How to fix "Files" errors in GarageBand on iOS 11 (iPhone/iPad)

How to fix and troubleshoot the most common files errors in GarageBand on iOS 11 (iPhone/iPad)
If you have used GarageBand on iPad or GarageBand on iPhone for very long, you may have come across some errors with the iOS 11 "Files" app integration. In this video, instead of showing you all the specific errors, I give you my tips for common simple fixes that can help get you back up and running.
The key suggestions for fixing these common GarageBand iOS errors are:
1. Close all background apps and re-open GarageBand and Files
2. Turn it off and back on (yep, the old classic)
3. Check your iPhone or iPad storage and ensure you have enough free space
4. Check your iCloud Drive space to ensure you have enough storage
5. Sign out and back in to your iCloud/Apple ID account
== Related Videos ==
Files in GarageBand iOS 11 (Complete Guide) - • FILES app for iPad/iPh...
How to understand GarageBand file locations in iOS 11 - • How to Understand Gara...
Free up storage space in iOS 11 by re-installing FaceBook & KZbin - • Free up Storage Space ...
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Releasing Music - DistroKid - distrokid.com/v... (7% off first year)
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== Web & Social ==
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[@oliviadrinkwater675]

This living angel has just saved 70+ songs and 6+ years of work. FYI for anyone who’s currently unable to download their projects, as soon as I accepted the new ICloud terms and conditions that are under iCloud in settings (see this video) and instantly regained access. Thank you 🙏

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Nice one! Glad to hear it helped.

[@cryoskairos910]

Man if I ever meet you in person I’m going to buy you some beers and a nice getaway room somewhere for you and your family. You’ve helped me so much I feel like I owe you my life brother! Thank you so much

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Thanks my friend. Very happy to hear I’ve been able to help. 👍😎

[@ramens]

This man is a legend ❤️🙏🏽

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Thanks for the kind words.

[@kylieloc7840]

This hero of a man has the solution for everything, I swear to god

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Haha! 😄🤘

[@BluesBrethrenofPolishPeoplesR]

Another bunch of spot on tips from you, Pete, which makes our creative flow going much easier, thank you and all the best!

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Thanks again for the kind words and support. 👍

[@hanginlowsfinest4454]

Thanks for the great info, very helpfull my friend

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

You’re welcome and thanks for your support again. 😄

[@markstarymusic]

Just wanted to drop a line saying thanks for this video! Fixed my merging tracks issues I’ve battled for years! THANKS!

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Awesome!!! Very glad to hear my friend.

[@boblatzer]

Very useful info. Thanks!

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Thanks Robert. The sort of stuff that you hopefully never need to know!!

[@hackywackie]

Literally all it was for me was the good old turning it off and back on again- I have no idea why I didn’t think of that sooner!!! Thank you dude! :)

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Haha! It’s often the case isn’t it?! Glad to help.

[@besseracademy]

Thanks for the video. What model is this iPad? Is 64GB sufficient for music production? Regards.

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Hey there my friend. Thank you for watching and for your question. I use the iPad Air 2 with 64gb and it is just enough these days. This video will give you my complete overview of iPads for music. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qqCZiZinlLaKmdk

[@alissa-mariesmith2389]

Thank you so so much. Definitely the solution about the storage thing was my problem and I literally had no idea!

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Glad I was able to help out and thanks for letting me know. 👍

[@reishiboo]

what helped me is to share the „damaged“ file on the notes app and send the note to a macbook :)

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Nice!

[@rabbit2962]

THANK YOU SO MUCH! i was getting so worried- until i found your video, and it helped LOADS!!

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

You’re very welcome my friend. I hope you get value from the other videos here on the channel and consider subscribing. 👍

[@rabbit2962]

@@PeteJohnsMusic definitely

[@lukeshaffer7895]

Nice this is very helpful very good tips!

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Thanks Luke. Hopefully will help some folks out. 👍

[@freelance_commie]

You rock man I keep coming across your videos over the years because garage band ios apparently has money and a department behind it because i love it for the most part but typical apple customer service where its treated like a mystery app that appeared out of nowhere magically. Cheers!

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

My goal is to make sure nobody needs to use Apple support for GarageBand and iOS Music help. 😎

[@jerryc.u.kstanley5825]

My brother Pete you come through for me again I’m so fortunate to have a instrumental composer lover You fix my problem again if I ever become wealthy I am sending you a fat check thank you so much for fixing my problem you are a true garage band master garage band should pay you royalties every week

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Haha! Thanks for the kind words.

