How to Repair Disk Permissions on Mac

Disk permissions—if you’ve ever owned an older Mac, you know the struggle. They used to mess things up on macOS and Mac OS X all the time, and while it’s less common on newer versions like macOS Sequoia, permission problems can still pop up out of nowhere. One minute, you’re fine; the next, your Mac blocks files, or apps. Why does this happen? Often it’s the aftermath of updates, app installs, or file transfers that leave permissions in chaos.

We’ve helped a lot of people (and more than a few Macs) get back on track with these issues and decided to pull together our best fixes. So, here’s our top advice to repair disk permissions on Mac—no tech support hold music needed.

How to Check Permissions on Mac

Let’s start with the basics. If your Mac suddenly blocks files or apps, your first move should be to check permissions. Disk permissions control who can open, edit, or access specific files, and over time, they can get messed up. Here’s how to check permissions on your Mac:

  1. Open Finder and locate the file or folder that gives you trouble.
  2. Right-click the file or folder and select “Get Info” from the menu, or hit Command + I.Select "Get Info" from the menu
  3. Scroll to the “Sharing & Permissions” section. Here, you’ll see users and their access levels—like Read & Write or Read Only. Make sure your account has the right access for this item.Look at the "Sharing & Permissions" section
  4. If permissions seem off, click the lock icon, enter your admin password, and set the correct access level.
❗ Note. You should be logged in as an administrator to adjust permissions on files that won’t open. To check, go to Apple menu > System Preferences/Settings > Users and Groups. But be careful not to alter system files—only adjust permissions for files you created and need access to.

Now try to open the file or app again. If it still doesn’t work, a full disk permissions repair might be needed.

How to Repair Disk Permissions on Mac with Disk Utility

If individual file permissions didn’t do the trick, Disk Utility is your next stop. Disk Utility’s First Aid tool scans for and repairs disk errors (and that includes permissions issues), which can often restore access and improve overall performance. It’s a straightforward solution that works on both internal and external drives. Follow these steps to repair disk permissions with Disk Utility:

  1. Go to Finder, click on “Applications,” then “Utilities,” and select “Disk Utility.” You’ll see a list of available drives on the left side of the window.Open Disk Utility
  2. Choose the startup disk, usually labeled “Macintosh HD” or the name you assigned it. If you’re troubleshooting an external drive, select that instead.Click on the First Aid button at the top
  3. Click on the First Aid button at the top of the Disk Utility window. A prompt will ask if you want to check and repair your disk; click Run to start.Confirm your choice
  4. Disk Utility may alert you that running First Aid will temporarily prevent access to your Mac. Click Continue to confirm, then let it complete the scan and repair process. It may take a few minutes, depending on your disk size and system.

Once First Aid finishes, it’ll notify you if it found and repaired any issues. Restart your Mac, then try to open the same files or apps that were previously blocked to see if the permissions issue is resolved.

Use Recovery Mode to Fix Tough Permissions Problems on Mac

We’ve seen times when the regular Disk Utility method couldn’t fully fix permissions issues, so we switched to Recovery Mode for a more thorough solution. Since Recovery Mode runs separately from macOS, Disk Utility can work without interference from any active system processes or files. This setup allows for a deeper scan and repair.

Disk Utility in Recovery Mode looks and works pretty much the same, but to access it, here’s what you’ll need to do:

  • For Macs with Apple Silicon: Shut down your Mac, then press and hold the power button until “Options” appears on the screen. Click Options, then Continue to enter Recovery Mode.
  • For Intel-based Macs: Restart your Mac, holding down Command + R until you see the Apple logo or a spinning globe.

Once you’re in Recovery Mode, select Disk Utility from the options and click Continue.

Select Disk Utility, then click Continue

From here, the steps are the same as in regular mode:

  1. Choose your startup disk or pick an external drive if that’s where the problem is.
  2. Click First Aid and then Run to let Disk Utility check for and fix any disk errors.
  3. When it’s done, restart your Mac.

Disk Utility Didn’t Work? Fix Permissions on Mac with Terminal

If Recovery Mode didn’t solve the problem, it’s time to move to one last option: Terminal. This method lets you reset permissions directly with a specific command, diskutil resetUserPermissions, which often does the trick for the toughest permission issues. While it might sound a bit technical, we’ll walk you through each step to get your Mac back on track.

