Is it normal for the Finder to be slow when many files are in a folder? I have a maxed out MacBook Pro (end of 2013, 1TB SSD, Quad Core Haswell) and collect a lot of ripped mp3 files from viny, move them around in a folder structure. The problem is that Finder is incredibly slow and laggy, dragging files from one folder to another seems almost broken. I also noticed the same stuttering when scrolling through my apps folder.

Is it normal for Finder to react so slow, when many files are in a folder or might this be a hardware problem? I'm on 10.9.5 and can't upgrade at the moment.
Bulk file &amp; folder moves/copies using the Finder are more easily accomplished at the command line in Terminal. A benefit is that the process executes faster.

The mv and cp commands are what you need. Use wildcard file selection on the source side of the command, and create target paths from dragging the associated Finder icons into the Terminal window. Take a look at the myriad options available at man mv and man cp.