How to Close Finder on Mac: A Step-by-Step Guide

Finder is an essential part of your Mac operating system. As such, you cannot technically quit it like you would quit other apps. However, sometimes Finder can become frozen, and you need to know how to refresh it. In this guide, we’ll show you how to close Finder on Mac by relaunching it.

First, let’s talk about why you can’t quit Finder like other apps. Finder is part of your system, rather than just another app. Therefore, it works differently from other applications on your Mac. However, if Finder becomes frozen, you can force quit it.

To force quit Finder, you need to click on the Apple logo located next to the Finder icon on the top left side of your screen. Then, click on “Force Quit.” This will display a window showing all the apps you currently have open. You can force quit any app, including Finder, from this window.

Once you force quit Finder, you will see a message asking if you want to relaunch it. Click “Relaunch” to refresh Finder. If you were working on a project or editing a file, it will still be there after you relaunch Finder. However, if you haven’t saved your work, we recommend against refreshing Finder as it may cause your unsaved changes to be lost.

It’s important to note that older Macs may take longer to refresh Finder than newer ones. Therefore, if you’re using an older Mac, be patient and give it some time to refresh.

In conclusion, while you can’t technically quit Finder, you can force quit it to refresh it if it becomes frozen. However, we recommend against doing this if you haven’t saved your work. Refreshing Finder is a quick and easy way to get it working again and get back to your work on your Mac.