[@mjgotplats]

I need help I screen recorded something that couldnt be found and it’s a beautiful song and I uploaded it to files and it says upload failed for some reason.

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Hey there’s of your screen recorded it, is it not still in your photo library? It should sure as a standard video file that you can send to your Files app.

[@chloe5322]

Mbad Msad sameee

[@ProdSyn]

I need help When I try to import wav. Files for drums it gets stuck “copying file___” Don’t know how to fix it been trying for a month now:/

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Happy to try to help but may need more information. Where do you source the file form, and where and you importing it from and to? Make sure it is a compatible WAV file format and if possible import it in to your GarageBand File Transfer folder first.

[@ProdSyn]

Pete Johns So basically it used to work in the past before the latest big IOS update. I get drum kits from the web and unzip them in the documents app. Then I send the .wav files from documents to the files app to file transfer. I used to be able to then drag them in GarageBand just fine but it gets stuck now for some reason. I think it might have something to do with the file size because smaller files like claps and snares import easilly. It’s the larger files like 808s that get stuck for the most part

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Yeah right. Sounds like that might be the case. The only issues I’ve had with importing WAVs is very Kathy ones (which sometimes crash) or 32-bit files which GarageBand does not support.

[@kieranwhite980]

Syn Beats did you ever have any luck fixing this problem? going thru the same thing right now

[@ProdSyn]

Kieran White Nope, it actually lead me to buy a laptop and FL studio💀

[@dotdotdot1711]

Thank you! You've helped me so much

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

You’re very welcome my friend. I hope you get value from the other videos here on the channel and consider subscribing. 👍

[@bardiam4764]

Thanks man

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

You’re very welcome my friend. I hope you get value from the other videos here on the channel and consider subscribing. 👍

[@federicogianga]

You saved me! Garageband should name you ambassador of Garageband! Thanks!

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Haha!! Thanks my friend. Glad to hear it helped.

[@pieter-jandesy8596]

thanx man

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

You’re very welcome my friend. I hope you get value from the other videos here on the channel and consider subscribing. 👍

[@ev5390]

THANK YOUUUUU

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Very welcome my friend. 👍

[@Nazmyeorzzz]

My garageband can’t open the song that i just completed. It said “the song could not be opened , please open the song after updating to the latest garageband . I’m already update it but it still won’t open . Help me plz 😭

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

That’s odd? Make sure you’re on iOS 14.2 and GarageBand 2.3.10. Reach out to the GarageBand Users Facebook group if you’re having issues - studiolivetoday.com/gbu

[@lulu.ney_]

Could u solved the problem? Bc I’m leading with the same situation and I’m really really concerned bc it’s a song I have been working for a long time and now I cannot open the proyect, please help

[@aneeshsheesh5843]

Sirrrrr you are LEGEND sir 🏘️🗽🗽🗽🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻 I signed out and signed in and now perfectly fine

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

🙏😎

[@morgane727]

Okay I’m lost, it’s says that the file are waiting to upload. I deleted a lot of apps but it still not working. Help

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Hey there. Which files are waiting to upload? Often this is caused by your iCloud Drive storage being full so perhaps check that?

[@pratyushmanral]

Thanks so much man ❤️ Really helpful 🙏

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

You’re very welcome my friend. I hope you get value from the other videos here on the channel and consider subscribing. 👍

[@Rochan16]

WOW tysmmm! This video helped me twice getting the files back. Definitely going to subscribe!

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Nice one. Thanks for your kind words and support.

[@nigelmokfilms7294]

YAYYYYYYY FINALLYYYYY

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

👍

[@KrayzieMurda]

Thank u 🙏

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

You’re very welcome my friend. I hope you get value from the other videos here on the channel and consider subscribing. 👍

[@adriangubro1961]

Pete Johns what if you delete garbageband I did 🤦‍♂️

[@xxsixshotzxayxx4110]

thanks

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

You’re very welcome my friend. I hope you get value from the other videos here on the channel and consider subscribing. 👍

[@xxsixshotzxayxx4110]

i have a song on my page i made recently, you probably wont like it

[@dawnbethatchick3264]

Woke up this morning, all 10 of my projects are gone!! Not sure if it is, the space issue. If so, I hope I can recover the files. My files are hidden

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

That’s an odd one? On iCloud or the on device storage? iCloud should back everything up. Maybe ask over at the Facebook group or Discord.

