Finder fixes and how-tos
Error -43 means Finder could not find an item partway through an operation. Here is how to tell a moved file from a refused name or a dropped drive, and how to fix each one.
Error -43 is the classic Mac code fnfErr, "File not found". Finder was working on an item (copying, moving, renaming or deleting it) and could no longer find it. Finder words it like this:
The operation can’t be completed because one or more required items can’t be found.
(Error code -43)Quickest fix: close the Finder window, open the folder again so the list is fresh, and retry. If the same file fails twice, copy it in Terminal instead, because Terminal names the real problem (below).
Finder only gives you the number. cp -v prints the underlying error in words. Type cp -v , drag the file from Finder into the Terminal window to paste its path, then add a destination:
cp -v "/path/to/Report.pdf" ~/Desktop/| What Terminal says | What it points to |
|---|---|
No such file or directory | The source or the destination folder really is gone: moved, renamed, deleted, or on a drive or share that disconnected. |
File name too long | The name or the whole path is over the limit. |
Operation not permitted or Permission denied | Not a missing file at all. Permissions or macOS privacy settings are blocking it. |
| The file copies without complaint | Finder's window was stale, or Finder tripped on something Terminal doesn't care about. You now have your copy. |
This one is easy to miss. A window can keep listing a file that another app has already renamed, moved or deleted: a sync client tidying a folder, a download that finished and renamed itself, an app that saves by writing a new file and swapping it in. When you click, Finder asks for an item that is no longer there.
Close the window, reopen the folder and look again. If Finder itself seems confused, relaunch it the way Apple describes: press ⌥⌘Esc, select Finder in the Force Quit window and click Relaunch. Restarting the Mac does the same and more. Then see whether the file is still where you think it is: ls -la /path/to/folder lists what is really there.
Copying to a Windows-formatted drive or a network share fails when a name isn't allowed there. Microsoft's naming rules reserve < > : " / \ | ? * and say a name must not end in a space or a period. macOS itself is more relaxed, so a file called Draft? v2.docx or notes. is fine on your Mac and impossible to create on the other side. The copy starts, the destination refuses the name, and Finder may report the item as not found.
Names have a length limit too. On an APFS startup disk, getconf NAME_MAX / reports 255 for a single name and getconf PATH_MAX / reports 1,024 for a full path. Other file systems and shares can be stricter.
To list names with a trailing space or period in a folder, without changing anything:
cd "/path/to/folder"
find . -mindepth 1 \( -name '* ' -o -name '*.' \) -printRename what it prints, or the offending characters, and copy again. There is a fuller list of characters that cause trouble in which characters filenames cannot carry.
If the destination is a network share, a USB drive or a card, a lost connection looks exactly like a missing item. Eject and reconnect it, check that its icon is still in the sidebar, and open the destination folder before you retry. Typical triggers are Wi-Fi dropping while the Mac sleeps, a loose cable and a share that timed out. If the drive keeps vanishing, the cause is the drive or the cable, not the file.
If the alert names an alias and says "the original item can’t be found", the alias itself is broken: the file it pointed to was moved, renamed or deleted. That is a different message from -43, and finding and fixing broken aliases shows how to list them and point them at the right file.
Files in iCloud Drive, Dropbox, Google Drive or OneDrive can be placeholders whose contents live online. Copying one makes the sync app fetch it first, so a signed-out or paused app, a lost connection, or a copy deleted from another device can stop the copy partway with a can’t-be-found error. Open the sync app, let it catch up, and copy again.
If -43 comes when you empty the Trash or delete a file, the usual story is the same: the entry Finder is listing no longer matches what is on disk, often a file in the Trash that a sync tool or another app already removed. Close and reopen the Trash window and try again. If the Trash still won't clear, when Empty Trash fails covers the other causes, including files in use and locked items.
Before you chase a cause, find out whether the file is still on the Mac. In Everywhere, type part of its name: if the file shows up in a folder you didn't expect, it was moved, not deleted, and each result shows the folder it's in. Press ⌘↵ to reveal it in Finder. Files in Desktop, Documents, Downloads, iCloud Drive and on external drives only appear once Everywhere has Full Disk Access.
It is the classic Mac code for "file not found". Finder lost track of an item while copying, moving or deleting it, because it was moved, renamed or removed, its name wasn't allowed at the destination, or a drive or share disconnected.
Reopen the folder to refresh the window and retry. If it fails again, copy it with cp -v in Terminal: the error it prints (such as No such file or directory or File name too long) tells you what to fix.
Close and reopen the window, then try again. The list may show a file that something else already removed. If the Trash won't empty, check whether a file is in use or locked.
The drive may have disconnected mid-copy, or a file name may not be allowed on its format (a trailing space or period, or characters like ? and : on Windows-formatted drives). Reconnect, rename the file, and try again.
Everywhere keeps track of every file on your Mac, including the folders Spotlight hides and drives you have unplugged. Free for a day, then $19 once.
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