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Not saving to desktop

Avatar Michael Corgan
Maybe I have inadvertently changed a setting because when I try to save a file to the Desktop it does not appear. This seems to apply to any type of file and has suddenly commenced. As my Desktop would show, I have had no trouble previously in saving files of all descriptions, including screen-shots which are automatically saved to the Desktop.

Is there somewhere a setting that needs toggling?

Re: Not saving to desktop

Avatar Mick Burrell
Do you have "Save Desktop & Documents in the Cloud" turned on? (System Prefs>iCloud Drive>Options)

Re: Not saving to desktop

Avatar Michael Corgan
It was turned on, for some of the apps in which I tried to save files onto the Desktop, but not all. However, having unsuccessfully attempted saving a Pages file onto both the Desktop and onto my Mac hard drive, I then saved it onto one of the 8 partitions (thank you, Euan) on a back-up drive. It saved successfully. I then copied it onto the desktop, and not only was that successfl, but all the other files I had tried to save there appeared immediately!

How would having "Save ... in the Cloud" affect apps for which it was not activated, and why should that stop files being saved to the Desktop?

Re: Not saving to desktop

Avatar Michael Corgan
One other point - I checked the location of the saved files to see if they had gone elsewhere than the Desktop (using Cmd-click, with the cursor on the file name)and in each case the location was shown as Desktop.

Re: Not saving to desktop

Avatar Trevor Hewson
Michael, did you look in the Desktop folder to see whether the files were actually there, even though the icons hadn’t appeared on your screen? Alternatively a Spotlight search might persuade the Mac to own up to where it has put them!

Re: Not saving to desktop

Avatar Michael Corgan
Hi Trevor

I did indeed check the Desktop folder and the files were not showing there. The workaround of saving into an external hard drive (or a partition thereof) does work. I have just tried again, with a Pages file, a screenshot and a MediaPro catalogue file. None showed on the Desktop nor in the Desktop folder. Something else that may be related to this is the appearance of a message when trying to delete one of these files from the external hard drive after it had surfaced and been saved in the proper location, to the effect that the file is busy and can't yet be deleted.

Not an impossible situation but a pain in the neck one!

Re: Not saving to desktop

Avatar Mick Burrell
I didn't think it could be turned on for some apps but not others. I didn't think it was anything to do with saving but rather if switched on, the entire contents of your Desktop & Documents folders were sent to iCloud Drive.

Re: Not saving to desktop

Avatar Michael Corgan
It seems that there may indeed be a connection to a problem with the Trash. Attempting to empty the Trash brought up the same message as trying to delete a file - the Trash 'couldn't be opened ( I had just done so) because it was busy either transferring a file or - emptying the Trash!. In the end I shut the iMac down completely. When I rebooted all was well. I could empty the Trash and save files and screenshots to the Desktop, and that has continued so far. Any ideas on how this happened would be welcome.
 
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