Error Code 36 Mac: What Does it Mean and How can You Troubleshoot it?

Has your system run into error code 36 Mac? Is it also generating an error code message? For this error code and the message generated by it, you will need expert troubleshooting fixes. These are available right here. Along with the fixes of this error code, we will also provide you with a simple understanding of this error.

Let’s go through this post now.

The contents of this post include the following.

What is Error Code 36 on My Mac?

Error 36 Mac High Sierra is an error code which can sometimes occur. When a large file is moved or transferred to any other device from your Mac, this error can get triggered. When you are in this spot, you will find issues in copying the files. Further, your files may get affected. 

How Do I Fix Error Code 36 on Mac?

You can fix the error code 35 on your Mac computer by using Disk Utility, formatting your SD drive, copying the files in the Safe Mode, running the “dot_clean” command, clearing the locked files, changing the permission settings, and via more such methods. 

Run through the following sections to know each method for doing away with this error code on your Mac.

Fix 1: Launch Disk Utility on Your Mac

Do you suspect that a drive has been affected on your Mac computer? You may be right in suspecting it. You can run Disk Utility on your Mac to check for the same. Complete the reading of this section to gather the steps for running it.

1. Open the “Finder” app. This can be located in the action bar.

2. The second step is to tap on “Go”.

3. You will be required to select “Utilities” from the contextual menu. 

4. In “Utilities”, you will find “Disk Utility”. Tap two times on this.

5. Here, you have to choose the “Boot” drive on the left.

6. Press the icon of “First Aid”.

7. A prompt will appear asking you to confirm. Tap on “Run”.

8. Disk Utility will check your system, find the errors, and repair them when found.

Note: A green tick along with a success message will be displayed in case there are no errors. 

9. Let the operation be over. After that, perform the steps numbered 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 again for the other drives. Also, execute these steps for the SD cards that may be having any issues. 

10. After all the drives have been analyzed, start your system again. The error code 36 Mac external drive problem will have been troubleshot.

Fix 2: Try to Format SD Drive on Your Mac

Our tech experts believe that you should try formatting your SD drive. When the drive is formatted, any bug causing the errors will be removed. It can also remove the Mac error code 36 external hard drive.

As you keep scrolling, you will get to know the steps to format your SD drive.

1. Run “Finder” on your computer.

2. Press “Go” and select “Utilities”.

3. Click on “Disk Utility”.

4. Choose your “SD Card” on the left. It may be present with the label “No Name”.

5. Press “Erase”.

6. In case you are having an SD card with 32 GB or less than this, the “Format” needs to be changed to “MS-DOS(FAT)”. In case your SD card is of more than 64 GB, the “Format” needs to be changed to “Ex-FAT”.

7. Click on “Erase” and the process will start.

8. Followed by the completion of the process, check your computer for the presence of this error. 

Fix 3: Use “dot_clean” Command and Copy Files Again on Your Mac

The “dot_clean” command is a tested solution for fixing the error code 36 Mac Sierra. for carrying out this solution, you need to let this command operate. Afterwards, you can copy the files again. Your Mac will become error-free.

Here is what you will have to do for running the “dot_clean” command and copying the files.

1. Launching “Terminal” is the first step.

2. Place the following command in the “Command Prompt”.

“dot_clean/Path/To/Directory/With/Problem/”

4. Now, copy your file again. The Mac OS X Finder error code 36 will not emerge.

Fix 4: Use the Safe Mode to Copy Files on Your Mac

If corrupt files are existing on your Mac, then you can surmise what is causing the error code 36. So, when you try to copy files, the Mac copy error code 36 will come in your way. Without utilizing Finder, you can copy them in the Safe Mode. Your files will get copied and the error will not pose any problems this time.

Fix 5: Remove “.DS_Store” Files from Your Mac

The “.DS_Store” or Desktop Services Store files are cache files. Made by macOS, these files are hidden. By default, these files can exist. Also, the macOS can make these through Finder and store them in the directories of your system. 

When the error 36 Mac occurs due to these files, you can consider deleting them.

1. Open the “Finder” app on your Mac.

2. Click on the option of “Go”.

3. In the pop-up menu, press “Utilities”.

4. When you see the “Terminal” utility, click twice on it.

5. Type in the “Administrator” password, in case it is required.

6. Enter the command given below in the “Terminal”. 

“sudo find / -name “.DS_Store” -depth -exec rm {} \;”

7. Hit the “Return” key.

8. The process to remove the “.DS_Store” files will begin. 

9. You may be prompted to write the “Administrator” password again. Write it and tap “Ok”.

10. After the process is over, rebooting your computer will be required. 

Caution: The “.DS_Store” or Desktop Services Store files should be deleted only when you face certain difficulties such as this error code on your Mac. 

Fix 6: Use Terminal to Run “dot_clean” Command

The archive process of Finder may be triggering this error code 36 Mac High Sierra on your system. Due to this process, the dot-underscore files may get mismanaged. The dot_clean command can be utilized for removing this cause. After running this command, the error will stop emerging on your computer.

To use this command, you will need to know the procedure given as follows.

1. Begin with searching for “Terminal”. Access the search box on the right for doing so.

2. When the “Terminal” app opens, write the command given below.

“dot_clean”

3. Now, tap the “Return” key.

4. Once the operation of the command is over, browse your system. The Mac error code 36 when transferring files should persist no longer.

Fix 7: Restart the Finder App on Your Mac

Here, we will learn how to fix Mac error code 36 by simply restarting the Finder app. For restarting this app, you can use a shortcut. To delete unwanted apps on the mac follow the guide. In the following 4 steps, you can find this shortcut. 

