Error -50 while copying Windows files from NTFS to APFS drive on iMac

I'm using NTFS for Mac by Paragon, and their support page basically said that the problem was that the NTFS drivers weren't actual Micrososfot drivers, and the solution was to uninstall their (Parragon's) software. Delete all the NFTS drivers. Reinstall their drivers.

I am copying folders and files on a case by case basis, because the drive was primarily used to store photos, and some were not my own - I don't want to infringe on someone else's copyright by calling it my own. And some photos weren't worth saving. So I'm doing it file by file and folder by folder.

In case you want to try a third-party app, that I mentioned in my last reply, two popular ones are:

• Paragon NTFS for Mac
• Tuxera NTFS for Mac

There are a number of others out there as well.

From Google:

"On a Mac, error code 50 generally indicates a problem with data transfer, usually occurring when trying to copy or move files, and typically signifies an unexpected error during file operations like copying data to or from an external hard drive, USB stick, or network drive; this could be due to a corrupted file, permission issues, a damaged disk, or issues with the file system itself. 

Key points about Mac error code 50:

• What it means: An unexpected error occurred while attempting to transfer data. 
• Common causes:
  • Damaged or corrupted files 
  • File permission issues 
  • Problems with the external storage device (like a failing hard drive) 
  • File system corruption on the source or destination disk 
  • Unrecognized characters in file names "

I would reformat the drive to ExFat and then copy the files from the PC to the External Hard Disk. Then connect the External Hard Disk to the Mac, copy the files over to the Mac and let Time Machine do its job. Another possibility is simply using iCloud and putting the files in the Cloud and copying them from there to the Mac. A third option is using Migration Assistant!

Got it, well I'm out of suggestions other than to give AppleCare a phone call and see if they have some thoughts for you. If you have never used AppleCare they are quite helpful. If you happen to be in the USA that number is (800) 275-2273, if you are outside the USA please click AppleCare Contact Info.

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

dcrisafi wrote:

I do have new info ... I found a folder that was erroring out ... not copying. It only had 9 files. I was able to open each one from the NTFS formatted drive. I was able to copy each individually to the new APFS formatted drive. But when I try to copy the folder with the 9 files in there, it errors out.

Then, I believe, you found the culprit. That folder is corrupted in such a way that it will not copy. Good news is that you were able to copy the individual files within it.

For future reference, although macOS can read NTFS formatted drives, it cannot write to them. Some folks use a third-party app, that runs on the Mac, to do both ... and have found that this helped with situations like this when just trying to copy files. rkaufmann87's suggestion to reformat the drive as ExFAT is a good one as this is the ideal format if you need to have the drive easily accessible from both Macs and PCs.

It may have originally came in the box formatted FAT-32 or exFAT for both, then windows reformatted it to NTFS when you first plugged it into the PC.

Your welcome.

Looks like you got things worked out. Great job!

FWIW, I still use both Macs and PCs. As such, if I need to share files between them via sneaker-ware, I use ExFAT-formatted media. Never had an issue doing so.