File "Can't be Found" prompts after Ventura 13.1

Give this a try: boot into Safe Mode according to How to use safe mode on your Mac and test to see if the problem persists. Reboot normally and test again.

NOTE 1: Safe Mode boot can take up to 3 - 5 minutes as it's doing the following; 

• Verifies your startup disk and attempts to repair directory issues, if needed

• Loads only required kernel extensions (prevents 3rd party kernel/extensions from loading)

• Prevents Startup Items and Login Items from opening automatically

• Disables user-installed fonts 

• Deletes font caches, kernel cache, and other system cache files

NOTE 2: if you have a wireless keyboard with rechargeable batteries connect it with its charging cable before booting into Safe Mode. This makes it act as a wired keyboard as will insure a successful boot into Safe Mode.

I think I've found the way the bug works, and some clue about why it could happen.

If I create a new user, as Apple Support suggested me, everything works.

But with my current user, I cannot open some files when the current folder (a folder that existed before Ventura 13.1) has some regional character on it. I'm Spanish, so my folders have á, é, í, ó, ú, ñ, etc in their names. For example: "Descripción del proceso".

If I try to open a file inside a folder with those characters using double click, the app won't open them.

BUT if I rename that folder even using the same characters, IT WORKS. I mean, the previous name was "Descripción del proceso". If I rename the folder replacing the "ó" with another "ó" (same character, so the folder still is named "Descripción del proceso"), now it works!

It would seem that Ventura can't recognize UNICODE characters (or something similar) that where typed before Ventura 13.1 (or Ventura 13, because I suffered errors opening files before). But if I type the characters again, Ventura transforms it to a coding that it can understand.

I've written this to @AppleSupport on Twitter, so I hope they finally acknowledge the bug, because it's a really big problem. As you can imagine, I have tons of files and folders with those regional characters that worked before Ventura, and I can't rewrite all of them.

I have by no means made a thorough test about this, so surely there's more I've missed, but I hope this can be useful to someone (and to someone with more technical knowledge)

It's almost 100% certainly a Finder bug. Try just restarting the Finder after you move, create or rename a file/folder. The quickest way is to option-click on the Finder icon in the Dock and select 'Relaunch'. Let's just hope that Apple sort this annoying bug out soon as it's become an embarrassment for their latest OS.

I also has this problem, but it has become even worse after the last update (13.3.1). Now when I try to open some files (with a long path) they won't open. For example, opening pdfs with Preview or doc files with Libreoffice.

If I move the files to the Documents folder and they have long names, they won't open. If I rename it to a short name (test.pptx, por example), it will open. Also, if I open the files from the app itself (File - Open - etc) they will open.

Also, when using the sidebar shortcuts it gives me an error.

In 13.3, sometimes it just gave me an error when I clicked on a file, but on the second click it worked. And now, this.

So it seems indeed a Finder problem, and a really big problema that makes the OS quite hard to use. I wonder how Apple testers didn't notice this HUGE bug. Hoping they solve it really soon.

Troyjack,

I have the same Mac as you and the same issue. None of the trouble shooting repairs below help. However, if I drag the non-opening file to the desktop, then drag it back to its original location, the problem is fixed. Really seems like an OS bug to me.

I found a couple of useful suggestion on a thread on MacRumors.

1) Remove remnants of uninstalled apps in LaunchAgents and LaunchDemons. Please note this is in the Library directly in the root directory of your disk (not the user Library, but you might want to check there too).

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/updated-to-13-1-and-now-file-cant-be-found.2373951/post-31917372

2) Run Onyx with these settings:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/updated-to-13-1-and-now-file-cant-be-found.2373951/post-31920767

Did it last night. A few hours of use and seems to be gone... for now. :-)

Hi Original Gazza,

I just tried most of the things listed here, including restarting my very nice M1 iMac with Ventura 13.2.1, and nothing did remedy the situation.

Then I remembered that in old-old MacOS versions, there was sometimes a need to rebuild the desktop. In Ventura it should be equivalent to "Rebuilding the Launch Services Database." I have not tried that yet.

But being lazy, I just moved the whole folder with documents to my user folder on the computer and back again (out/in of the iCloud domain). That worked!!! Now clicking works. I guess the movement makes the computer refresh the location information.

From anywhere to like this location: Macintosh/Users/JohnDoe/Any folder - and then back again.

Ive just tried the following on request of apple support and I cannot now recreate the problem.

Rebuild the Spotlight index on your Mac - Apple Support

I did this with the download folder which is where I originally saw the problem.

Does this fix it for anyone else?

