macOS 15.4 Beta (only on Intel iMac) Publisher 2.6 - files can not be saved after changing any content

[j_h]

Hello,

after upgrading to macOS 15.4 Beta (Intel iMac) Publisher 2.6, (Photo and Designer as well) could not save any files after changing content in the layout anymore. 

Works fine on a Macbook (M3) with macOS 15.4 Beta (24E5206s). 

[PaulSelden]

I am having exactly the same problem, but on Mac OS 15.4 Beta (24E5206s) on Intel MacBook Pro, Affinity 2.6.0 (3134)

Paul

[MikeTO]

Where are you saving to? Please ensure Affinity has access with Apple menu > System Settings > Privacy & Security > Files & Folders.

Also have you tried a different location? For example, if you normally save to your Documents folder, have you tried your Desktop or vice versa?

[Hans-Chr.]

Same issue with my MacBook pro i5 running 15.4beta . Affinity 2.6 programs are not able to save after changes.  Under Privacy & security > Files and folders the Affinity programs is not visible at all.

[MikeTO]

I've seen 4 reports of being unable to save with the Sequoia 15.4 beta now.

@DrMike You also reported this issue saving from the Sequoia 15.4 beta in another thread. Does your Mac have an Intel or Apple Silicon processor?

[j_h]

[macOS 15.4 Beta] “Could not lock file” error or freeze when saving in Affinity Publisher 2

Description:
Since updating my Intel iMac (Retina 5K, 27-inch, 2017) to macOS 15.4 Beta, Affinity Publisher 2 consistently fails to save documents—both newly created and older files. Sometimes I see the error “Could not lock file,” other times the app just hangs during the save dialog, forcing me to do a Force Quit.

This issue happens regardless of the file’s location (local SSD, iCloud Drive, or external volume). I’ve tested in a new user account and in Safe Mode, but the error persists. On a MacBook Air (M3) running the same macOS 15.4 Beta, saving works normally, so it seems to be specific to my Intel iMac under this beta.

Key points:

• macOS 15.4 Beta on Intel iMac (Retina 5K, 2017)
• Affinity Publisher 2, all updates applied
• Occurs with both new and existing .afpub files
• Error: “Could not lock file” or silent freeze during Save/Save As
• Requires Force Quit to recover
• Does not occur on my MacBook Pro (M3) with the same beta

Troubleshooting done so far:

• Tried multiple volumes (local, external, iCloud)
• Reset app preferences, checked file permissions
• Tested new user account and Safe Mode
• Ran Disk Utility’s “First Aid” with no issues
• Rolled back to macOS 15.3.1 as a workaround (solves the issue)

It appears to be a beta-related file locking bug on Intel Macs. Any suggestions or known workarounds would be greatly appreciated!

[DrMike]

Hi MikeTO. I am using a MacBook Pro with 2.4 GHz 8-core Intel Core i9.

[MikeTO]

Thanks @j_h and @DrMike. I hope the information you've shared with help Serif figure this out.

[PaulSelden]

Just to confirm what I reported before and confirms what others are finding.

My setup is: Intel MacBook Pro (2019) running Sequoia 15.4 beta (24E5206s), and Affinity Publisher 2.6.0 beta (3134).

There are actually two problems related to the upgrade to Mac OS 15.4 on Intel.

The first is critical: nothing can be saved. Any changes to the file and then Save (or Save As...) results in a hung progress bar.

The second happens straight after the upgrade (it happened after the last upgrade); one file (not necessarily the same one), but not all, will not load for an hour or so. It does eventually. It suggests that Affinity is doing some complicated housekeeping in the background. Once it has loaded, everything is OK again (until the next upgrade).

I hope Serif can sort this out very soon: without Save we are completely stuck.

Thanks all!

Paul

[Sedulius]

Exact same problem here with saving, although I haven't had any file loading issues.

My Setup:

MacPro 2019 3.5 GHz 8-Core Intel Xeon W running Sequoia 15.4 Beta (24E5206s) and Affinity Publisher 2 2.6.0.

Thanks

Oliver

 

[PaulSelden]

Just to confirm that this problem does not exist on MacBook Air with Apple chips.

Paul

[NathanC]

I can confirm this issue is logged internally with the developers for further investigation, thanks all for providing additional info and device specs.

[transitdiagrams]

Seems to be only with Intel based processors in combination with MacOS - my M1 and M3 machines work perfectly fine with 15.4 beta. 

On the same Intel iMac I use bootcamp with the newest Windows 11 Insider Preview and it works without any issues. I know, different code base  

[PaulSelden]

Just this morning I am having the same problem with Affinity Designer.

Paul

[Hans-Chr.]

I juts downloaded MacOs 15.4 beta 2.  First test shows that the issue may be solved for this issue.

[transitdiagrams]

After installing 15.4. Beta 2 the issue is gone, Apple seems to have fixed the problem. 🙂