Two TextEdit rtf files on my iMac often can not be edited without duplicating first.

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Two TextEdit rtf files on my iMac often can not be edited without duplicating first.

This has gone on for years. I have two TextEdit rtf files that I constantly access and most of the time I can edit and save them without trouble. But very often, those same two files will suddenly require making a duplicate before I can make new edits to the document.

Every possible permission has been granted as shown in the "Get Info" about the files, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to edit and save them numerous times before. The folders they're in have been the same, also with granted permissions. I'm the creator of the file, owner of the computer and Grand Poobah for everything that takes place on it.

FYI: At some point, I have also copied and pasted into a fresh new file and saved that. The problem remains.

Should I wait for Tahoe, just as I have through several of the past Mac OS changes only to keep seeing this same problem?

Posted on Sep 19, 2025 06:34 AM

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Answer 1

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Blaskowitz

Level 3

511 points

Sep 19, 2025 06:38 AM in response to Michael Goettee

You’ve done everything right with permissions, but TextEdit can be quirky with RTF files — it sometimes acts like it forgets you’re the owner and forces you to make a duplicate. This isn’t an issue with your Mac itself, more of an old bug in the app.

Waiting for a new macOS release won’t really help — this glitch has carried over through several versions. The easiest workaround is to keep those notes in plain .txt format (much less trouble there), or open them in another lightweight editor like BBEdit or Pages. That way, everything runs more smoothly and without surprises.

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