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Some files don't open when double-clicking them in Finder

Has anyone encountered this issue in macOS Ventura 13.3 on a MacBook Pro (14-inch, 2021)?

  • Double-clicking a file in Finder opens the application but not the actual file (for example, Word(.docx)-files in "Downloads" or "Desktop" will make the Word-application "bounce", but the file is never actually opened)
  • Some files however do open, but the placement of the file doesn't seem to matter (the issue occurs for both "Downloads" and "Desktop", but also works for some documents in both locations)
  • Same issue for some .pdf-files which should be opened in Preview.app
  • Previews of files work in Finder
  • You can "get around" the issue by going to File > Open from within the app, this always works


MacBook Pro 14″, macOS 13.3

Posted on May 30, 2023 7:38 AM

Reply
3 replies

Oct 1, 2023 3:52 AM in response to dialabrain

This problem started on my iMac with a reinstall of Ventura and persists with the install of Sonoma. During the reinstall, all the files on my desktop landed on the iCloud desk top. I laboriously transferred them one by one to the mac desk top..But they won't open there with double click. They require Command-O and then they descend from the cloud. Very slow way to open what was once 2 clicks away. A terrible waste of storage space. 3 calls to apple and never a fix.

Some files don't open when double-clicking them in Finder

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