This is an odd one. I use List View in the Finder and have a column set to show Date Modified. I use date format as yyyy-mm-dd hh:mm.
If I set the clock in System Settings to show 24-h clock then the Date Modified is wide enough to show the date/time. If I set the clock to 12-h the Date Modified column is not wide enough to show the date.
The problem is that I can not make the column wider. Narrower–yes, but not wider. Using modifier keys (shift, option, command, control), double clicking, etc. makes no difference.
Screen capture using 24-hour clock and a column wide enough to show the date.
Screen capture using 12-hour clock and a column not wide enough and that cannot be made wider.
Finder column sizing in list view has always been a pain.
eg. After a restart of your Mac, the column sizes in all your open Finder windows in list view will all revert to factory settings width. A long long long long outstanding issue which Apple nor third-party devs seem to have ever been able to resolve, for unknown reasons. Bad Apple, lol!
Does the preservation of the window size work with other Apple applications? Whenever I open Image Capture for scanning, I always get a tiny window. Do you have to set it, close it, and then reopen to have the window size set?
I was using a file save dialog and noticed that I could resize the columns (including the troublesome date column) without any issues. Once I confirmed the Save and it closed I quickly checked to see if the Finder was behaving better. Sadly, no…
AFAIUI, it depends on the app. Some are set to open as they were previously left by the user, others like Image Capture open to the same size Apple decide they should.
Of course window management, while improved a lot, is still somewhat of a minefield when it comes to whether windows actually open back to where they were placed on your (virtual desktop) screens and in the state they were left in, after restarts.
I have two Apple displays on a Mac Studio, and it’s still a bit arbitrary if things actually go back as they were.
The date columns are constrained in width, so it’s not just you, if that’s what you’re wondering about.
I’m UK-based so don’t tend to use AM/PM these days, and not for this. I have my Mac settings for dots between dates and 24h, so have date columns set as you see in this screen shot (after lowering each column’s width), so don’t have the problem:
Personally, I prefer dates like this, using it for almost everything that’s date dependent (so not media files etc.).
File names, eg: 2025.03.04.Tue - Company - ac 1234 - agreement.pdf
Folder/subfolder names, eg’s: 2019-present - Company - ac 1234 – account’s last 4-digits, ac open 2019 to present with a company. 2019.03-09 - Company - ac 1234 - complaint issue – as above, but complaint subfolder ran Mar to Sep 2019. 2019-2020 - Company - ac 1234 - complaint issue – as above, but complaint subfolder ran 2019 to 2020.