1. Press the combination of the following keys on your Mac.

“Command” + ” Option” + ” Escape” 

2. From the list of “Force Quit Applications”, click on “Finder”.

3. Now, press the “Relaunch” option.

4. The Finder app will restart now. After it has restarted, you can ensure that this Mac error code 36 fix has been successful. 

Fix 8: Reset PRAM on Your Mac

In this section, we will walk you through resetting PRAM. When you reset it, this error 36 Mac High Sierra will not be able to show up on your computer. To reset PRAM, the following 4 steps should be considered.

1. Begin with shutting down your system.

2. Start your system again. 

3. Prior to the grey screen appearing on startup, tap the combination of the following keys.

“Command” + “Option” + “P” + “R”

4. Keep the keys pressed together. Release them when the startup sound is heard thrice. 

Fix 9: Remove Locked Files from Your Mac

“A message saying Mac error code 36 cannot be read or written keeps appearing on my screen. What is the best fix for doing away with this error code message?”

The best fix for you will be to remove the locked files from your system. You can access Terminal on your system and use a command for removing the files. Further details of this fix have been shared here.

1. Go to “Applications”.

2. Open “Utilities”.

3. Now, click on “Terminal”. When it is open, write the following command in it.

“chflags -R nouchg”

4. Press the icon of “Trash” twice. You will find this at the bottom.

5. Tap the “Command” key and “A” key together. All the files in the “Trash” will get marked.

6. The files which have to be deleted need to be dragged from the “Trash” to the “Terminal”.

Note: On the off chance that the “Terminal” window cannot be seen, you will have to arrange the window of “Finder”. Now, the “Terminal” window will be visible.

7. On “Terminal”, hit “Return”. Then clear the “Trash”.

8. Use your system and inspect it for the Mac Finder error 36.

Fix 10: Check for a Stable External Media Connection on Your Mac

The error code 36 Mac external hard drive can appear due to a connection that isn’t stable. You can check your external drive to make certain that the connection has been properly established. Also, look for any physical damage. This can also cause interference with the connection, thus, making it unstable.

Fix 11: Change File Sharing Options and Permission Settings on Your Mac

Any problem with the file sharing options and permission settings can result in the Mac OS X Finder error code 36. Making changes to these options and settings can prevent this error code. The changes that you need to make have been mentioned here.

1. Choose a folder/file/disk that is to be shared.

2. Click on “File”.

3. Then click on “Get Info”.

4. In the section of “Sharing & Permissions”, in case no information is available, you will see a disclosure triangle. Click on it.

5. Press the icon of “Lock”.

6. The lock will open. Write the “Administrator Name”. Then add the “Administrator Password”.

7. Tap on a user group in the column of “Name”. In the pop-up menu, choose the privilege settings.

8. The options of “Read & Write”, “Read Only”, “Write Only”, and “No Access” will be available. You can configure and make changes to the permissions as per your choice.

Fix 12: Update Your Mac Computer with the Latest Version

When your system is not updated, any issues can erupt. These issues can further affect your system with errors just like the Mac copy error code 36. An updated system will have lesser issues. Thus, such errors will not persist. For this reason, updating your system will be an effective fix against this error code. 

To update your Mac, you can check the steps below.

1. On your Mac, you will find an action bar present at the bottom. Tap on the icon of “System Preferences” on it.

2. Tap on “Software Update” on the screen of “System Preferences”.

3. The scanning process to find the updates will begin. Wait till it is over.

Note: The scanning process can take a while. You are requested to not turn off the window until the scanning is over.

4. Click on “Update Now” in case the updates are available.

5. The instructions on your screen will guide you for continuing. Follow them to install the updates.

6. In the sixth step, you have to restart your computer.

Note: In case your computer automatically reboots, once the updates have been installed, you don’t have to restart it.

7. Now, use your system and examine whether the error got fixed.

Fix 13: Remove BitDefender from Your Mac

Certain users whose systems ran into the error 36 Mac Sierra have reported that BitDefender was causing it. In some situations, this can be the cause of this error on your Mac. Having it uninstalled will be a great way to eliminate this error. 

Below, we have guided you about how it can be uninstalled on your Mac.

1. Launch the “Finder” app from the action bar of your computer.

2. In the “Finder” app, press “Go”.

3. Tap on “Utilities” in the next step.

Time-saving Tip: To reach “Utilities” in an instant, you can also follow a shortcut. This includes pressing together the “CMD” and “U” keys.

4. In “Utilities”, you have to locate “BitdefenderUninstaller”. Click two times on it. Now, the uninstallation process will begin.

Note: Some of you may be trying to remove a third-party AV. In that case, you can check for an uninstaller associated with the same.

5. You will be asked to confirm the uninstallation. For this, press “Uninstall”. 

6. Write your “Administrator Password” when you are prompted for it. 

7. The uninstallation process will take a while. After that, you can restart your system.

8. The action which was giving rise to the error code 36 Mac needs to be repeated. If the error does not rise again, then that means this fix has been successful. 

Taking Everything into Account

The error code 36 can occur on your Mac as a result of some causes. Although this error code is rare, removing it becomes necessary for starting the essential processes on your computer. As you saw in this post, removing this error code requires you to carry out easy fixes. We believe the fixes shown above were successful for you.

You can also check out our all-time popular blog on error code 43 Mac. This blog will define this error code for you and also help you in resolving it.