How to troubleshoot when you archive files in an external volume on Sonoma but the archive does not appear

On macOS Sonoma 14, when you archive files in an external volume with Bandizip, you may find that the archive should be in the volume but nothing appears.

To be precise, if the external volume is in the exFAT file system and a file whose filename uses NFC for Unicode normalization is in the volume, the Finder is unable to display such a file. (Use Terminal to check that the file actually exists there.)

This issue does not occur if the file's name (full path) is in NFD or ASCII. And since it has never occurred on earlier versions than macOS 13, it is believed that Sonoma itself is responsible for the issue.

How to troubleshoot

Bandizip for macOS supports both NFC and NFD filenames, but it uses an NFC one by default when processing files, to secure compatibility with other OSes like Windows.

Run Bandizip and go to Preferences > Advanced tab, and then check the "Use NFD filename" checkbox. You may find that the archive in the external volume appears correctly then.

Still, if you frequently exchange files with Windows users, using an NFC filename whould be better in terms of compatibility. It is recommended to use an NFC filename if the problem in Sonoma get fixed by Apple someday.

Please visit the link below to learn more about the NFC and NFD filenames.

Help » How to change the Unicode normalization form used for filenames