How do I find the exact file path?

Drag the file from Finder into a Terminal window — it will paste the full escaped path.

Can this affect Time Machine backups?

Yes, if the file cannot be read, Time Machine will skip it. Fix the error first, then run a new backup.

Mac Error -43 — File Not Found (fnfErr)

Warningfinder

Overview

Mac error -43 occurs when the system cannot find a file during operations like moving, copying, or deleting, usually due to name encoding issues or corrupted directory.

Key Details

Error -43 maps to fnfErr — file not found error in the Mac OS file manager
The file appears visible in Finder but the system cannot locate it internally
Often caused by Unicode normalization differences in file names
Can occur with files copied from Windows or Linux with special characters
Spotlight index corruption can cause Finder to reference non-existent files

Common Causes

File name encoding mismatch (different Unicode normalization forms)
Corrupted directory structure on the volume
File moved or deleted by another process while Finder still references it
Spotlight index out of sync with actual file system state
Special characters in file names not supported by the file system

Steps

1Try renaming the file in Terminal: mv /path/to/problematic\ file /path/to/newname
2Delete using Terminal: rm /path/to/file (drag file to Terminal to get the exact path)
3Rebuild Spotlight index: sudo mdutil -E / in Terminal
4Run Disk Utility First Aid on the volume containing the file
5If on external drive: copy needed files off, reformat, and copy back