How to change the default folder for new windows in Finder on Mac: step by step

Every new Finder window has to start somewhere. The New Finder windows show setting decides where. Apple's guide describes it as the option that chooses which folder appears when you open a new Finder window. On current versions of macOS, you find it under Finder > Settings > General.

The same setting also controls new Finder tabs, according to MacMost's guide. So one change covers the window you open with Command-N and the tabs you add later. It does not control what Command-double-click does. That behavior belongs to a separate option, covered later on this page.

Why change it at all? Most people never touch the setting, so new windows open to whatever the Mac chose. If you start each morning in the same project folder, a fixed starting point saves a few clicks every day. If you jump between recent files, leaving the default alone makes sense. The choice depends on your habits, not on a right answer.

Step by step: change the folder new Finder windows open to

Follow the steps in order. Each one names a menu or control you can check on your own screen. The labels match Apple's current guide. The notes near the end of the page explain where the wording changes between versions.

Which folders appear in the dropdown

This is the part people ask about most, and no single guide settles it. Apple's pages explain where the setting lives, but they do not list every choice. Third-party guides fill that gap, and they disagree. The table shows what each one reports.

The OWC article, written on Catalina, says the default is Recents and lists only Recents and Other. MacMost's 2023 article lists more choices, including the home folder, Desktop, Documents and iCloud Drive. Your Mac may show a different set again. Trust the dropdown on your own screen over any guide, including this one.

How to choose the right default folder

Start with the question you ask every morning. What do you open first? If the answer is one project, choose that project folder. If you mostly open files you touched recently, Recents keeps those in front of you with no setup. Documents works well when most of your files already live there.

Two details help. Recents changes as you work, so it always shows a mix of recent items across folders. A fixed folder stays the same no matter what you did yesterday. Pick the behavior you want, then test it for a week before you decide it is wrong.

Pick a folder that is not in the list

Choose Other when the folder you want is missing from the dropdown. A standard file picker opens. Browse to the folder, select it, and click Choose. From then on, new Finder windows open there.

Here is a worked example. Say your client files sit in Documents, inside a folder called Clients, and each client has a subfolder. You want new windows to open to Clients, so you can reach any client in one step. Choose Other, go to Documents, open Clients, select it, and click Choose. Press Command-N, and the window opens inside Clients.

Smart Folders and saved searches are the exception. MacMost says you cannot assign either one to this setting. The workaround is to keep the results in a regular folder, then select that folder with Other. A regular folder does not refresh itself the way a Smart Folder does, so you add the files yourself.

If you use an external disk or a shared drive, connect it before you pick its folder. A folder on a disk that is not connected cannot open in a new window. Connect the drive, then test with Command-N.

Check that the change worked

Press Command-N, or choose File > New Finder Window. Apple lists both ways to open a new window. The window should show the folder you picked. If it shows Recents or the old folder, go back to Settings and check the dropdown before you assume the setting failed.

Then test the tab behavior. Command-double-click a folder. Apple says that action opens the folder in a tab or a window, depending on the Open folders in tabs instead of new windows option under Finder > Settings > General. Turn that option on for tabs. Turn it off for windows.

Older macOS versions and different menu names

Apple's macOS 12 guide uses Finder > Preferences, then the General tab. Apple's macOS 27 Golden Gate guide uses Finder > Settings. Both describe New Finder windows show the same way, as the option that chooses which folder appears in a new window. If your menu says Preferences, the steps on this page still work. Use the Preferences item in place of Settings.

When the setting does not stick

Some people change the setting, close the window, and find Recents back again. One Apple Community user reported that the Recents box was already unchecked, yet new windows still opened to Recents. That thread suggests restarting the Mac and testing again before you change anything else.

A MacRumors forum reply on a similar thread says that changing the New Finder windows setting fixed the problem. That points to a simple first step. Pick the folder again, even if it already looks right, then press Command-N to test.

Users on macOS 26.1 have also reported missing Open in New Tab and Open in New Window items in the context menu. An Apple Community thread started on November 21, 2025, collects the workarounds people tried. Those include View > Show Toolbar, Command-N, and restarting Finder with killall Finder in Terminal. No reply in that thread is marked as the accepted fix.

Mistakes people make

• Picking a Smart Folder. It is not an option in this dropdown, so keep a regular folder and select that with Other.
• Expecting Command-double-click to follow this setting. It follows the separate tabs option under General.
• Trusting an old list. A 2023 guide may not match your macOS version, so check the dropdown on your own Mac.
• Forgetting to test. Press Command-N after each change, so you know the new folder opens.
• Deleting the Finder preferences file as a first step. It resets every Finder preference, so back it up and keep it as a last resort.

The last mistake costs the most. Many forum posts suggest removing com.apple.finder.plist. That file holds more than this one setting, so you would lose your other Finder preferences too. Try the dropdown, a restart and killall Finder first.

Where Lazur fits in

Lazur is a voice assistant for the Mac that lives in the notch. Hold ⌥ ⌘, ask your question, and Lazur answers out loud. It looks at your screen only while you hold the keys, so it can point at the dropdown you are looking at.

Lazur does not change this setting for you. It does not click buttons or operate Finder. It can point at the control, label it, or guide you through the steps one click at a time while it waits for each click. You still make the change yourself.

Guide mode suits this task. The steps depend on your macOS version and on the labels you can see. Lazur sees the screen while you hold the keys, so it can point at the control you actually have in front of you.

What to do after the change

Once new windows open where you want, tidy the places you visit most. Change the sidebar in Finder on Mac shows how to add, remove and reorder sidebar items. Put your default folder there too, so one click gets you back to it.

If you need a folder from somewhere else, an alias works well. Create an alias in Finder on Mac covers the steps. For hidden files, show hidden files in Finder on Mac explains the shortcut and the Terminal method.

Finder is Mac-only, and it has no web app, so there is no browser version to compare. For a broader look at what Lazur can point at and explain in Finder, see the Finder assistant page.