File sharing stopped working after macOS 13.7.5 update

I'd been thinking about updating to Sonoma via Open Core Legacy Patcher anyway. I use my 2017 4k iMac as sort of a household server - thunderbolt drive enclosure with ~25 TB of movies, photos, etc. I've got about ten Intel VMs via Parallels, so not ready to make the move to Apple Silicon yet. (Do have a MacBook Pro ARM - absolutely screams). Anyway, been holding off as each update seems to install more firmware fixes. But with updates like this, taking away basic functionality, I'm kind of over that. Still on the fence, but it's a way to go if nothing else works - I've got a 2018 MB Air with Sonoma and it doesn't have those issues.

I had already tried that, as well as with AFP, but neither worked. As an aside, smbd is not running on a Sonoma and a Sequoia machine where file sharing does work, at least according to Activity Monitor. Am I missing something?

I'm not seeing that @Lukas, I see my properly resolved FQDN, not an IP, just like it's always been.

Perhaps you have something else going on as well? You are not running Tailscale/Zerotier or something like that are you by any chance? Perhaps the "random" address is actually the Tailscale machine address? Just wild speculation on my part... happy to have my theory blown out of the water :-)

Searching the web for some ideas why "macos file sharing shows a random ip address", I just recalled the following:

A couple of weeks ago I was copying data from my late dad's old PCs to external USB drives. There were some issues, the copy process was taking very long or stopped completely, and so I tried to copy the data via other means by attaching the drive to my MacBook and copying them via direct Ethernet connection. For the record, the PCs have no WAN access and no Wifi. But I think I have attempted to turn on Internet Sharing on the MacBook so that the PC could resync its clock. I don't remember if it actually worked though. One PC runs Win 7 Home, the other Win 10 Home, or whatever the "editions" are called. I don't have much experience with using Windows, let alone setting up a network connection on Windows, but eventually I figured it out by trial, error, and many reboots, and I was able to connect via SMB in both directions, and to copy all user data from the PCs successfully.

That was before the Ventura 13.7.5 update however.

So, not sure if this type of SMB networking may have had some negative impact on my main user account on the MacBook, and then the 13.7.5 update "exposed" and "amplified" it?

Another "unusual action" I have performed just earlier this week was installing Java so that I could run a couple of old Java based apps (for the record, e.g. the brilliant ClickRepair app by Brian Davies). It took a few rounds of installing and deinstalling via *.pkg and via homebrew until I figured out that I need to run JRE 8. Possibly that may also have messed something up at low level?

And then there's the UTM virtualization app where I sometimes launch an El Capitan emulation, so that I can run Acrobat Pro X on the Ventura MacBook when I need to preflight PDFs for print (other than that, the emulation is too slow to be of any other practical use). The connection between the environments happens via "VMWare Paravirtualized Ethernet", so that's also a possible recent culprit I could think of.

Could you please give the line commands for

added myself as a read&write co-owner, and for security, I have set "Everyone" to No Access.

I like this idea. Thanks for sharing it

Is root needed for this or can a "simple" administrator do it

It's not just file sharing, I have a problem with access to files and directories on the same machine since the update too.

I have to keep authorising access - Mixxx for one, every time I load a song I have to confirm access and with 20,000 songs that's a pain. Anyone with a similar prob, the work around is to relink the directory in Mixxx preferences>library; this only a temp fix and you have to do it each time power up of the computer.

My main, but not only symptom, is the inability to search my Ventura 13.7.5 5k2017 from my MacMini 2018 or my macbook air M1—both are running sequoia 15.4.1.

When sequoia was 15.4, a reinstall of ventura on my 5k2017 worked to re-establish proper function. Then I upgraded both the Mini and the M1 to Sequoia 15.4.1 for the "bug fixes, security enhancements, and recommended for all users" and the problem returned. This time a reinstall of Ventura 13.7.5 did NOT work to resolve the problems.

C'mon, Apple!

Here the same:

m2 pro mini

m2 mini

ipads

iphones

windows pc

since the last update of Ventura my Homenetwork is screwed, none of the workarounds from here work for me. atm i am so done with apple. i had the same issues with every update of ventura, but the workarounds worked all the time for me, so it was not a big issue. now nothing works and i am not willing to go on sonoma.

Thank you Stephan this worked for me, but man what a pain!!! I shared the Drobo and the folder form the iMac and was able to connect to them... networking 2x 27" iMacs with a Drobo and Synology connected and suddenly poof. No more network connection - like that. it took over 2 hours of our time in the office trying a variety of things re setting WiFi re wiring all the Ethernet cables etc. Apple shame on you guys. I really am disappointed with apple on so many levels. as a 20 years+ user i swear I would switch if i could. I already gave up my iPhone, but clinging on to my Macbookpros and iMacs still. we shall see. I hope apple is seeing all the chaos here and planning a patch soon please.

Yep, still not working for me either after update to 13.7.6 on 4 different systems, 3 X Intel and 1 X Mac Studio M2 Max.

Glad you are going again @rivmac, but I guess enquiring minds want to know why the worked for you and not for us?

I'm getting quite fond of NFS again after a decade or so of mostly ignoring it (again).

:-)

Some further possible options and workarounds in this thread:

https://www.tweaking4all.com/forum/macos-x-software/macos-13-7-5-smb-connection/

(which itself also refers to this very thread, so I'm only "closing the loop"… ;)

I have the same problem with Ventura 13.7.5 running on a 2017 MacBook Pro.

I just updated to Ventura 13.7.6 and everything was fixed. I could again use the Finder on two different remote Macs to login to Ventura using all my Administrator and Standard user accounts.

Just wanted my post to be seen as today.

I then rebooted Ventura 13.7.6 and all the original SMB problems with 13.7.5 are back.

What an emotional roller coaster after Apple broke, apparently fixed, and then somehow broke again such a basic system networking service.

I cannot upgrade to Sonoma so I am stuck with a seriously broken Ventura system.

I too have reported this problem to Apple via feedback.

If you would like to connect to Ventura 13.7.6 using the iPhone Files app, install FE File Explorer (free) on your phone, set up an SMB connection to your Ventura machine using "[ComputerName or IP address].local" as the hostname, add the path to your share, username and password. Make sure the connection is working in FE.

Open the Files app on your phone and in the Browse screen tap on FE File Explorer, enable it, and you will see your Ventura share there. Use the Files app as usual. Works fine here, IOS 18.5, Ventura 13.7.6. Seems that Ventura from 13.7.5 does not play well with Files or Finder without workarounds.

Also, the "computername.local/volumename" syntax now also works on Macs to connect via the Finder Go menu > Connect To Server to 13.7.6 shares. I don't recall having had success with it when attempting to connect to 13.7.5.

So perhaps there have been "some" progress with the update, after all…?