QuickTime won't save ("This operation could not be completed")

This issue is still actual.

Seems like it happens when you are recording a long video (more than a couple of mins) and use microphone. At least I had it with a video that was being screened along with an active Skype call. The duration was 1h 40m.

It seems that somewhere at the 7th min some error occurred (a assume) and it was not possible to neither save nor export the video. It was not possible to share it using Mail/Notes/etc.

Still, there is a function Trim (cmd+T) that allows you to cut the video.

The ONLY thing you need to find is the place where some error occurred and trim the video before the error (once trimmed it will be possible to share it) and after the error. So, you will have two parts of the video.

If you got several error during the recording you will have to perform the trimming procedure more times searching for the errors and cutting the video into more pieces.

Hope it helps.

Not sure if anyone noticed, but in the Quicktime 10.4 release it seems this was resolved. And the send via email solution also works but no need now. Just "save". 😀 If anyone has a contrary experience, please share. But I just tried a couple of times with different length clips and it saved just fine after trimming the clip.

I FOUND A SOLUTION BASED FROM s99p POST!

I downloaded MPEG Streamclip and followed the instructions above but did not work for me. However, I tried this trick using iMovie and it worked! Apparently, my Quicktime screen recording was corrupted in the middle and only recorded audio but need the recording nevertheless. Would never use Quicktime again for screen recording.

*** SOLUTION FOUND ***

On quicktime there is a stupid little share button like this:

i clicked it and selected mail (don't worry if you don't have it setup, i don't think it matters)

this took a while but it opened mail and opened a new mail window with the video as an attachment

I simply right clicked on the image of the attachment, and saved attachment!!!!! (or i could have control-clicked)

SAVED NO PROBLEM

opened it back up in quicktime and everything is fine!!!

YOUR WELCOME INTERNETS :-)

I have been having the same problem periodically in Quicktime. I have been able to take up to 5 hour long recordings and they save just fine, as long as you have the space for it. But what I have noticed is that I only have this problem, "The Operation Could Not Be Completed" when saving, if I start a new screen recording before saving the first one. It is the first one that I am then unable to save.

I have had some luck that if I trim the first recording I am sometimes able to save it. But this time I did not have enough extra recording to trim much and so it still wouldn't save, which is when I found this thread.

I resorted to making a new screen recording of my recording (silly I know, and it probably reduced my resolution and sound quality). Since the recording that would not save still plays in Quicktime, I was able to make a recording of my recording and that saved just fine. So I was at least able to keep the content, which for me is much more important than the quality.

I realize this tread started a while ago, but I hope it may help anyone else struggling with the same issues.

Thanks for all the above help and suggestions but none of this should be necessary, as I am sure you are all aware. It is disappointing that Apple will not fix this issue.

I eventually solved the problem by using iMovie to trim the video, then handbrake to convert the result from .mov to .mp4 (I needed the smaller file size as it was for embedding in a powerpoint) but I'm annoyed that the simplicity of trimming video in quicktime, which worked for the first 3 clips, suddenly becomes unavailable and no one (not a complaint at you guys but at Apple) knows why or how to fix it.

Thanks for all your help. Keep up the good work and maybe we can influence the Apple giant????

I get the same share options, with Mail unable to be selected. I saved a copy of MPEG Streamclip long ago and tried it and it worked.

What puzzles me is that this version of QT {10.4 (894.12)} was trimming (LOVE the greater frame control) and saving fine until a few days ago. Then, coming here and learning that may have had this problem since 2013 or earlier, and Apple still has no official response or solution, astounds me. QuickTime always seemed to me to be one of the hallmarks of OS X and they've been treating it like the proverbial red-headed stepchild.

Same problem trying to save short clips after trimming. Some only 20 secs long.

Tried the above suggestion from super-mysee but don't even get the option to share via email (see screen shot below) When I click 'more' I just get a system preferences window with outlook mail and a greyed out check box (which is checked) and no option to add apple mail app.

Two years later, this work around solved it for me on 10.13 High Sierra. Thank you.

On a fresh install of High Sierra, I couldn’t save a video, but the workaround worked. I’m not at the computer right now, but it has to be the latest version of QT.

By the way, I am running OS Sierra 10.12.6 and again quicktime is showing version 10.4.

I'm on High Sierra, 10.13 build 17A405, QT Version 10.4 (928).

I have the same problem too, with short audio clips.

When I click Share there are no options. It only reads "none". BTW, the normal Save worked fine about a month ago, but now I can't save any trims. HUH???

This is also an intermittent problem for me and I can't figure out why it sometimes does this.

I have experimented around to see how I can save it anyway. Sometimes creating a duplicate will help other time choosing the split track option and then closing the file will work. I've even tried doing a hard turn off (pressing the power button until you force reboot) [Careful!!! May loose everything with this even crash tour HDD] but that should be the very last resort. This is the only post I could find about this issue.

Side Note:

I've upgraded from OS X 10.8 to 10.9 and eventually to 10.10. I got the feeling that somewhere along the way this corrupted something in my local user account. It could be that this is one of the symptoms of that. I just bought a 1TB SSD to upgrade my system and will do a clean install on that. Hopefully this will resolve my problem.