[@zionic7759]

SO HELPFUL THX

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

You’re very welcome my friend. I hope you get value from the other videos here on the channel and consider subscribing. 👍

[@Oneofthegreats1]

Turned my phone off then back on and worked

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Noice. 🤘

[@alyaziaalyazia797]

Thank you ☺️💞💞

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

You’re very welcome my friend. I hope you get value from the other videos here on the channel and consider subscribing. 👍

[@gacha_snw4501]

When I go to the files all of them are grey and I can’t click on them

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

This one might give you some ideas to fix this. kzbin.info/www/bejne/d2jFiICagrJsotU

[@laurenjohnson1121]

THANK YOU!!!

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

You’re very welcome my friend. I hope you get value from the other videos here on the channel and consider subscribing. 👍

[@randypulley8783]

Pete, I watch all your videos and find the content exceptional. On the topic of files, do you use Logic Pro X ever in conjunction with GB iOS? When using the share to GB iOS function from Logic Pro X, downloading the file from iCloud to GB iOS, I get just an empty audio track instead of the stereo file that is supposed to transfer. Anyone have this issue? Love what you are doing with Garage Band iOS!!

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Thanks so much for watching and for your kind words Randy. I haven’t got any experience with Logic I’m afraid but perhaps someone here in the community does and can help you out.

[@yourmomsgf1373]

My problem is I don’t have that option that looks like a ribbon on the upright corner that’s beside that settings option in the voice recording place

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

That’s odd? Make sure you are running the latest iOS version.

[@AlexBamZ]

I need help with something I have a song which the thumbnail for the song is black and everytime I press it garageband crashes can you help me?

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

That's very strange. It is a .band GarageBand project file? And hasn't been shared anywhere else? Sometimes something like a Windows PC, Dropbox, Google Drive etc can corrupt a project file.

[@AlexBamZ]

Pete Johns it hasn’t been shared but every time I want to open the song in GarageBand it crashes

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Very odd. Sorry, haven't come across anything quite like this before?

[@AlexBamZ]

Pete Johns that’s ok thanks for trying to help me!

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

👍

[@christopherlove9374]

I have a lot of missing files that just have a white folder with a question mark. I really would love some help cause it’s 3 years of beats I’ve made from scratch smh

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

That’s a little strange? Haven’t come across this before. Where were/are these stored? Suggest you might need to provide some details and get some support from the iPad Musician or GarageBand Users Facebook groups.

[@ColtonC5762]

Why is my song gray and I can’t click it?

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

This video might help - kzbin.info/www/bejne/d2jFiICagrJsotU

[@amaracea]

I’ve got a file that keeps saying “Upload Error.” I have tried opening up as much storage as I can and it didn’t work, so I found this video.

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Oh?! Did you get it sorted? That’s a weird one. Sometimes logging out and back in to iCloud can help.

[@Prod._By_Kyoto_Beatz]

I Have this problem with some samples of mine in garageband where when i use them. they always say "copying file [insert sample im gonna use] and just sits there frozen and wont let me use my samples.

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Hey there. What file type are the sample and where do you source them from? Some samples might be on unsupported file formats, or be encoded using 32-bit bitrate. You might want to try converting the audio files with something like the AudioShare app.

[@lonelycake4114]

Cant save stems to icloud drive from garageband, save is greyed out Yes i used open in

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Yes it’s a little strange sometimes that you can’t save to some locations. Sometimes need to save elsewhere and then move afterwards.

[@Yoshin6]

I got those question marks in the songs, what could I do to solve it? it says that if I have space in icloud

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

You’ll need to delete some iCloud Drive files or perhaps consider expanding your iCloud storage.

[@vibrantszn9633]

🔥

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

🙏

[@mattie3923]

Every time I try to upload a song, an error pops up saying “Upload failed, please review your account details”. Any ideas ?

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Mattie hey there. Where are you trying to upload your song to? General advice here is to completely log out of everything. Turn off and back on. Log back in (iCloud, Soundcloud, whatever you’re using) and try again.

