How do I prevent document preview over slow connections?

Solution 1:

You can disable Icon preview in the view settings. For example: right click the desktop and select "Show view option" and then uncheck the last box.

Solution 2:

The nuclear option: quit the Finder (use Activity Monitor, save an AppleScript containing the code tell application "Finder" to quit, or kill it from a shell prompt) and then use Terminal to do your file manipulation. (Type open myfile.txt to open a file in the default app, like the Finder would if you double-clicked it.)

Solution 3:

Unless someone can find a hidden setting, you may want to look into PathFinder which has a preference to disable previews on network volumes. Also, for slow shares that can be accessed through ssh/sftp Transmit by Panic is more responsive than Finder.

I use Transmit more often than PathFinder, but find having responsive network performance when on dial up or slow 3G more than worth the cognitive load of a slightly different interface.

+1 to Siracusa for killall Finder and terminal workarounds.

Solution 4:

Actually, killing the finder is not enough in really slow networks or when folders contain thousands upon thousands of files (something common in work networks with a "public" folder).

In those cases killing the finder will result in the finder closing but never reopening properly. It's as if a background process that tries to parse it all gets disconnected but doesn't disappear, preventing the Finder from moving further.

In that sense it's similar to this: Finder becomes unresponsive when viewing network folders with large amounts of files (OSX 10.6.8)