# RM12 Access Violation attaching media - MAC version **URL:** \ **Category:** RootsMagic\ **Tags:** question\ **Created:** [October 10, 2026, 4:58pm UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/rm12-access-violation-attaching-media-mac-version/16337 "2026-10-10T16:58:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![mcphilbrick](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.rootsmagic.com/mcphilbrick/32/34_2.png) [@mcphilbrick](https://community.rootsmagic.com/u/mcphilbrick)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2026, 4:58pm UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/rm12-access-violation-attaching-media-mac-version/16337/1 "2026-10-10T16:58:42Z")
When I tried to attach an image to a citation, I got an access violation error. ![Screenshot 2026-10-10 at 11.50.56 AM](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/uploads/rootsmagic/original/2X/4/410e17a0417e828f23e7e9bdc45ca4cd60c4317a.png) When I re-open the source citation, the image is attached. NOTE: my file is stored in a RM12 folder on the MAC hard drive. However, my media files are stored on Dropbox - but Dropbox was not syncing files at the time. ---
**Author:** ![Rooty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Rooty](https://community.rootsmagic.com/u/Rooty)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2026, 5:55pm UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/rm12-access-violation-attaching-media-mac-version/16337/2 "2026-10-10T17:55:13Z")
Keep media on mac internal drive. See if that fixes the problem. Dropbox is a sharing service and is not a cloud backup service. ---
**Author:** ![thejerrybryan](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.rootsmagic.com/thejerrybryan/32/404_2.png) [@thejerrybryan](https://community.rootsmagic.com/u/thejerrybryan)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2026, 6:12pm UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/rm12-access-violation-attaching-media-mac-version/16337/3 "2026-10-10T18:12:45Z")
Dropbox should not be a problem for media files. Dropbox is a serious problem for RM databases. I’m a very active and loud advocate for keeping your RM database outside of syncing services or else pausing your syncing services while you are using an RM database that’s inside the sync service. And it’s not just syncing services, it’s any service such as backup services that backup in real time while you might be using your RM database. Even services such as Time Machine on a Mac are not free from the risk and danger. And the service doesn’t have to be on the Internet. Home networks with shared disks can be equally at risk when it comes to your RM database. But media files should not be at risk with any of these kinds of services. That is because media files go through a normal open/read/close or open/write/close cycle rather than being updated continuously. Such files are not backed up or synced until after the close is complete. ---
**Author:** ![rzamor1](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.rootsmagic.com/rzamor1/32/8_2.png) [@rzamor1](https://community.rootsmagic.com/u/rzamor1)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2026, 7:28pm UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/rm12-access-violation-attaching-media-mac-version/16337/4 "2026-10-10T19:28:33Z")
Can you give me the steps on how you were adding the media? Especially where the starting point was. My initial test was not giving the AV error. There are many ways to get to the point of adding media on sources. It’s possible it somewhere in the steps you took. ---
**Author:** ![mcphilbrick](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex030/user_avatar/community.rootsmagic.com/mcphilbrick/32/34_2.png) [@mcphilbrick](https://community.rootsmagic.com/u/mcphilbrick)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2026, 7:12pm UTC](https://community.rootsmagic.com/t/rm12-access-violation-attaching-media-mac-version/16337/5 "2026-10-14T19:12:50Z")
I’ve tried to duplicate the issue and so far, I have not encountered an access violation error.