[@mattie3923]

Pete Johns I’m trying to upload to soundcloud and I’ve logged out of my iCloud my Apple ID my soundcloud and even turned off my phone and nothing worked

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Bummer. That’s usually the best way to clear things out. Make sure you have plenty of storage space on both your iPhone/iPad and space free in your Soundcloud account. You can try these videos for other methods to upload. kzbin.info/www/bejne/a2irqGagr5p5q6un

[@egaaprillitachandra9967]

Hi, Pete! How are you? Hope you’re doing great. Well, i’m facing a problem here with my garageband files. Year ago, i was running out of space on my iPhone, so i moved all my garageband files to GDrive. Recently, i wanted to continue some of the projects that haven’t finished yet, so i moved the files back to my new device. But, when i tried to open the file it said the song that i’m trying to open is damaged. Apparently, moving the files must have corrupted them. If you have any idea how to fix it? Please answer. I’d really appreciate it. Thank you:)

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Hey there. The bad news is that they probably won't work because non-Apple file sharing platforms don't support Apple files. In short, you would need to ZIP up the projects before sharing to Google Drive or anywhere else. If you didn't, the files are probably corrupted and not recoverable. kzbin.info/www/bejne/p37NlWmwnrpnl7s

[@locustboy8448]

Hey thanks for all the tips! I’ve encountered a seemingly rare GarageBand File issue. Everything in the app works 100% normally APART from 1 thing. When I open a new song and attempt to select an instrument category, (IE Alchemy Synth) it gives me the following error message. “Couldn’t communicate with a helper application” And then all I can do is close it. I have cleared a decent chunk of storage space now so I don’t think it’s that. I can work on old projects and finish them up which is great. Corrupted data would be worse. But not being able to create new projects is a bit of an issue for a hobbyist musician. Thanks for any possible help!

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Hey there. This one does happen from time to time and usually can be fixed by simply closing all apps, turning off and back on again. Sometimes even logging out and back in to your Apple ID can help.

[@damotaps9758]

Can you help me out plz my wav files/midi files don’t import on to my track anymore. Instead it copy’s and it takes forever to process. By the way I use documents as well and that’s where i import and keep my files.

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Hey there. It’s hard to really troubleshoot this without more information. It might be worth asking in the GarageBand Users Facebook or Reddit groups to see if someone else has had a similar issue or has some advice.

[@707OverdoseofWPO]

Same

[@themixmusicandmore6280]

My files keep corrupting. Idk what to do

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Hey there. Your GarageBand files? This can happen if you try to share them to cloud storage platforms like Dropbox and Google Drive. The only locations that support these sort of project files are your “on my iPad/iPhone” and the iCloud Drive locations. Using the ZIP function in iOS 13 can also really help out. kzbin.info/www/bejne/h6umZ31ue5qKb68

[@themixmusicandmore6280]

@@PeteJohnsMusic i didnt tho. Not to my knowldege at least. Perhaps it is set to automatically upload to my google. How do i check/ stop that? Im thinking its not that tho because i didnt do anything to it i just worked on it for a while then closed the app

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Not sure then sorry. Make sure you have plenty of space available at all times on your device as this is the main culprit when it comes to corrupted files. Also, always close out and save your files instead of leaving them open in the background.

[@theFi5thELMNT]

Awesome video. I’m having an error that reads: “Song uses unsupported features” If I hit “Continue” then a copy of my file is created w/o the unsupported features(whatever they are). I hit play and my song will only play some of the loops but then goes silent, even though I can still physically see the vocal waves on each loop. I know I need to free up more space on my phone but don’t know if this will actually fix this issue.

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

That’s an odd one? I would ask over at the GarageBand Users Facebook group. studiolivetoday.com/gbu

[@platitudeera2501]

Please help, i am trying to export a song on my garageband iPad. It keeps exporting as an m4a document and not an audio file. How do i export my garageband project as an audio and not document?

[@platitudeera2501]

Hey thank you for the help. I found your other video and it fixed the problem. Your other video says I have to go through one additional step before I can export garageband project as an audio file. Thanks again. This was a big help and I am a subscriber now. Keep up the good work

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Great to hear that I was able to help you out with this in my sleep through my other video! 👍🙏 For others having this issue, here’s the video which shows how to work around this bug - kzbin.info/www/bejne/qoG1fH-pqLiXpsk

[@liljammy6434]

One of my files won’t open, followed by a message saying “The song you are trying to open is damaged or in a format that GarageBand cannot read” It also takes up 0 kB (It doesn’t take up any space) I would really appreciate any help or suggestion

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Hey there. How did you create the file? Sometimes of you try to share Apple doesn’t files in other platforms (email, Google Drive, Dropbox) this can happen.

