Whenever I try to open any project in GarageBand, I get the following error message:
The operation could not be completed. No other information is available about the problem.
I have tried uninstalling and reinstalling GarageBand from the App Store, as well as booting into Safe Mode. The problem persists. What does this mean? Brand new MacBook Pro running MacOS 10.14 Mojave.
Hello liquidnonsense.
Given the steps you've already taken, I'd advise setting up a test user account on the Mac and then trying Garage Band—both a new project and an existing one— when signed in to that user. A couple of things to keep in mind: 1) In order to get access to one of your existing projects, you'll have to put it (or a copy of it) in a place where you can access it when signed in to the test user account. Easiest way to do this is to go to the root level of Macintosh HD and then navigate to Users > [your user] > Public > Drop Box and place the project file there. 2) Try creating, saving and re-opening a new project first for isolation purposes. That will take any possible file corruption issues out of the equation for testing.
If you're not familiar with the process for setting up a test user account, you'll find all the info you need here:
How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac - Apple Support
Cheers.
Hello liquidnonsense.
Given the steps you've already taken, I'd advise setting up a test user account on the Mac and then trying Garage Band—both a new project and an existing one— when signed in to that user. A couple of things to keep in mind: 1) In order to get access to one of your existing projects, you'll have to put it (or a copy of it) in a place where you can access it when signed in to the test user account. Easiest way to do this is to go to the root level of Macintosh HD and then navigate to Users > [your user] > Public > Drop Box and place the project file there. 2) Try creating, saving and re-opening a new project first for isolation purposes. That will take any possible file corruption issues out of the equation for testing.
If you're not familiar with the process for setting up a test user account, you'll find all the info you need here:
How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac - Apple Support
Cheers.
Hi liquidnonsense.
Given the steps you've already taken including deleting and reinstalling GarageBand and the fact that the error messages you're seeing point to a disconnect of some kind at the basic open-and-save level of the OS, I'd advise going deeper and actually reinstalling macOS Mojave. You've not specifically said that the issue began after the latest update, but given the timing, I'd bet that's the case.
You can reinstall macOS "in place" without a high probability of data loss. That said, a good Time Machine backup is always a user's best friend in a situation like this. If you're not already using or are not familiar with Time Machine, check here:
When you reinstall macOS Mojave, you'll do it from Recovery Mode. Again, if that is not a familiar process, you can find step-by-step guidance here:
How to reinstall macOS from macOS Recovery - Apple Support
Cheers.
Hi liquidnonsense.
Let's take a step back. Which exact version of Mojave are you running? Also, which version of GarageBand? Current Mojave version is 10.14.6 and current GarageBand is 10.3.2. If either of those are not up to date, I would advise making that so.
If you're up to date on everything, try removing any GarageBand sandbox files by accessing the User Library. You can do that by pressing and holding the Option key and then clicking the Go menu in the Finder. As long as Option is pressed, you'll see Library there. Once in the User Library, look for a folder called Containers and within that, a folder called com.apple.GarageBand10. Move that folder to the desktop, reboot the Mac and then test GarageBand again. If the issue remains unresolved, go ahead and move that folder back into the Containers folder and reboot again.
Cheers.
Hello liquidnonsense and thanks for being a part of Apple Support Communities.
You say that you get this error when trying to open existing projects. Do you get the same error if you create a new project?
Do any of the projects you are having issues with contain imported tracks that may not be authorized on your Mac or are otherwise subject to DRM (Digital Rights Management)?
Cheers.
Hi Jameson,
I don't get the error upon creating a new project, but if I then quit GarageBand and try to open the file I just created, I get the error. None of my projects contain imported tracks of any kind, they are all original recordings.
Hi Jameson,
The problem persists in the new test user account I created, and additionally I encounter this error when attempting to save a blank project I created:
The save file operation failed. The save file operation failed to connect to the open and save panel service.
This is the weirdest one yet—"Ok" isn't even all caps. Thoughts?
Yes, latest version of both Mojave and GarageBand.
No luck after moving the com.apple.garageband10 folder unfortunately, the problem persists even after taking these steps. Any other ideas?
GarageBand cannot open any projects.
