Finder persists in being active application

Winston Churchill wrote:

I'd noted that the info about a file or an app that I usually see in my finder window was missing.

https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/bec7e681-1a55-4f59-b6ca-d050e33ab429

Thinking it may resolve the matter, I proceeded to engage a restart.

Upon restarting the problem persisted, but in addition to this (not suggesting they are related) I now find the Finder gets set to the active application and brings all the Finder windows to the front every 20 seconds or so.

This is unbelievably irritating and makes it quite difficult to do anything. I'm a one finger typist that needs to look at the keyboard as I type, so it's especially disruptive for me.

I'm not sure if the two issues are related, but the most important issue for me is the Finder coming to the front, however, if anyone has any ideas about the missing info too, that would be welcome also.

https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/8623cc18-8860-45e8-b32b-2978c49ca555

Try a SafeBoot https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201262

Takes noticeable longer to get to the login screen, does a 5-15 minute disk repair before it fully boots up, and certain system caches get cleared and rebuilt, including dynamic loader cache, etc. Login and test. Reboot and test as caches get rebuilt.

In Safe mode third party system modifications and system accelerations are disabled, it removes malware (this is to say refresh rates will be hampered, etc ) A reboot will put it back to normal mode.

—Other possibility is try changing the size of the Finder window— see if this triggers the preview

—what about other views(?) does this trigger a refresh of the preview

Winston Churchill wrote:

I now find the Finder gets set to the active application and brings all the Finder windows to the front every 20 seconds or so.

I will add — this is a little more than disturbing.

I would not hesitate reinstalling the combo update on top of your existing macOS in an effort to sort anomalies

Combo update macOS 10.15.4 https://support.apple.com/kb/DL2037?locale=en_US

And if no success reinstalling the macOS from Recovery.

How to reinstall macOS from macOS Recovery - https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT204904

Winston Churchill wrote:

The issue with the finder changing to the active window ceased when I booted to safe mode and didn't re-occur when I restarted into standard mode. So, so far has my major issue is concerned, I'm in a good place.

In regard to the info in the finder window; changing window size doesn't help, switching to a different type of view does show the info (so far as each view is supposed to show info)

That is encouraging—

Now onto the Finder Window < The issue with the info in the finder window persisted in both states>—

If it is simply a matter of a corrupt plist in your user— you should see this in logged in guest account being trouble free...

or

jump straight to deleting the plist and see what happens:

corrupt plist, delete the com.apple.finder.plist

Found here Finder>Go>Go to Folder. copy and paste:

~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.finder.plist

Relaunch your Finder from the >Finder>Force Quit>Finder>Relaunch

You are running real close to the threshold where the machine starts backing into its swapfile over and over again. Make sure no hard drive is over 85% full. This arbitrary number has been found a point of diminishing returns for most machines. Keep information that needs to be archived on different drives in two different places.

Little Snitch as great a utility as it is, can often get in your way with all the bandwidth it sees.

Malwarebytes, be sure you are using the latest version.

Perhaps posting an Etrecheck will reveal a launch agent that shouldn't be there.