How to repair disk permissions using Terminal:

  1. Go to Applications > Utilities and double-click Terminal to launch it.Launch the Terminal app
  2. In the Terminal window, type the following command, then press Enter:
    sudo diskutil resetUserPermissions / `id -u`Run diskutil resetUserPermissions command
  3. This command resets permissions specifically for the logged-in user by using id -u to fetch your unique user ID (UID). Each user on macOS has a unique UID, so this command directly targets the permissions associated with your account.
  4. Terminal will prompt you to enter your administrator password. Type it in and press Enter (the password won’t show as you type, so just enter it carefully.)
  5. The system will reset permissions for your user account. This may take a minute.

If you see an error like “Error -69841,” you’ll need to use this command to clear file restrictions:

chflags -R nouchg ~chflags command

Here’s what this command does:

  • chflags: Changes file attributes, or flags, in macOS.
  • -R: Applies the command recursively to all files and folders in your home directory.
  • nouchg: Removes the “user immutable” flag, which is a restriction that prevents files from being modified or deleted.
  • ~: Represents your home directory, so this command applies to all files and folders in your personal folder.

In simple terms, chflags -R nouchg ~ unlocks all files in your home directory and removes any restrictions that might cause permission errors.

After you cleared these restrictions, re-run the original reset command:

sudo diskutil resetUserPermissions / `id -u`

Once the process finishes, check if you can now access the files or apps that were previously blocked.

This method has worked for us many times, especially for stubborn access problems that Disk Utility couldn’t resolve. After these steps, you should be able to get back into your files and apps. But if the problem’s still there, it might be time to consult with a Mac specialist for extra help.

How to Recover Data from a Disk with Permission Issues

We’ve seen cases where people tried to fix permission issues only to make things worse—and sometimes even ended up losing data on the disk they were trying to fix. Luckily, all the methods we covered above won’t lead to data loss. But if you’ve already lost some files, or if you deal with a particularly stubborn permissions mess, data recovery software might be your best friend here. These tools can recover deleted or lost data and often skip right past permission restrictions to get to your files directly. So, even if macOS has locked you out due to broken permissions, data recovery software can still retrieve those files for you.

We’d recommend Disk Drill here. It’s our #1 on the list of best data recovery tools for Macs—a top-rated app with powerful features. The best part? It runs smoothly on different macOS versions and just got an update for macOS Sequoia, which is perfect for our situation.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to use Disk Drill to get your files back:

  1. Head over to the CleverFiles website and download the app. Install it on a different drive than the one you’re recovering from (if you install it on the same drive you could overwrite the very files you’re trying to retrieve.)
  2. Open Disk Drill and give it full disk access when macOS asks. This is needed so the app can scan your drive and recover the lost files. You may need to go to System Settings > Privacy & Security> Full Disk Access to enable Disk Drill’s access.Grant Full Disk Access
  3. In the app, you’ll see a list of available drives. Choose the drive where you have permission issues or have lost data.Disk Drill displays a list of connected drives
  4. Click Search for lost data to begin. Be patient while Disk Drill works its magic.
  5. As Disk Drill scans your drive, it’ll break the results down into categories like Pictures, Videos, Audio, Documents, and Archives. You can choose a specific category to look at or click on Review Found Items to see all the files Disk Drill has found. This way, you can easily browse through the results and pick the files you want to recover.Disk Drill scanning the drive
  6. You can preview each file, just hover over it and click the 👁️‍🗨️ eye icon. This lets you quickly check the file to make sure it’s the one you want before you recover it.Preview and select the files you want to recover
  7. Once you’ve selected your files, click Recover. Be sure to choose a location on a different drive (like an external hard drive or USB stick) to store the recovered files. This prevents overwriting any data on the original disk. Just a heads-up, to actually recover the files, you’ll need the PRO version of Disk Drill. The free version lets you scan and preview the files, but you’ll need the PRO version to complete the recovery.

You can read our full Disk Drill review if you want to learn more. It performed great not only in our tests but also in real-world cases. Here’s a short list of what makes it so effective:

  • Works with HFS+, APFS, FAT, NTFS, exFAT, and other common file systems.
  • Recovers data from HDDs, SSDs, external drives, USB drives, memory cards, and more.
  • Offers Quick Scan for fast recovery of recently deleted files and Deep Scan for a more thorough search, ideal for recovering hidden, lost, or corrupted data.
  • Works seamlessly across different macOS versions, including the latest updates like macOS Sequoia.
  • Super intuitive interface.
  • You can preview files before recovery.
  • On top of recovery, includes backup tools, cleanup options, S.M.A.R.T. monitoring, a duplicate file finder, and data protection features like Recovery Vault.