Yeah. It was just a sighs. I know how this works @ Apple side (I'm doing something similar for 20+ years). :D

IMHO it's xattr / Gatekeeper issue. Maybe that part storing 'source' of the file because I'm 'seeing' it only on files downloaded via FTP (python script, lftp) and here is 'the source' unknown. It looks like Finder's trying to open locked/not-updated/not-assigned-yet inode...

As far as I remember when I moved them onto network drive (not afp but something without xattr support) and then moved them back - the problem disappear.

Conclusion:

It's deeper than we expected, I hope not inside AFPS core, and someone with real experience will have to fix it. I'm just wondering how long is this issue there as I've noticed it in Mojave but without alert window (1st double-click failed). It should be hi-prio tho...

MBP13M1 - v13.2 resolved this issue.

About Monterey... Now it make sense as I was always like 'did i double-clicked or not'... Seems the bug was also there but alert message was added later... :D

Just for the record... Today I've updated to 13.2.1 and it's gone (so far).

So with me this did not go away, certainly with the already double clicked files then it did. But as soon as they are moved again or renamed it came back.

Even on a new vanilla system, or save boot with no extra stuff installed: it will happen.

I have reproduced it with a support staff long and detailed. it occurs 100% always if you try this example:

1. create three screenshots.
2. mark these 3 pictures, right mouse button, new folder with selection
3. then rename the newly created folder, to "project X" or "images" or what ever
4. Go into the folder on your desktop and try to open the files.

You will get this pop up with can't be found for every single file at the first time I you double click.

I have recorded this with support and Apple Capture Data app now and hopefully will get information soon what the problem is.

Anyway, I also went to an Apple Store and was able to reproduce it there on every computer with 13.2.1 that I could use (Macbook pro, iMac, Mac Studio). Even the employee looks surprised.

It seems to be somehow only people who need the Macs for surfing or watching videos and no longer for real work with a lot of files and data organization :-P

Anyway, the popup annoys me dozens of times a day and I seriously wonder why no one internally at Apple notices.

Do they not work with files and Folders and move them sometimes, or rename them sometimes?

Anyway, I'm glad that it also affects all M1/M2 machines I could test and not just Intel old-timers like me. Hope this gets fixed soon. Last time I found a Bug in Quicklook with the huge red areas poping up, if you use an AMD card, and it took apple 1,5 years to correct it(Big Sur and Monterey affected, and often to see if you turn off transparency in accessibility settings). really hoping this is not taking so long.

I've noticed this happening consistently when connecting to SMB shares (many different server platforms including Windows Server, Linux, macOS, assorted NAS hardware). Doesn't happen when connecting via AFP - only SMB.

Further, it's not restricted to one computer. I'm an ACN and this I can replicate the issue on literally hundred of Macs of assorted types across a couple dozen client sites, including on brand new machines right out of the box with just the stock applications on them. No additional applications, no weird kexts, no third party utilities, no migrated data. Take the iMac out of the packaging, plug it in, make a user, connect to an SMB server, open a file, move that file, try to open the file again. Boom. The error appears.

The only thing that I've found effective (other than quitting the Finder/changing a file tag/dragging the file over the application icon in the dock/a bunch of other ugly workarounds) is to disable SIP on the client machine. That seems to improve matters some. It doesn't completely fix the issue, but it often reduces the incidence of the error.

This has been here since Mojave release. It's an APFS issue that apple has been aware of. in Mojave you do not get an error message when this happens, you simply re-double-click the file and it opens. Since newer os releases we now have an error message displayed (since apple became aware in Mojave). This is most likely not fixable in the immediate future as I'm sure that mach kernel is also part of the issue and will need reworking once the file system is updated/fixed, they would have already if this was an easy fix. After I spoke with a system admin at apple support they basically said its something that shouldn't be happening and that it must be MY machine with something wrong with it. Obviously this isn't the case. Try changing file attributes also, if you open a jpeg or similar image in text edit, then change back to preview, it will open all images in text edit, even after resetting the file attribute. This means it's the filesystem, plain and simple. APFS has always been problematic. I also think it's worth mentioning it has nothing to do with sharing, network drives, or anything disk/network related, although it will be more prevalent with the amount of caching going on. Also, when using terminal to reload finder, the problem looks like it may be resolved, but it isn't. All this does is start the finder's caching process over from where it left off, which recreates the problem shortly after. At first I thought it was iCloud trying to sync and cache on both ends while working with the file live, this isn't the case since turning all of iCloud off, starting with a fresh system install with nothing linked to accounts the problem happens almost immediately while working with graphic files of any kind.

Happens to me also. I think it might be Google Drive related. It also seems to align with issues I'm having deleting files from the TRASH where the delete will take a VERY VERY long time. If I "quit" the Google Drive app, the delete issue goes away, and I'm guessing the "Can't be Found" error might as well.