Copied or moved PDF files will not open

When I receive a working pdf file to my Downloads folder, I am unable to move it or rename it. Trying to open the new file leads to a message saying "The file --- could not be opened. It may be damaged or use a format that Preview does not recognize". I can use the Finder menu to make a duplicate (copy) in the Downloads folder and it will open. But the moment I move the duplicate (or original) from the Downloads folder it no longer works.


If I create a new pdf, say from Pages or using Print>Save as PDF and create that pdf in a folder anywhere else (say to Documents) it also is unable to be moved from the folder it was created in (Documents in this example). So the problem occurs anytime a pdf is moved from its original location.


This seems like an Adobe thing but maybe my dislike of Adobe colors my suspicions.

MacBook Pro 15″, OS X 10.11

Posted on Oct 16, 2023 2:50 PM

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Posted on Oct 16, 2023 5:00 PM

On further investigation, apparently the drive has issues. I tried to use Disk Utility but First Aid is unable to repair. So I'll be backing up everything on the drive before it totally dies.

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Copied or moved PDF files will not open

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