.finder QuitMenuItem -bool false”.
Memory Cleaner
This free app has a feature to quit as well as a force to quit all applications running on the Mac. It clears RAM space from Mac devices. To use this method, access Launch Memory Cleaner and click on its icon in the toolbar. Select and right-click on Finder. In the context menu, hit Quit or Force Quit as per the requirement. You’ll find the command to force quit in the Memory Cleaner window.
Quit All
Another way you can access and close the running applications on your system is Quit All. You can select any app using a visual dropdown in the menu bar. The great feature of using this method is that unsaved changes in that app would not be lost. It can also force-quit background applications.
PowerMyMac
This is an uninstaller app that altogether deletes an app with all the relevant files within a short period. To use this app, download, install, and launch it. Hit the App Uninstaller and Scan button. Once scanning gets completed, select the unwanted app from the given list of apps on the left side. Click clean to remove the required app and its related files.
CleanMyMac X
While learning how to stop finder action on Mac, this method is also recommended when Finder keeps crashing. Reset Finder by giving permission to this app. After taking permission, you can reset your Finder, ensuring you have at least 5GB of free disk space.
The Conclusion
Lack of storage space, frozen apps, spotlight indexing, and corrupt system preferences may cause Finder to crash or become unresponsive. Whatever the reason is, practicing the above-mentioned ways can help you to stop or force quit Finder on your Mac. After this, Finder could not use an external hard disk or any application.
