Fix 'Open With' Delay With External Drives On Mac

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Hey guys! Have you ever experienced that annoying delay when trying to use the "Open With..." menu in Finder, especially when you have external drives connected? It's like your Mac is taking a coffee break every time you want to open a file. This can be particularly frustrating when those drives need to spin up, adding even more time to the wait. Today, we're diving deep into why this happens and, more importantly, how you can fix it. Let's get started!

Understanding the Issue: Why Does This Happen?

The delay you're experiencing with the "Open With..." menu is often due to how macOS handles application association and file handling. When you click on "Open With...", your Mac goes through a process of identifying all the applications on your system that can potentially open the selected file. This includes apps on your internal drive, as well as those on any connected external drives.

The main reason for this delay is that macOS scans these external drives to identify suitable applications. When external drives are in sleep mode or need to spin up, this process can take a significant amount of time. The system essentially has to wake up the drive, read its contents, and then compile a list of applications before it can display the "Open With..." menu. This is where the long delay comes from, especially if you have multiple external drives or drives with a large number of applications.

To make matters worse, this process is often compounded by Launch Services, the macOS system responsible for managing file associations and application launching. Launch Services maintains a database of all applications on your system and their capabilities. When you use "Open With...", Launch Services is queried to provide the list of applications. If the Launch Services database is outdated or needs to be rebuilt, it can add further delays to the process.

Another factor that can contribute to this issue is Spotlight indexing. Spotlight is macOS's built-in search tool, and it indexes files and applications on your system to provide fast search results. If Spotlight is in the process of indexing an external drive, it can consume system resources and slow down other operations, including the "Open With..." menu.

In summary, the delay in the "Open With..." menu is usually a combination of:

  • Scanning external drives for applications.
  • Drive spin-up time.
  • Launch Services database queries.
  • Spotlight indexing.

Now that we understand the root causes, let's explore some practical solutions to prevent this from happening.

Solutions to Prevent Accessing External Drives

Okay, now for the good stuff! Let's talk about how to actually prevent those external drives from causing this annoying delay. Here are several methods you can use, ranging from simple tweaks to more advanced solutions. We’ll cover each in detail so you can choose the best approach for your setup.

Method 1: Unmounting External Drives

The simplest and most direct way to prevent external drives from affecting the "Open With..." menu is to unmount the drives when you're not actively using them. Unmounting a drive essentially disconnects it from your system, preventing macOS from accessing its contents. This means that when you use "Open With...", macOS will only look at the applications on your internal drive, significantly speeding up the process.

To unmount a drive, you can either drag the drive's icon from your desktop to the Trash (which turns into an Eject icon), or right-click on the drive's icon in Finder and select "Eject". Alternatively, you can use Disk Utility (found in /Applications/Utilities/) to unmount drives.

While this method is effective, it can be a bit inconvenient if you frequently need to access files on your external drives. However, if you only use your external drives occasionally, this is a quick and easy solution to implement.

Method 2: Using Disk Utility to Prevent Mounting on Connect

For a more automated approach, you can use Disk Utility to prevent external drives from automatically mounting when connected. This method is particularly useful if you have drives that you only need to access manually.

Here’s how to do it:

  1. Open Disk Utility (found in /Applications/Utilities/).
  2. Select the external drive you want to configure.
  3. Click the "Mount" button. If the drive is already mounted, unmount it first.
  4. Click the "Info" button in the toolbar.
  5. Note the BSD device node (e.g., disk1s1).
  6. Open Terminal (found in /Applications/Utilities/).
  7. Type diskutil info /dev/[BSD device node] (replace [BSD device node] with the actual BSD device node you noted earlier).
  8. Look for the "Automount" property. If it says "Yes", you'll need to disable it.
  9. To disable automount, use the command diskutil disableDisk disk[disk number] (replace [disk number] with the disk number from the BSD device node, e.g., disk1).

This will prevent the drive from automatically mounting when you connect it to your Mac. To access the drive, you’ll need to manually mount it using Disk Utility or the diskutil mount command in Terminal.

Method 3: Modifying Launch Services Database

As mentioned earlier, Launch Services plays a crucial role in the "Open With..." menu. If the Launch Services database is cluttered or outdated, it can cause delays. Rebuilding or modifying this database can help improve performance.

One way to modify the Launch Services database is to remove the associations for applications on your external drives. This prevents macOS from scanning those applications when you use "Open With...”.

However, directly editing the Launch Services database is complex and can be risky. A safer approach is to use a third-party utility like OnyX or Maintenance. These tools provide a user-friendly interface for managing Launch Services and performing other system maintenance tasks.

Here’s how to use OnyX to rebuild the Launch Services database:

  1. Download and install OnyX (make sure to download the version compatible with your macOS version).
  2. Open OnyX.
  3. Go to the "Maintenance" tab.
  4. Select the "Rebuild" tab.
  5. Check the box next to "Launch Services".
  6. Click the "Run" button.
  7. You may be prompted to restart your Mac.

This process will rebuild the Launch Services database, removing any outdated or incorrect associations. This can significantly speed up the "Open With..." menu and improve overall system performance.

Method 4: Excluding External Drives from Spotlight Indexing

Spotlight indexing can also contribute to delays, especially if Spotlight is actively indexing an external drive. Excluding your external drives from Spotlight indexing can help reduce system load and improve the performance of the "Open With..." menu.

Here’s how to exclude an external drive from Spotlight indexing:

  1. Open System Preferences.
  2. Click on "Spotlight".
  3. Go to the "Privacy" tab.
  4. Click the "+" button.
  5. Select the external drive you want to exclude.
  6. Click "Choose".

The selected drive will now be added to the list of excluded items, and Spotlight will no longer index its contents. This can help reduce CPU usage and improve the responsiveness of your system, including the "Open With..." menu.

Method 5: Using Aliases or Symbolic Links

Another creative solution is to use aliases or symbolic links instead of keeping applications directly on your external drives. By creating aliases or symbolic links to applications on your internal drive, you can effectively