Error code 36

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Level 1

5 points

Error code 36

I have read the previous discussions on this site re the Code 36 error when trying to move folders out of iCloud drive to an external hard drive. I notice that sometimes people have jagged a solution but other times they haven't. I am reopening this in case anyone has found a very good and simple solution.

I have been having the problem since I put my Desktop and Documents on to iCloud drive a couple of months ago. I can move a single file from iCloud Drive onto a USB but attempting this with any folder of Documents on the iCloud drive will give me the error message: "The Finder can’t complete the operation because some data in “” can’t be read or written.(Error code -36)" When working on my Macbook Pro with any of the files individually there seems to be no problem with opening any of them or working on them.

With the help of Apple support, I have done first aid on the disk, come out of iCloud drive and back in again (this took 48 hours), reinstalled Monterey 12.6.5, repaired permissions in Terminal, tested a different USB, gone into info in the folders and changed the permissions to read and write. Nothing has sorted out the problem. I have even shared a folder with my spouse who has his own separate iCloud account, and on his Ventura-run Macbook Pro, can quite easily move the folder to the same USB I was using.

Now I have a mid 2015 Macbook Pro with Intel Core. It has not been offered the Ventura install and so continues on Monterey. Should I just move to new Macbook Pro so I can run the newer software? And in starting with a new Macbook Pro, should I migrate the old Macbook Pro as it is or keep working on trying to fix this problem on Monterey in that machine before I migrate the data?

At the moment I am waiting for the engineers of Apple to come back to me with some more suggestions of fixing the problem on my old machine. iCloud Drive is otherwise working incredibly well for me and I don't want to cancel it. Has anyone had any more luck or suggestions since the last discussion here in Feb 23.

Earlier Mac models

Posted on May 12, 2023 9:18 PM

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Answer 1

GlenP

Level 1

9 points

Apr 29, 2024 10:29 PM in response to shuppy31

Hi, I had the same problem yesterday and spent a couple of hours trying to sort it with Apple Support. (Apple escalated the issue to the engineers). I managed to fix it while I waited for the Apple engineers to get back to me. It was a permissions problem on the iCloud documents folder (/Users/[your_username]/Library/Mobile Documents). Due to access restrictions on the Mobile Documents folder, it's difficult to change the folder permissions so I deleted the Mobile Documents folder completely via Terminal (iCloud will recreate the folder when sync is re-activated). Solution as follows (Ventura 13.6.6):

Disable iCloud Sync: System Settings > [user/Apple ID] > iCould Drive > Sync this Mac
Open Terminal and enter: sudo rmdir /Users/[your_user_name]/Library/Mobile\ Documents
Press ENTER and enter your Mac password when prompted
Now that the Mobile Documents folder is deleted, enable iCloud Drive sync by reversing what you did in step 1.
Mobile Documents folder should be re-created with correct permissions and you should be good to go.

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Answer 2

shuppy31 Author

Level 1

5 points

May 1, 2024 12:00 AM in response to GlenP

GlenP

Thankyou for taking the trouble to answer my question here.

It's been twelve months ago that this happened to me and the problem has actually been already rectified in around August last year. After several long phone calls to Apple support including a couple of times to the second-rung people, one day, suddenly, the problem went away. I had been told that the problem may well have been in iCloud itself and that it would have to be fixed by someone 'in the back of' iCloud. I do not know who this was and had no notification that it might start working for me. The change did not happen coincidentally after any update. It just started working! I can only assume that someone fixed the issue from a different location than in my Macbook. It remains a mystery to me.

I would be interested to know whether the occurrence of Error Code 36 has actually become less frequent now, and whether Ventura and Sonoma have sorted the problem out.

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Error code 36

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