archerybob wrote:
These files are typically Word , Excel or PDF files located on my hard drive.
I have tried opening in the apps and from Finder - no difference
ometimes I get an error message "the file xxxxx can't be opened" other times nothing happens. It depends on the app I am using (or time of day :-().
I am running Catalina version 10.15.1
Strangely if I restart the Mac, everything springs back into life.
I have tried rebooting in Safe Mode and all seems fine, but as a reboot seems to removes the problem for a while, this seems inconclusive.
I note that if I copy the non-opening file onto a memory stick I can open it there.
Seems like the file system gets twisted?
MacBookPro, mid 2012, 13 inch
First I would verify your software is up to date.
Office for Mac running macOS Catalina
If you have Office 2011 for Mac or before WILL NOT run.
Office 2016 for Mac needs to be v15.35 or later.
Update the software or try an alternative for word documents—
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/officeupdates/update-history-office-for-mac
The current Office for Mac; Office 365 or Office 2019 (One-time purchase) are OK with Catalina
https://support.office.com/en-us/article/how-do-i-upgrade-office-ee68f6cf-422f-464a-82ec-385f65391350
https://products.office.com/en-us/compare-all-microsoft-office-products?&activetab=tab:primaryr1
With that said and verified—
To get a good look at your System config. for conflicts or issues, you can run this utility http://etrecheck.com
If you need help interpreting the report you can post it here in its entirety in the "Additional Text" box in the editing toolbar below, in your reply.
You can set its preference to "Allow full Disk Access", with this you get a digest of issues from the last 7 days that are saved in your system.