[@liljammy6434]

Pete Johns It was a normal file (created back in 2017) created in the usual way of creating a new song. But then I deleted garage band and lost most of the files, that is the only remaining one.

[@sausage4059]

Li’l Jammy yeah that happens a lot lol. I think it’s to do with either the song being old or that there are a lot of songs on your device. Like 8 of my big files have been corrupted. It really sucks. Also there is no way to fix it.

[@akagalio]

NICE IT REALLY HELPED Thank’s 🤩

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

You’re very welcome my friend. I hope you get value from the other videos here on the channel and consider subscribing. 👍

[@akagalio]

Sure I’m already a sub in my other account This one is where i upload music but i have another TY for everithing :)@@PeteJohnsMusic

[@Manifestedredroom]

It won’t let me play it in the back ground at all that’s my main issue? Trying to record my verses and go to the Notes but it just crashes after 15 seconds of use. I went to delete the app even went in the setting To turn on and off for background recording and it kicks me off after 15 secs of recording

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Hey there my friend. Sorry to hear you are having issues. Check out this video where I show my process - kzbin.info/www/bejne/eHnMlqZonb2pkKc Make sure you have nothing else running in the background and it’s also a good idea to go in to Airplane mode while you’re recording to improve reliability.

[@colinrex4994]

I made a project but now I can’t open it because it says I’m not in the current version of garageband so I updated the app and it still says I need to update it to access that file

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Are you using a device that is updated to iOS 15? Maybe ask over at the GarageBand Users Facebook group. studiolivetoday.com/gbu

[@colinrex4994]

@@PeteJohnsMusic yes

[@greggygregwav]

I’m trying to import my track into an audio visualizor so I can post it on insta and stuff with a cool aesthetic background but it keeps importing the merged files from the track rather than the actual song

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Hey there. Perhaps this issue is causing the error with your export? kzbin.info/www/bejne/qoG1fH-pqLiXpsk

[@greggygregwav]

Pete Johns yes thank you that helped a lot

[@riconadjar6221]

Stuck on file screen, how do I get back to GarageBand home screen?

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Hey there. You generally just need to start a new GarageBand project and then pull be back in the GarageBand menu.

[@ItsJustStir]

Ok Sooo I have done all the steps in this video and I still can’t seem to share my music , Pls Help

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

What specific problem are you having as the moment?

[@ItsJustStir]

I found a way to share it by sharing it to BandLab then, documents , then Files but sharing it straight from garagebands puts this message where it says “Upload error check your account details etc.”

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Gotcha. Yeah, I tend to save files out first and then upload separately as opposed to trying to export directly to other apps or locations.

[@threeyed]

Cautionary tale here: I had several gb tracks that were not uploading (showing the dotted grey cloud). To try to reset it, I logged out. There was a message saying "everything that is on icloud will be deleted" which was fine since the problem I was trying to solve was that these files were not uploading. Long story short, those files dissapeared without a trace. Even called Apple, they weren't able to describe why it treated "queued files" as though they were uploaded files.

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

That’s disappointing my friend. Thanks for the warning.

[@remix6418]

Umm Pete Johns regarding to my latest comment, do you have any tips on how to fix the problem? I cannot fix it even with this video’s help, if you have absolute no idea on how to solve this, it is fine then.

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

This is a pretty old video. I would suggest sharing information and asking over at the GarageBand Users Facebook group. studiolivetoday.com/gbu

[@SidewayzSn]

Hey man i need some help, everytime i drag a file on too the screen it say copying file but never does anything?any help

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Hey there. That’s odd? What sort of files are you copying there? This video may help. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mJSkdKGenrqqeMU

[@SidewayzSn]

Pete Johns wav files

[@707OverdoseofWPO]

Same issue

[@707OverdoseofWPO]

I watched the video and you didn’t mention anything relating to this problem.

[@thechrist1126]

Kevin Samuels Hi my garageband audio mp3 file won"t move over, record and lengthen, and that'ts if I can find a blank track. Please help.

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Hey there my friend. Maybe check out this video for more info on this - kzbin.info/www/bejne/hnO3q2uAarGrm6M

[@thechickenman9117]

My garage band said that i cant export it and i have 50 gigabytes of free space

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

That’s odd? Hopefully you can get it sorted. studiolivetoday.com/garageband

[@Ken-uc2vw]

When I’m in files it say iCloud drives content is unavailable what do I do?

