Are you seeing the "Stop Finder Action" error when trying to eject a drive or app installer? If Finder is suddenly not responding, you can use Mac’s built-in Force Quit feature to end it. Force Quit is easy to use, and there are multiple ways to force an app to close. This minHour shows you how to force Finder to close and restart on a Mac desktop computer or MacBook.
Using a Keyboard Shortcut
Press ⌥ Option+⌘ Command+Esc.
This will open the Force Quit menu.
Click Finder in the Force Quit window.
This will select it and highlight it as blue.
Click Relaunch.
The “Force Quit” button will be replaced with “Relaunch” when you select Finder. Pressing the button will quit Finder and reopen it.
- If you received the “Stop Finder Action” error when trying to eject a drive or app installer before, you should now be able to do so.
Using the Apple Menu
Open the Apple menu.
Click the Apple icon in the menu bar to open the Apple menu.
Select Force Quit.
This option appears in the Apple menu drop down.
Click Finder in the Force Quit window.
This will select it and highlight it as blue.
Click Relaunch.
The “Force Quit” button will be replaced with “Relaunch” when you select Finder. Pressing the button will quit Finder and reopen it.
- If your entire Mac isn’t responding, see our guide on restarting a frozen Mac.
Using Activity Monitor
Open Activity Monitor.
It has a green heartbeat line on a black background. You’ll find it on your Launchpad, as well as in the > folder.
Click Finder in the Process Name list.
This will select it and highlight it blue.
Click the Stop button.
This is a gray X in an octagon in the top-right corner of the window.
Select Force Quit.
This will end Finder immediately.
Tips
- For more Finder tips, check out How to Search for File Types in Finder on a Mac.
- You can delete the cookies on your Mac to improve its performance.