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Dialog Box won't Open

Ok, about at my wits end with this... I've talked with Apple Support and didn't get much help.


Does anyone else have issues with a dialog box not opening — attaching a file, uploading a file, saving, etc? Like I click and NOTHING appears, so I have to completely close out of the program and restart.


I am using a MacBook Air 2020 with M1 chip, running on the latest OS. I come across this problem on Adobe Creative Suite software, Trello, Chrome, Safari, Shift — basically ALL applications and they are all up to date. It happens sporadically, so I can't figure out what is triggering it. Is it the amount of times I'm doing this action that it "times out"? I routinely shutdown all software/apps and my computer. Sometimes it happens multiple times a day, sometimes is doesn't happen for days.


I was talking with Apple Support multiple times a week a few months ago, but got nowhere because they said it was a third party problem. All programs (Adobe, Trello, etc) I reached out to said it was an apple problem. I feel like it wasn't happening much for like a month maybe but now all of the sudden it is basically happening every time I'm trying to send an email with an attachment. I'm about to sell/trade in this Mac and get something else because it really screws up my workflow and I've almost lost important files because I couldn't save.


The only other forum conversation I have found that seems to have a similar issue is this: https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/cant-attach-files-on-any-browser.2326050/


MacBook Air (2020 or later)

Posted on May 22, 2022 8:42 PM

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5 replies

May 23, 2022 2:50 PM in response to rmag226

rmag226 Said:

"Dialog Box won't Open: Done it, didn't help. Trying to think of all the things I've done — my apple specialist has all the details. We did reinstall adjusted startup files. Nothing has helped and Apple couldn't assist me any further. Incredibly frustrating."

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Reinstalling the macOS Anew:

Would you be okay with reinstalling the macOS anew? If so, note that all data would be lost, so create a backup first.


See if my User Tip Helps: How to Reinstall the macOS Anew - No TMB Prior to Upgrade - User Tip. Format the hard drive with the applicable macOS, on step D.


In Depth:

Pretty much, it is a matter of:

  1. Backing Up: your Mac
  2. Erasing: and formatting your hard drive
  3. Installing: [the applicable macOS] via a USB Bootable Installer
  4. Restoring: info from a Time Machine Backup, using Migration Assistant

May 22, 2022 8:49 PM in response to rmag226

rmag226 Said:

"Dialog Box won't Open: Ok, about at my wits end with this... I've talked with Apple Support and didn't get much help. Does anyone else have issues with a dialog box not opening — attaching a file, uploading a file, saving, etc? Like I click and NOTHING appears, so I have to completely close out of the program and restart.[...]"

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Troubleshooting the GUI:

Reinstall the macOS:

You may need to reinstall the macOS. Nothing would be lost. It's just that misplaced items would be placed back to where they should be and corrupt system files would be replaced by clean files. Go Here: Reinstall macOS - Apple Support.


IMPORTANT:

Back Up, First: Prior to the reinstallation, to prevent data loss, be sure to back up your Mac with Time Machine, so that you can have something to restore your Mac from, should anything happen after the reinstall. This may a few hours(if you have never made a backup and/or if you have lots stored on your internal hard drive), so be certain you have the time to do so.

May 23, 2022 3:21 PM in response to rmag226

rmag226 Said:

"Dialog Box won't Open: At this point, no. I might as well sell the computer and get a new one... which it is looking like I will do in the near future. Since this isn't a known fix for this issue I'd rather start fresh with a new computer."

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Sounds like a plan! Just don't forget to back up your Mac every-so-often, for restoration purposes.

Dialog Box won't Open

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