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Log out of your Apple and iCloud accounts, close all apps, turn off and turn back on. Will help in a lot of situations. Otherwise you’ll need to log it with Apple.

[@somedudewithnomustache2908]

What do I do when garage band iOS tells me I can’t open a file Because the project was started in GarageBand on Mac?

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Hi there. Unfortunately GarageBand Mac projects cannot be opened in iOS. You would need to export the tracks as WAV files and import these in to GarageBand iOS.

[@flyboi_6358]

I need some help. Every time I try to click on a song that is on iCloud Drive and try to enter in, it says, “You need to authenticate this item before accessing this item” I’m not sure what to do

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Hey there. I would close all your apps, log out of your Apple/iCloud account turn off and on and then log back in.

[@user-rw5ur2dk1x]

I’m jus tryna find a error of it so I can screenshot it so I don’t have to do schoolwork

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Your schoolwork is GarageBand? Man, I wish my schoolwork was that cool when I was a kid.

[@uadze]

i have a lot of old garageband projects (~3 years old) saved on my computer and recently imported one of the project folders to my iphone, it gave me that error messge. do you think there is a way to fix this

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

If you’re trying to transfer the .band projects this can cause issues as they aren’t compatible with anything outside of Mac/iOS. You’d need to zip them up to copy them. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pJ2kk6mofcSUjsU

[@lerkpru9518]

Hey I have a GarageBand track that I can’t open at all, it used to open fine but then one day it just appeared as a question mark with the cloud at the top right corner. When I tap on it it just says error. Do you have any tips?

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Hmmmm..... that’s a tough one. There are ways to perhaps extract some of the audio files if the track has recorded audio in it. This can be hard to recover from sadly once a project becomes corrupt like this. Is it just virtual tracks or are there recorded audio tracks in there that you would want to save?

[@lerkpru9518]

Pete Johns there are mostly recorded audio tracks in there. I usually record with my own instruments outside of GarageBand. When I look at the info tab for the project it says that it is saved in iCloud Drive. Although when I go to files and to iCloud Drive it says I need to authenticate. So then I tap authenticate but nothing happens. Idk what to do haha I’ve been working on that project for quite a while

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Weird indeed. If it's an iCloud issue, what has worked for me sometimes is logging out of my iCloud account completely, closing all apps, turning my iPhone/iPad off and back on (complete shutdown) and then logging back in to iCloud. Sometimes it can fix these sort of authentication issues, so worth a try!

[@lerkpru9518]

Pete Johns alright, I’ll try that and see if it works out! Hopefully it does haha thanks

[@raghavjetski7537]

Hey my man! First of all God bless you for helping us

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Hey there. That is strange? When you export you are choosing 4K I’m assuming?

[@raghavjetski7537]

Pete Johns Yes

[@raghavjetski7537]

Pete Johns yes!😭

[@austinalexandre716]

whenever i try to email the project to a friend (or myself) as a project file it always says the file is broken or in a format that garageband cannot read

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Hey there. You need to zip a GarageBand project file before sharing via email or online storage. My latest video actually covers this exact topic. kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4CmoKhslLuLf68

[@monicadiede5048]

I saved a song from Amazon music to my garageband app and I can't not get the file to open. They are grayed out I can't delete or anything please HELP!!! ASAP

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Hey there. How did you save them and in what file format? Sounds like you may need to convert them using a process like this - kzbin.info/www/bejne/h3u3pmd8mM-Srsk

[@ThatGaijinFella]

Good video. I have one tune I made that crashes GarageBand every time I try to open it. And 2nd problem, when I want to erase part of a tune, ie, a drumbeat, when I highlight it and press ‘cut’ or ‘delete’, it erases the entire set of instruments/complete tune.

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

That’s some very strange issues there? Haven’t come across that sort of thing before. Have you tried closing out of all app and turning of and back on? Perhaps even log out and back in to your Apple account? Worth a try anyway as fixes some of these strange errors.

[@ThatGaijinFella]

Pete Johns thanks for the reply. Yes, tried all that , nothing worked. Even today, tried to cut one section of drums, and suddenly it put spaces between everything. Can’t undo it either. I think I’m going to try and reload the app.

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Yeah, maybe try a reset of the app first as I show in this one - kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y6fIl5mnhqmXjs0

[@wildpineapple7784]

The file I am having an issue with garage band won’t let me open because it is either damaged or garage band can’t read it I have a good amount of space on my iCloud and my phone it’s self I tried turning it off and on and closing out my apps don’t know what’s wrong with it do you have any tips?

