Apple has been using macOS for years instead of its own file sharing protocol AFP (Apple Filing Protocol), which is also common on Windows. But it doesn’t always work as it should. Compatibility and reliability problems have been common in the past. Since the release of macOS 13.2 in January, there have been increasing reports that file sharing via SMB no longer works in the local network.
Pure macOS 13.2 networks
It seems that users who are in their home network are particularly affected fully on macOS 13.2 set. If the networks are mixed, even with older operating system versions, SMB still works between these machines. “After updating to macOS Ventura 13.2, none of my Macs can access the files of the others,” writes one affected person. “I use iMacs, Macbook Air M2 and Mac mini M1 on my network and everything worked fine for years until this update.” However, the affected devices could still access the files of other Macs on the same network running earlier versions of macOS.
The usual tricks to remedy such problems, including turning file sharing off and on again in the system settings, restarting the computers or reconnecting the network (Ethernet or WLAN), do not work – users are simply left without the possibility of file access to other machines. Luckily, access to a NAS does not seem to be affected because it has its own SMB implementation.
Bugfix in der Beta
Apple has not yet officially commented on the difficulties. However, the bug has obviously been known to the group’s developers for a long time and a solution is being worked on. For example, beta testers of macOS 13.3 report that the problem no longer exists since the third beta at the latest. The Mac manufacturer has recently given its testers the release candidate version (RC) of macOS 13.3, which also contains the fix.
It’s amazing that Apple should take so long to fix a bug in such a basic operating system function. Most recently, Apple released macOS 13.2.1 in February, which contained bug fixes and security improvements. However, there were also difficulties here, among other things with the use in company networks. macOS 13.3 is expected to be released next week.
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(bsc)
