Path Finder by Cocoatech

The file browser with moxie.

Path Finder FAQs

Purchasing / Registering Path Finder

Path Finder 5 has an integrated and secure purchasing system that allows you to easily buy or upgrade to Path Finder 5. It supports purchasing via credit card as well as Paypal, and automatically registers the application once you have completed your purchase.

Path Finder should automatically detect if you are a registered owner of a previous version of Path Finder and charge you the upgrade fee instead of the full license price. This only works for single upgrade copies, however - if you own multiple licenses of Path Finder, you will need to contact us directly to purchase your upgrade.

Manually Entering your Registration: You can manually enter your registration in the About Path Finder window (Path Finder > About Path Finder).

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I launch Path Finder 5 but nothing happens or it immediately crashes

What version of Mac OS X are you running? Path Finder 5 heavily uses Mac OS X 10.5 ("Leopard") technologies, and requires Mac OS X 10.5 or higher. If you are running Mac OS X 10.4, we offer unsupported earlier versions of Path Finder for download from our web site.

If you are already running Path Finder 5 and you are still having crashing or launching issues, please get in contact with us and we'll do everything we can to help you troubleshoot the problem.

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What applications support Path Finder?

The vast majority of applications support Path Finder with absolutely no compatibility problems, but some applications go one step further and had special integration built in.

A small list of examples include:

Some applications do require Apple's Finder to work properly as they are hard-wired this way. If you would like to see compatibility added for one of your favorite apps, visit our forum and let us know!

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How do I completely uninstall Path Finder?

To remove all traces of Path Finder, delete the following (some of these may not be on your system)

  1. Path Finder.app (of course)
  2. File: (home folder)/Library/Contextual Menu Items/Path Finder CM.plugin
  3. Folder: (home folder)/Library/Application Support/Path Finder
  4. File: (home folder)/Library/Preferences/com.cocoatech.pathfinder.plist
  5. Folder: (home folder)/Library/Preferences/Path Finder
  6. Folder: (home folder)/Library/Caches/Path Finder
  7. Folder: (boot volume)/Library/Application Support/Path Finder

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I’d like to replace Apple’s Finder with Path Finder. Is that possible?

While it used to be possible (though rather dangerous and wholly unsupported) to completely replace Apple's Finder with Path Finder, this is no longer the case on OS X 10.5 Leopard. Some of our more tenacious users are continuing the effort over on our forum where you can find the most up-to-date information.

Why doesn't clicking on a folder in the Dock show up in Path Finder?

Note that this is not supported by Cocoatech, so proceed at your own risk.

The Dock sends an internal “hey you!” (called an AppleEvent) specifically to Apple’s Finder. The solution is to make OS X think Path Finder is the Finder. (Note: This may cause some problems if the AppleEvent that is being sent isn’t supported by Path Finder; results may be unpredictable.

  1. Right click on Path Finder and select ‘Show Package Contents’.
  2. Go into the ‘Contents’ folder and edit the PkgInfo document.
  3. Edit the PkgInfo file with a text editor and change it to “FNDRMACS” (without the quotes)
  4. Save.
  5. Quit Path Finder and relaunch.
  6. Quit the Finder (see command in Path Finder menu).
  7. If you change your mind later, repeat the above procedure but be sure to change the PkgInfo file back to the original value of “APPLPFdR” (without the quotes)

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The Dock trash doesn't work!

Unfortunately, the dock trash is “hard-wired” to Apple's Finder, so clicking on the trash icon will not display a window with the items currently in the trash, and the “Empty Trash” dock menu item does nothing.

A quick workaround is to use Path Finder's dock menu (click and hold, or control / right + click on the Path Finder icon in the dock) - there is an “Empty Trash” menu item there that will empty the trash. Or, use the quick key to empty the trash: Shift + Command + Delete.

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How can I get Path Finder's desktop to change automatically, like Apple's Finder?

With a little configuration, Path Finder can support the Mac OS X built-in desktop changing mechanism.

First, you'll need to set Path Finder's desktop to transparent. You can do this by:

  1. Show the Path Finder desktop (Path Finder > Show Path Finder Desktop)
  2. Bring the desktop "forward" (click on it and make sure it is the frontmost item)
  3. Open the view options palette (View > View Options or Command+j) - you should see "Desktop Options" at the top
  4. Click on the "Set Colors..." button, select "Desktop" in the drop-down menu, and make sure that "Show Desktop Background" is NOT checked.
  5. Now you'll need to deactivate the Apple Finder's desktop. In Path Finder, open (Path Finder > Preferences) and switch to "General". Uncheck "Hide Finder's desktop" and relaunch the Finder when asked.
  6. Now set your Desktop Background preferences in the System Preferences application as you like and the automatic changing mechanism should work with Path Finder.

If you prefer a more elegant solution, we recommend the fantastic freeware program ChangeDesktop by Brian Bergstrand. Not only does it integrate perfectly with Path Finder, ChangeDesktop also has a lot more features and functionality than Apple's Desktop preferences. It's great!

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I keep getting the Spinning Beach Ball ™ while using Path Finder. What do I do?

Mac OS X has a built in application called “Activity Monitor” that can take a sample from Path Finder, even when it's frozen, and tell us what it's doing. It is very easy to run and can help tremendously in tracking down bugs.

Please contact us for instructions.

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How do I remove the trash can that Path Finder puts on the desktop?

Look in the menu bar and select the menu with the name “Path Finder”. In that menu choose “Hide Desktop Trash Can”. If you would like to show the trash can later, repeat the above steps.

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Help! My applications are acting like folders!

On OS X, most applications and some documents are special folders called “Packages”. A package is a regular folder, but since it’s marked as a Package, it is treated like a file.

Path Finder has a setting in the View menu called “Show Package Contents”. Choosing this option tells Path Finder to ignore the Package attribute and treat packages as ordinary folders. You must have turned on this setting. Go to the View menu and choose “Hide Package Contents” and all of your applications will now work as expected.

Show Package Contents is a great feature when you want easily navigate into an application or document to examine its contents.

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Still have questions?

Still have questions? Check out the Cocoatech forums to chat with other Path Finder users, or feel free to get in touch with us.