Can't save, share or duplicate Pages 5 files

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silhouettes Author

Level 1

17 points

Can't save, share or duplicate Pages 5 files

Pages seems to have gone wrong, it won't save any files!

After creating a new file and working on it, when I try to save I just get an error message saying:

'The file "Untitled.pages" couldn't be opened.'

The same thing happens if I try to duplicate the file (shift-Cmd-S) or try to share it.

I can print and save as a PDF. Apart from that there seems no option but to close the file and loose all changes.

What can I do? I'm using Pages 5.6.1

iMac, iOS 9.2, late 2015 27"

Posted on Feb 27, 2016 10:26 AM

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Answer 1

silhouettes Author

Level 1

17 points

Feb 28, 2016 9:11 AM in response to silhouettes

Nobody replied yet, but I seem to have partly solved it. The problem seems to be with iCloud rather than Pages. I solved it by unchecking Pages in the list of apps which store documents in iCloud.

What seems to be happening it that whenever I create a new document an 'untitled' file is created immediately in iCloud. It is this file which seems to corrupt. If I try to save my document to another location I get the "file couldn't be opened" message. If I don't specify a location it seems to save OK - in iCloud - but then cannot be opened again. Switching iCloud off prevents this happening and allows Pages to see files wherever I want, as it should.

So why are my iCloud Pages files corrupted, and how can I prevent this happening?

Here is a screen shot which shows a series of untitled files in my iCloud/Pages folder. Each is a document I've worked on but then lost after being unable to save it. Trying to open any of them brings up the same "file couldn't be opened" message. I can't delete them either, trying to move them to trash triggers a finder message:

"The Finder can’t complete the operation because some data in “Untitled.pages” can’t be read or written. (Error code -36)"

Pages is now working OK, and I can easily live without iCloud, but any ideas would be much appreciated.

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Answer 2

FixedIt

Level 1

4 points

Apr 12, 2016 5:36 AM in response to silhouettes

I'm having the same problem. if I try to copy files out of iCloud to any other location they literally do a disappearing act. I drag them from iCloud to the desktop while holding option (copy) and then drop them and they pop out of existence in front of my eyes. Moving files works but I tried moving and empty folder and got the following error code "If i try to move them I get the error code

"The Finder can’t complete the operation because some data in “untitled folder” can’t be read or written.

(Error code -36)"

None of my iWork files will open either. If I try to open a numbers doc for instance I get this error "The file “filename.numbers” couldn’t be opened."

I thought it might have had something to do with the fact I was running parallels with an iCloud client running on windows at the same time, but I removed it and am still experiencing the problem. Even if don't launch parallels after a fresh reboot the problem will eventuate. My wife doesn't experience these problems that I'm aware of, and she has a user account on the same iMac.

Please help!

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Answer 3

Apr 12, 2016 6:44 AM in response to silhouettes

You do not have autosave enabled until you save the document.

My habit, regardless of iCloud or local drive is to create a new document, and then immediately save it with a functional name, not Untitled.pages. At this point, I know that any content that I add will be autosaved about every 15 seconds. I never have the issues reported here by you, and others about Pages cannot save a document. When I say never, I mean Pages v5.0 through v5.6.1 over the last 2.5 years, and three major versions of OS X.

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