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

I A M N U M B E R O N E - hey there my friend. Hmmmm..... so is his a GarageBand project file that you created? And has it opened okay before? If you can provide a little more information I will certainly try to help out.

[@sinf3rn032]

Pete Johns I’ve had same issue on my iPad, amazing track I was losing my mind on and after a optimising performance sweep, I added a few more vocal effects and the app crashed. Now whenever I try to open the song track file itself it crashes, if I try to share it to anything it crashes, if I share as a project it’s fine though, but I don’t own a mac

[@billyfubar2748]

Im using 2 purchases versions of pro q 2 and pro q 3 and i am unable to export garageband just says they are missing and need to be installed...which they already are

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

That’s odd? So the plugins are on the track but the error is popping up when you open? Have you tried deleting and reinstalling the apps?

[@billyfubar2748]

Ok so all the tracks that had proq 2 on greyed out on me.. i purchased pro q 3 an had to go through and delete all the greyed out pro q 2...i had alot of tracks so i missed 1 which was giving me that error. And im almost getting the hang of side chaining

[@rk-pv2hl]

Umm hello, I need help. So I was deleting some files in my files app and then with that it deleted all my GarageBand files, idk why but I didn’t even delete the files and I was so sad 😭.

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

That’s super odd? Backed up on iCloud Drive or anywhere else?

[@Rel8ed2truth]

Reasons a .band file won’t open?

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Usually it’s been corrupted, often if you’ve tried to transfer after it without zipping up the file. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pJ2kk6mofcSUjsUsi=tJSB4Gy8lPxnilAH

[@robin-xw9is]

When I try to open my song on garageband it says "Core Audio is not available." I tried the thing on Apple's Support page and it didn't work. Help thanks.

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

That’s an odd one but I have heard similar reports before. Usually this is fixed by the old “close all your apps, turn it off, turn in back on” solution.

[@malimoor2654]

Hey brother hate to do this to you but when I go to upload a a GarageBand song to send myself it says zero bytes when the song clearly isn’t zero bytes so I cannot send myself or others a session file.

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Bummer! Make sure you zip it up if you’re using any third party platforms. kzbin.info/www/bejne/p37NlWmwnrpnl7s

[@landonalee]

I exported my project from my phone to Mac. And when I try to open it on there it says the song is corrupted.

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

That’s weird? Should be supported if you’re going from iOS to Mac. Maybe ask the folks over at the GarageBand Users Facebook group.

[@danilodigiacomo1136]

hi Pete, please explain to me why I am going to save a project in Garageband, I get a message "sudden error" save error in GarageBand that deletes everything? this is really annoying. Depends on what ? thank you . Please write to me I am Italian. I translate what you write 🙏☺️ Thanks

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

I haven’t come across this before sorry? Maybe ask over at the GarageBand Users Facebook group? studiolivetoday.com/gbu

[@murphy7164]

When i open a file, it reads: “The song could not be opened. Please open the song after updating to the latest GarageBand.” But the app in appstore isn’t showing me that it needs to be updated. HELP PLEASE

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Are you using the latest version of iOS? You’ll need iOS 15 to update to the latest version of GarageBand.

[@murphy7164]

Yes i am using IOS 15.3 on both iPhone and iPad, but the AppStore is showing my no sign that the GarageBand app needs updating. Or should i delete the app and reinstall? Or should i just wait?!

[@ZoltonBolshevik]

I am also experiencing this exact same issue. My phone and GarageBand are both up to date

[@rhiannon2002]

my files and transfer are all good but when i open the files on vocal audio, the item is grey and not highlighted

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Hey there. This video may help - kzbin.info/www/bejne/d2jFiICagrJsotU

[@burn1nfinite]

This wasn’t what I was looking for but when I try to put WAVs on the track and it won’t put them down and my GarageBand just stays at a screen that says copying WAV how can I fix this?

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

This is usually because the WAV file is incompatible. Usually it is a 32-bit or 96kHz file which isn’t supported. Converting using AudioShare or the free Voice Record Pro app is a good way to fix this. kzbin.info/www/bejne/h3u3pmd8mM-Srsk

[@burn1nfinite]

Pete Johns thanks!

[@ashwwarransuntharaju3933]

I cannot drag my song to the tracks view. It disappears when I drag it. Can you please help with it ?

