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sebastianen
User level: Level 1 (5 points)

macOS Tahoe Save and Open dialogs column view does not auto-scroll to current location

Hi everyone,

I am experiencing a quite annoying issue on Tahoe with the native "Save" and "Open" dialog boxes. This happens across all applications; it is not an isolated bug in a single program.


When I open a window to save or locate a file and use the column view, the system does not automatically scroll horizontally to show me the current location. If the working path is deep, the view gets stuck showing the root or main folders on the left, completely hiding the contents of the subfolder I am actually in. In previous versions of macOS, when opening these dialogs, the column view would automatically jump to the right to focus on the active folder, bringing it into view immediately.


Using the bottom horizontal scrollbar in every save window completely disrupts the workflow.

Does anyone know of any native solution, Terminal command, or setting to restore the classic auto-scroll behavior?

Thanks in advance

Posted on Oct 11, 2026 5:11 AM

2 replies

neuroanatomist
User level: Level 9 (72,871 points)

Oct 11, 2026 7:43 AM in response to sebastianen

This is a known issue that started in macOS 26 Tahoe and persists in macOS 27 Golden Gate (at least through 27.0.1). When entering a folder or a dialog box with Column View active, the folder hierarchy starts with the top level at the left, meaning that if a folder is nested deeply enough, then the user needs to scroll to the right to view the contents, even if that folder is the one most recently accessed. 

 

There are a couple of workarounds for this issue:

 

Set folders/dialog boxes to List view

In a dialog box, list view will show the contents of the most recently accessed folder.

  • In an Open/Save dialog box, click the view selection button in the Toolbar
  • Select List view

  • In Finder, use the analogous button or select View menu > List view.


More info from Apple: Change how folders are displayed in the Finder on Mac - Apple Support


Use Arrow Key shortcuts

If you are in Column View, when a dialog box opens with the hierarchy starting at the top, you can press the Up or Down arrow keys to shift focus to the 'active' folder, which will be the one on the right of the column view, the deeper folder that was last accessed.


Given the length of time that has passed, it is possible that the change was intentional on Apple's part. They may have decided that users would prefer to start navigation at the top level of the hierarchy. Alternatively, it could just be a long-lasting bug they have not yet addressed. Either way, only Apple can revert macOS to the previous behavior. To have Apple consider your feedback, submit it here:

Feedback - macOS - Apple


WheelieNick
User level: Level 9 (74,110 points)

Oct 11, 2026 7:07 AM in response to sebastianen

There is currently no native solution or Terminal command to fix this behavior. This is a recognized, system-wide issue in macOS Tahoe introduced with the "Liquid Glass" user interface redesign. It prevents both Finder windows and native Open/Save dialog boxes from automatically panning (scrolling horizontally) to show the contents of a deep target folder. 

Originally posted at discussions.apple.com/thread/256374142