Follow-up TIFF Question: Why will my Mac not let me move my TIFF files to my external drive? Am I doing something wrong?

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Why will my Mac not let me move my TIFF files to my external drive? Am I doing something wrong?

Manglesphoto Loc: 70 miles south of St.Louis

jaymatt wrote:

Why will my Mac not let me move my TIFF files to my external drive? Am I doing something wrong?

I don't work with TIFF file, But I am interest in this.
John, I just created a tiff of one of my images and sent to one of my external drive with no problem at all.
iMac 5k 27" 2017 OS Catalina 10.15.7

Wallen Loc: Middle Earth

jaymatt wrote:

Why will my Mac not let me move my TIFF files to my external drive? Am I doing something wrong?

check the security setting of the file. it might be read-only.

coullone Loc: Paynesville, Victoria, Australia

Wallen wrote:

check the security setting of the file. it might be read-only.

That must be it, I have just moved over 1500 large tiffs to my NAS and to a external drive without a problem from my 2019 Mac Mini also on Catalina.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Wallen wrote:

check the security setting of the file. it might be read-only.

I think you may have solved my problem--where do I find this security setting?

julian.gang

If you are just dragging the files, try, right click then copy then paste...Julian

spraguead Loc: Boston, MA

jaymatt wrote:

I think you may have solved my problem--where do I find this security setting?

in the finder window, touch the curser to the file, but don't open it. Then use the command and "i" keys to bring up the file info window. At the bottom there are choices for "Sharing permissions" make sure they are moved to the "read and write" option for all. then close that window and you should be all set.

a6k Loc: Detroit & Sanibel

The security settings are probably not preventing a copy operation. I get read-only documents and spreadsheets from others frequently and can copy them easily.

The first question to ask might be whether the OP is using Finder or some third party app or Photos. There is no reason for any computer, Mac or etc. to balk at copying a particular file type.

Ourspolair

This could go deep... I sometimes find that when I upload images from my SD card to Nikon Image Transfer, some of the files are "locked", and I have to unlock them in the app. I do not do anything in-camera to "lock" any of my images. Not looking for a solution, but just adding a "maybe" for the OP.

a6k Loc: Detroit & Sanibel

spraguead wrote:

in the finder window, touch the curser to the file, but don't open it. Then use the command and "i" keys to bring up the file info window. At the bottom there are choices for "Sharing permissions" make sure they are moved to the "read and write" option for all. then close that window and you should be all set.

Correct but does not address the problem. A read-only file can be copied. There might be some "permission" that does not allow copying, but ordinary read-only will allow it.

smussler Loc: Land O Lakes, FL - Formerly Miller Place, NY

a6k wrote:

The security settings are probably not preventing a copy operation. I get read-only documents and spreadsheets from others frequently and can copy them easily.

The first question to ask might be whether the OP is using Finder or some third party app or Photos. There is no reason for any computer, Mac or etc. to balk at copying a particular file type.

He didn't say copy, he said move. To move a file, the file permission must allow it to be deleted from the original disk drive. Read Only may prohibit that. Just tried it in Win-10, not the case. Read-only file easily moved from one drive to another. MAC OS maybe differs?
With that, more likely folder on target drive is read only, or target drive doesn't have room for the additional file.
Personally, I never move files between drives. I copy them, then delete the originals from the source drive.

phot0n0ob

smussler wrote:

Personally, I never move files between drives. I copy them, then delete the originals from the source drive.

very sound advice!

Ednsb Loc: Santa Barbara

That should not be happening. You should be able to copy any file (regardless of permission) to any drive. Are you sure it isn't working? When you move a file from one drive to another it moves it pretty quickly and your original is still on the source drive. If that isn't working then you need to contact apple support in my opinion.

a6k Loc: Detroit & Sanibel

smussler wrote:

He didn't say copy, he said move. To move a file,... (show quote)

I use a Mac. The distinction that you make is true. But I've never had a problem deleting a read-only file, only changing it. It is possible for unix based systems such as MacOS to prevent deletion but if the OP created the file or copied it from his or her camera then that seems unlikely to me.

I agree with you that "moving" a file is sub-optimal vs. copy, paste, delete.

As an experiment I just took a jpg that was downloaded from the internet, deleted my own r/w permission so that all permissions were read-only. Then I drag-dropped it to another drive (iCloud). Then I deleted it from iCloud. Before I moved it or deleted it I opened it in Preview and it showed "locked".

I am still of the opinion that the process employed by the OP involves some other software than Finder which is the file management application that comes with a Mac. But that is only a guess until the OP clarifies.

a6k Loc: Detroit & Sanibel

Ednsb wrote:

That should not be happening. You should be able to copy any file (regardless of permission) to any drive. Are you sure it isn't working? When you move a file from one drive to another it moves it pretty quickly and your original is still on the source drive. If that isn't working then you need to contact apple support in my opinion.

The observation that a "move" to another drive (volume) does not, by default, delete the original is generally true for both Mac and Windows. A move to another folder on the same volume will appear to delete the original because the original never moved, just got renamed (from a system point of view). My reference to "move" on a Mac is necessarily only about drag&drop (see below).

Yours may be a very helpful point.

btw, MacOS does not offer "move" as a right-click option. I think I remember that Windows does.