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Hi there. What file format is your song in? iOS generally supports most standard formats but not things like 32-bit bitrate etc.

[@ashwwarransuntharaju3933]

@@PeteJohnsMusic I guess it's a standard format. May I just screenshot or screen record and email you my problem ?

[@bennewpher]

I’ll try to use a file in my song and when I drag it out to the track it says “copying file” and it required me to swipe out of GarageBand and I don’t know how to fix that

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

That’s odd. What sort of file is it and where did you source it from? If it is an audio file make sure it is a supported file format and not copy protected.

[@bennewpher]

Pete Johns it’s usually always waveform files and they source from sample packs like cymatics etc. and I notice that it always happens to very short length files

[@707OverdoseofWPO]

I am having this same problem

[@daveyktv3197]

Mine says “operation cannot be completed” and i cant save the beat i made

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

That’s weird? Often these sort of issues can be fixed by closing all apps and turning off and back on again.

[@daveyktv3197]

Pete Johns yea i think its because i have no more space in my icloud so i screen recorded and got the audio. Thank you so mich for responding and being there for your subscribers

[@reitesfaye2657]

My file is still here the instruments are all in order and complete but for some reason the recordings are just not there how do i fix this ?

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

I’m not sure what you’re asking sorry. Perhaps provide more info and ask over at the GarageBand Users Facebook group. studiolivetoday.com/gbu

[@reitesfaye2657]

@@PeteJohnsMusic all the songs that crashed were made from 2020 the files are there but the recordings itself isnt i think its a bugged how can i fix it

[@andrewholland6652]

Has anybody encountered a pop up saying cannot play cell. there was an error trying to load or play cell? I keep getting it when trying to import an audio file into loops. As and when it does import OK, the app just shuts down (tried all the fixes mentioned and still no joy)

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

That’s an odd one? Maybe ask over at the GarageBand Users or Create Record Release Facebook group. createrecordreleaae.com

[@andrewholland6652]

@@PeteJohnsMusic Cheers mate and keep up the great work :)

[@bertenheimer]

Why does the down arrow not even exist for me

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Not sure sorry?

[@meeeeeooooowwwwww]

hello! i have a little problem. When i want to convert my files to garageband, it has this transparent colour to it. I assumed that it has an error, but then i opened the files app, it doesn’t say the file has any error. Could you please help me?

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

My latest video is about exactly that. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bauzc2qmfKaZpq8

[@meeeeeooooowwwwww]

@@PeteJohnsMusic thank you so much!

[@catwaltho8703]

So the issue with mine is I’ve freed space but all of my tracks have been saved into this folder: garageband file transfer. And I can’t select any of the songs (as they are faded) Anybody know what the issue is so I can fix it? 🏁🙏

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Hey there. GarageBand project files or audio files? Suggest just moving them back to the standard GarageBand folder. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mJSkdKGenrqqeMU

[@astudyloung]

Hello I need some help please. I made a song track on garage band but anytime I click it , it says that there are features in my song that are not supported on my phone. What should I do ?

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Hey there. Was it made on a newer version of GarageBand? You’ll need to ensure you have the latest version (2.3.8) and iOS 13. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mXvXZWyXnKmfZq8

[@astudyloung]

@@PeteJohnsMusic Oh ok , thank you so much ill do that now.

[@curtisearth7060]

On my iPad When looking through files, some are not retrievable. The thumbnail is slightly faded or dimmer than the openable files. How do I retrieve these files?

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Hey Curtis. Glad to hear you got this sorted and thanks so much for the donation.

[@trancefreak64]

This app can be frustrating sometimes. For the love of god there is no back or cancel option when I don’t want to select a audio file from my files.

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Yeah - a year later and there are still issues with the Files app.

[@noodleman582]

it says its exporting but its just stuck in place

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Hi there. Exporting a GarageBand project? Do you have plenty of free space? Try closing all apps and then turning your device off and on - can sometimes help.

[@noodleman582]

Pete Johns I’ve did all off those and I have plenty off iPad storage and iCloud storage but it still won’t work

[@jpgoingkrazy]

My beat projects are not showing on the “iCloud drive” idk what to do

[@PeteJohnsMusic]

Perhaps you’re saving to your iPad or iPhone locations? This video might help. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aZPZe2N_fbOJnMk

[@jpgoingkrazy]

@@PeteJohnsMusic thanks