To Sum Up

With these methods, we’ve fixed dozens of disk permission issues on Macs. The causes have been all over the place, but the solutions? Pretty much the same. We recommend you keep an eye on your macOS, especially when apps ask for permissions. Don’t just click “ignore”—that can lead to a whole mess of permission conflicts down the line. And be careful with external devices; always eject them properly. If you don’t, you might end up with more issues than you bargained for.

In some cases, permission problems came up because of the differences between macOS and Windows. Transferring files between the two can mess with permissions since they handle things differently. To avoid this, format external drives in a universally supported format like exFAT.

And, of course, keep your macOS and apps updated. Delayed updates can result in bugs and compatibility issues that mess with file permissions. Stay on top of things, you’ll avoid most permission problems and keep your Mac running smoothly—no more permission drama!

FAQ

To give yourself administrator permissions on your Mac, follow these steps:

  1. Click the Apple menu in the top-left corner and choose System Settings.
  2. In the System Preferences window, click Users & Groups.
  3. Click the lock icon in the bottom-left corner and enter your admin password to make changes.
  4. In the left-hand panel, select your user account.
  5. If you’re not an admin, check the box that says Allow user to administer this computer. This grants you full admin rights.
  6. After checking the box, click the lock icon again to save the changes.

Now your account will have administrator permissions.

If you want to quickly check file permissions on your Mac, Terminal gives you a detailed look at who can access, modify, or execute a file. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Open Terminal.
  2. Type this command and press Enter:
    ls -l /path/to/file
  3. Replace /path/to/file with the actual file or folder path you want to check. For example, if the file is on your desktop, the command might look like this: ls -l ~/Desktop/filename
  4. After the command, you’ll see something like this:
    -rwxr-xr-x  1 username  staff  12345 Jan  1 12:34 filename

Here’s how to break it down:

  • The first part (-rwxr-xr-x) shows the file permissions:
    • – means it’s a regular file (if it’s a directory, you’ll see d).
    • rwx is the owner’s permissions (read, write, execute).
    • r-x is the group’s permissions (read, execute).
    • r-x is others’ permissions (read, execute).
  • The second part (1) shows the number of hard links.
  • The third (username) and fourth (staff) show the file owner and group.
  • The last part (filename) is the file’s name.

If you want to check a folder’s permissions, follow the same process. Just replace the file path with the folder’s path, and you’ll see the permissions for the folder and everything inside it.

To change permissions on your hard drive on Mac, follow these steps:

  1. Plug in your external hard drive.
  2. Go to Finder, and locate your external hard drive under the Devices section in the sidebar.
  3. Right-click on the external hard drive and select Get Info or select the drive and press Command + I.
  4. In the Get Info window, scroll down to the Sharing & Permissions section. You’ll see a list of users and their current access levels (Read & Write, Read Only, etc.).
  5. Click the lock icon in the bottom-right corner, enter your admin password, then select the user or group whose permissions you want to change. Set their access to Read & Write, Read Only, or No Access.
  6. Once you’ve made your changes, close the Get Info window. The new permissions will take effect right away.

That’s it! You’ve successfully changed the permissions on your external hard drive.

Jeff Cochin
Jeff Cochin is a distinguished expert in data management, recovery, and warehousing, with over a decade of hands-on experience. His expertise extends to data clouds, failovers, SaaS, and constructing digital marketing strategies for high-growth startups. Notably, he holds comprehensive knowledge of Mac computers, Apple's ecosystem, and iPhone technology, making him a trusted authority in these domains. With nearly five years as a dedicated technical writer, Jeff has become a seasoned researcher and reviewer of new applications and services, particularly those within the Apple and Mac universe. His articles and tutorials, often covering nuances of Mac and iPhone use, have graced the pages of many publications, including Macgasm, OnMac, Applenapps, LAWeekly, and more. They have collectively reached a global audience of millions. Jeff spends a substantial portion of his professional life interfacing with AWS, Docker, Medium.com, freeCodeCamp, and SQL-related technologies, integrating these tools with his profound understanding of Mac systems and software. When he's not immersed in writing, troubleshooting, or scripting for Mac and iPhone environments, or staring at computer screens, Jeff embraces the thrill of outdoor adventures. An enthusiast of biking, kayaking, and hiking, he often seeks new trails to explore alongside his like-minded, outdoors-loving friends.
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