Your Mac contains files and folders where you go on personal data and documents. In order to protect your files and go along them secure from prying optics, you tin can use a password or other means of encrypting the files, but there'south a default style that'due south built into macOS for that.

Deejay permissions (or directory permissions) on macOS are designed to prevent other users and certain programs from opening files on your Mac and modifying them without permission. This manner, you tin rest easy knowing your files and folders are secure.

If you're having trouble with disk permissions on your Mac, this guide explains how to fix or repair disk permissions in macOS.

What Are Permissions in macOS and How Do They Work?

Permissions in macOS control the user accounts that can access the files or folders on your Mac. Yous can change the permission settings in Finder at the bottom of the Info window for a file, folder or disk.

For case, you can change folder permission settings such that other users on your Mac who connect to it for file sharing can but view simply not change the files in the folders.

The permissions, which consist of read, write and execute activities, can be edited by three types of users: the owner, a group, and everyone using the reckoner.

As the possessor of the reckoner, you tin use permissions to define separate rules for yourself, a group, or every user. These permissions include file or folder sharing, file admission rights, and system integrity.

How to View File System Permissions on macOS

Viewing file system permissions isn't limited to the owner of the reckoner. Anyone else tin view the file and folder permissions through the Finder app'due south Info window too.

To see permissions of a file or binder:

  1. Right-click the file or binder and select Get Info from the context carte du jour.
  1. Select Sharing & Permissions to expand the permissions.
  1. You lot'll discover three unlike types of users in the permission fields: Possessor, group, and everyone.
  • Owner: The creator of the item or the person who copied information technology to the reckoner.
  • Group: A set of joined user accounts whose permissions utilize to all members.
  • Everyone: Defines access for anyone including invitee, local, and sharing users.
  1. Next to each user account, you lot'll meet permissions such as Read, Read and Write, Execute, or No access.
  • Read permissions: Let the user or grouping members only to open a file or browse a list of items in a folder. They cannot salvage any changes to the file or folder.
  • Write permissions: Allow the user or group members to modify or delete the file or binder.
  • Execute permissions: For a file this means the user can execute the file if information technology's a script or program. Files that aren't a script or program shouldn't accept the execute permission enabled. For a folder, it means the user can open the folder and come across the files so long as the read permission is enabled.

Why Y'all Should Repair Deejay Permissions in macOS

The files and folders on your Mac each take an associated set of permissions. In add-on, most of the things yous install in your Mac are installed from package files, which also store other files that don't take too much infinite on your hard disk drive.

Within the package file are Neb of Materials files (.bom), which incorporate a list of files that the package has installed and the permissions for each file.

However, these file permissions can exist modified, specially when y'all're installing and uninstalling apps on your Mac. When the permissions are affected, programs on your Mac may alter and modify files, which could terminate up causing all sorts of system issues like freezing, lagging or crashing, and permission errors.

If you detect some foreign changes in your Mac'due south performance or apps aren't working correct, you should offset by troubleshooting the disk permissions.

 Fortunately, if your Mac is running macOS Mojave ten.fourteen or newer versions, whatsoever new apps added to your Mac will inquire for permission to utilise some features. If you deny these permissions, the apps may not function properly, but information technology increases privacy and security for your data.

Fixing or repairing disk permissions in macOS ensures that your operating system can access or change detail files. For instance, disc permissions ensure that you can get-go upwardly your Mac, log into your business relationship, print or launch apps, and more than.

Repairing deejay permissions on macOS as well ensures that particular files have the correct permissions to prevent unauthorized access by apps or users that shouldn't be meddling with those files.

How to Fix or Repair Permissions in macOS

Repairing permissions is a standard Mac troubleshooting tip that appears to solve many rare types of bug on macOS. Yet, the option disappeared from the Deejay Utility app subsequently the release of OS X El Capitan 10.11.

Apple tree replaced the characteristic with System Integrity Protection (SIP), which prevents potentially malicious software from accessing of import files on your computer.

You lot can even so repair disk permissions in macOS as the pick is now role of Starting time Aid, which bundles several actions together that resolve different bug related to the disk bulldoze.

Here's how to check and repair the deejay book for any errors:

  1. Select Go > Utilities > Disk Utility to open Disk Utility.
  1. Adjacent, select your boot volume in the left pane.
  1. Select Beginning Aid in the Deejay Utility toolbar at the top right side of the window.
  1. Confirm that you selected the right bulldoze, and then select Run to start the disk repair process. Select Continue if you lot go far the alarm message popup.

While the repair process is in progress, your Mac won't respond to any input, which is normal and expected. This happens because macOS needs to clarify the drive's contents correctly simply it won't take more than a few minutes to complete.

Once the repair process is completed, you'll get a report that displays everything the procedure accomplished. If in that location are any serious errors, you lot'll be notified of the issues it finds.

Reset Permissions for the Dwelling house Binder

The Home folder on your Mac is your user folder, which contains several other folders yous access frequently similar Desktop, Applications, Documents, Downloads and more.

Here's how to reset permissions for the Dwelling binder to repair deejay permissions.

  1. Select Go > Dwelling.
  1. Next, select File > Get Info.
  1. Select Sharing & Permissions to view the binder's permissions. If the Sharing & Permissions section isn't open up, select the pointer to aggrandize it.
  1. Adjacent, select the Lock push button.
  1. Enter your admin name and password.
  1. Select the Action bill of fare > Apply to enclosed items.
  1. Side by side, select OK to complete the permissions reset process. A progress bar will announced at the top of the window and the changes will be reflected throughout the Home folder.
  1. Once the progress bar completes, select Become > Utilities > Terminal to open Last.
  1. Blazon or paste this control: diskutil resetUserPermissions / ` id -u` to reset permissions on the root volume (/) to the electric current user ID.
  1. When the process completes, quit Last, and restart your Mac to outcome the changes.

What to Do If You lot Get the Error 69841 While Resetting Permissions on a Mac

Sometimes resetting the user permission on the root volume may not become as planned. You may get the "error 69841 permissions reset on user dwelling directory failed" message. If you go this mistake, here's what to practise depending on your macOS version.

On macOS Mojave or newer versions

  1. Select Apple tree menu > Arrangement Preferences > Security & Privacy.
  1. Next, select the Privacy tab, select the Lock icon and enter your admin proper name and password.
  1. Select the Full Deejay Admission tab and then select the Add together (+) button.
  1. Search for Terminal and add information technology to Full Deejay Admission.
  1. Open Last and paste or type this command: chflags -R nouchg ~. Press Return.
  1. Next, type diskutil resetUserPermissions / `id -u\` and press the Return key.
  1. Restart your Mac to effect the changes.

On macOS High Sierra or Before Versions

Different macOS Mojave or later versions, you don't need to add together Terminal to Full Disk Access in macOS Loftier Sierra or earlier versions earlier resolving the error 69841 on your Mac.

  1. Open Terminal and enter chflags -R nouchg ~.
  1. Next, type diskutil resetUserPermissions / ìd -u` and press Return.
  1. Restart your Mac to effect the changes.

Continue Your Mac in Adept Shape

Fixing or repairing disk permissions in macOS should be washed simply if you doubtable that you take file or folder permission problems, particularly if yous install and delete software frequently. That said, you need to be conscientious most the software yous download to your computer.

We have other guides that tin aid you prepare bug with your Mac such every bit when Bluetooth isn't working on your computer, Mac photographic camera isn't working or your Mac won't go to sleep.

Were you able to gear up or repair disk permissions using the steps in this guide? Tell us about information technology in a comment below.