I have some experience in this, having owned (and still owning) a Hero4 Silver, a Hero7 Black, a Hero9 Black, and now a Hero11 Black. And a 21.5" Intel-based Mac desktop (now given to a family member) and currently using a 24" M1-based Mac desktop.
The problem arose when GoPro went to a new, larger (approx. 12GB) chapter size with the latest firmware for the Hero11, from a prior chapter size of c. 4GB with earlier cameras. The chapter size is the size of a video file that, when reached, will cause GoPro to automatically start the next file.
Prior to the Hero11, I used to use the desktop Quik app to download files from the camera to the Mac. This worked fine, even if Quik has not been supported for some time by GoPro. Or, you could use Apple's Image Capture.
Both of those stopped working when the file size grew beyond that old 4GB chapter size. Once a file is larger than that, both the desktop Quik and Image Capture simply truncate the files they are downloading at c. 4GB. On top of that, the files are not closed properly, so you can't even view those initial 4GB chunks.
To get around this, I had to remove the micro SD card from the Hero11, put it in an SD adapter, put the adapter in an Apple card reader (i.e., an SD slot, and a short USB-C cable on the other end) in the back of the Mac, and use Finder to copy the files over to the Mac. A couple of weeks ago, during a phone call with GoPro support, I confirmed that this scenario was the only way to deal with the larger files,
I am strongly opposed to physically manipulating micro SD cards. You run the risk of bending the card, or damaging its small contacts, or damaging the camera's contacts when you reinsert the card.
What I typically do with a GoPro is record a full day's motorcycle ride, come home, transfer the files to the Mac, and reformat the card for the next ride. Only when I'm, say, taking a week's vacation away from home do I physically remove a card (typically using a new card for each day).
So the new chapter size was preventing my leaving the card in the camera, when all I wanted to do was transfer the files to the Mac. What GoPro should have done, when they introduced the larger 12GB chapter size, is simply have a user option to revert to the old 4GB chapter size, at least until Apple (and perhaps even some Windows apps) gets its act together.
But GoPro didn't do that.
Recently, I came across the Mac app Camera Tools for GoPro® Heros (LINK REMOVED). Remarkably, this app circumvents this problem. That is, it is able to transfer the larger-than-4GB files from the camera to a Mac, while the micro SD card remains in the camera. The files are transferred intact, and closed properly when finished.
By the way, I am not affiliated with that software, its author, etc., in any way -- except as someone who has paid $8.99 for it -- nor am I compensated in any way, or even acknowledged in any way by that company or author. So that's that. Further, I have no experience with what I believe are the primary functions of this app, i.e., to control multiple GoPro cameras from a desktop. I wanted this app to transfer the new larger files, in situ, from the camera, is all.
I installed that app today, and successfully transferred 6GB and 7GB files, while the card remained in the camera. The only quirk is that the Date Created and Date Modified fields are set to the time of this transfer, as opposed to the date and time that GoPro created and closed the files on the camera (which is what is retained when you use a card reader and Finder to transfer the files). I plan on contacting the author, to see whether he can do anything about this.
So, for those out there who, like me, prefer not to touch micro SD cards -- at least, most of the time -- and who use Macs, I suggest that you give this app a whirl. The price is essentially negligible, and you might find it useful for other GoPro-related tasks, too.
Edit Update: I had an email exchange with the author, and he pointed out that there are user-settable options such that the files can be named with their original timestamps in the file name, as part of the transfer process to a Mac. So, for instance, this morning I created a short video file, waited a few minutes, and then used those options for naming purposes as I later transferred the file, e.g., 2023-05-05_10_42_12_GX010039.MP4, while the transfer itself occurred about 10 minutes later.
Cheers,
Bill P.
