Method wrote:
I think this question has been raised before; every so often (we are talking about days between restarts) my Documents and/or Downloads folders disappear and become inaccessible in the Finder. They are visible in the home folder but the date modified/date added are blank. If I try to open it then nothing happens.
However it is possible to view the contents in an application like Transmit and I can see the contents in the Save/Open dialog.
A previous solution recommended removing a .plist file and then restarting, but even a simple restart makes it work again.
Is it just the macOS way of telling me to restart more often, or is there some other bug?
https://discussions.apple.com/content/attachment/75b25c47-c8c9-4fab-bfd3-e14d306287a3
Hmmm.
Old issue, new issue , what changed?
If iCloud drive got turned on— you can look there as a possibility; typically it is Desktop & Documents that get noticed first
Add your Desktop and Documents files to iCloud Drive - Apple ...
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT206985
To trouble shoot further you can:
—Try a SafeBoot https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201262
Takes noticeable longer to get to the login screen, does a 5 minute disk repair before it fully boots up, and certain system caches get cleared and rebuilt, including dynamic loader cache, etc.
Login and test. Reboot as normal and test. Caches get rebuilt automatically.
In Safe mode third party system modifications and system accelerations are disabled, it removes malware, etc hampering smooth operation, however a reboot will put it back to normal mode.
This test will tell you if third party interference; extensions etc are not loaded in safe boot mode.
—Test issue in another user (or guest user) account https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/set-up-other-users-on-your-mac-mtusr001/mac
This will tell you if it a universal issue or isolated to your user/admin account.
Uninstall all third party apps that are Cleaners/Optimizers/VPN/Anti-Virus
all known to cause issues on the macOS
