5 Best Ways to Fix “Permission Denied” on Mac

Mac OS X is the Unix-based operating system for Mac computers. Now, Macs can run all sorts of files and alter commands in the terminal. When you get a "Permission denied" Mac error, it's from a command in the terminal. There are several reasons that these errors occur, all of them basic and common. This page offers a complete guide to rid your computer of "Permission denied" errors. Follow all steps listed to access all files and folders that are currently inaccessible.

Please provide the English content you would like translated, and I will do my best to translate it into Chinese.

Error: Permission denied on Mac

If anyone encounters a permission error, they might see various types of error messages on their screen. The message might differ, but the meaning is the same. Let's look at a few examples to get a clearer idea.

1. Unable to Access Files, Folders, or Disks on Mac - The most likely reason for a "Permission Denied" error is that the file or folder you're trying to open is locked. This could be due to lack of administrator privileges or the file itself being created in a locked state.

2. Permission denied in Mac Terminal - A multitude of issues can arise when inputting commands in the Terminal. This error prevents you from accessing any other files or directories mentioned.

3. Permission Denied - The selection of Deny, which restricts access to features related to the application when in use. There are numerous common issues that can result from denied permissions, such as an app being unable to use the camera or microphone, save files, or share the screen with others, and so on.

Appendix Trick: Recover Inaccessible Files on Your Mac

The first method you can try is using a third-party data recovery tool. We recommend this approach because such software can scan and search deep within your computer's hard drive to locate all lost data, whether it's deleted, hidden, or has become RAW.

One reliable tool for this is the Mac Data Recovery Wizard. With this software, you can restore any type of lost, invisible, or inaccessible files or folders. It won't fix all permission errors on the spot, but it's an option to try after you've exhausted all possible methods.

Download Data Recovery Wizard for Mac immediately, and follow the steps below to get back your lost or inaccessible files.

Step 1: Select the location to scan

Launch the Mac Data Recovery Wizard, select the hard drive, SSD, SD card, USB flash drive, or TF card from which you lost your data. Click "Search for Lost Files" to start scanning.

Note: Before the data recovery, it's recommended that you click “Disk Backup” on the left sidebar to back up your Mac to avoid further data loss. After the backup, the software can recover data from the Mac backup and your computer can write new data again.

Select a location, then click "Search Lost Files".

Step 2. Filter Lost Mac Data

The software will automatically scan for lost data on your MacBook or iMac. Once the scan is complete, you can filter out the required data using the "Type" and "Path" buttons.

Step 3: Recover Lost Data or Files

Preview the file and click on the “Recover” button to restore the lost data to another location.

Method 1: Get Permissions for a File, Folder, or Disk on a Mac

There is a permissions-setting feature on a Mac that allows users to assign privileges to view and edit all files and folders. This can be changed as needed. You can do this by opening an Info window. Here's how to get permissions for a file, folder, or disk on a Mac:

Step 1: Select any file or folder on your disk, and get information about the selection.

Click on the “Get Info” option.

Step 2: If the permission you want isn't listed, click the arrow icon.

Step 3: The user is then presented with a clickable padlock icon, which prompts the administrator for a password and user name to unlock it. Thereafter, the user can see the permissions assigned to specific files and folders.

Step 4: Click on the Name column, and choose Permissions from the menu.

• Read and write
• Read-only
• Write-only
• No access

Method 2: Check Permissions

As mentioned above, one possible reason you might see a Permission denied error is that you don't have access to the file. Check your permissions with these steps.

Step 1: Launch Terminal on your Mac from the Utilities folder.

Step 2: Type the command ls -l. Make sure not to press Enter; just type the word.

Step 3: Drag the file or folder into the Terminal window.

Step 4. Press the Enter key. This will display the specific permissions that the current user has access to.

Method 3: Change the ownership of the directory

You need to change the ownership of a specific file or folder. To do this, type the Chown command in the terminal and hit Enter.

The Chinese translation for `Chown -R $USER:$USER /path/to/directory` is: `将所有者更改为用户$USER:$USER /path/to/directory` In this, `-R` means to change the ownership recursively, including all subdirectories within the directory. `$USER` is a variable representing the current user, and `/path/to/directory` is the path to the directory whose ownership needs to be altered. This command is commonly used in Linux or Unix systems to modify file or directory ownership.

* Replace /path/to/directory with the path where you want to write.

Method 4: Using the Sudo Command

The `sudo` command lets you run commands as an administrator for about five minutes. If you're having trouble running a command in Terminal, just add `sudo` before the command.

For example:

• Run `sudo chmod 755 /dvtcolorconvert.rb`
• Run `sudo chmod 755 ~/Themes/ObsidianCode.xccolortheme`

Method 5: Grant Permissions to Third-Party Apps

In most cases, Mac will prompt you to grant all permissions while installing an app. In rare cases, however, you might need to manually grant permissions to third-party apps. Here's how:

Step 1: Click on “Security and Privacy,” and then select the “General” tab.

Step 2. Enter the username/password of the User Admin to unlock the editing screen.

Step 3. Check the box next to "App Store and identified developers."

Step 4: Click the “Lock” button to save your changes.

Conclusion

That's it for how to fix the permission denied error on Mac. Try each of the above methods one by one and you should be able to resolve the issue yourself. Alternatively, you can use the Data Recovery Wizard as a last resort to see if it can scan and recover the inaccessible files. If that fails too, it's also a good option to use it to recover Trash on Mac or unsaved Word documents when needed.

"Frequently Asked Questions about 'Permission Denied' Error on Mac"

Read the question below for more help with macOS permissions.

**1. How do I fix the 'permission denied' issue with Zsh on Mac?**

Solving the Zsh permission denied issue is a piece of cake.

Check file permissions Grant full disk access Change ownership of a directory Use the SUDO command

2. Why am I being denied permission on Mac?

The issue you're experiencing could be due to the following reasons:

• File is locked
• Command has been formatted
• Insufficient file permissions

3. How do I fix permission denied errors?

Follow these steps to resolve a permissions issue in macOS:

• Get File Permissions
• Check Your Permissions
• Change the Owner
• Use the Sudo Command
• Grant Permissions to Third-Party Apps