How to Repair Disk Permissions on Mac? How to Fix It?

Mac system application or file access issues? Corrupted disk permissions may be the culprit! This article will guide you to repair Mac disk permissions and restore full access to software, documents, or drives.

Step to quick fix disk permissions

One of the fastest fix is ​​to use the First Aid feature in Disk Utility. The steps are as follows:

1. Run Disk Utility in the Utility folder in the Application.
2. Select your Mac hard drive and click First Aid.
3. Click Run and select Continue.

Detailed explanation of macOS disk permissions

macOS disk permissions determine which users can access files and folders, preventing unauthorized access to your documents. This feature is especially important when sharing Macs by multiple users, and it also protects the operating system from user tampering.

Many Mac software is provided in the form of software package (.pkg) files. During installation, a "Bill of Materials" (.bom) file is created in /Library/Receipts to list which users can use the software and to inform the macOS installer which packages have been installed.

These files do not take up much space and should not be deleted normally. Deleting these files often leads to more problems, so it's better to look for other solutions.

Reasons for macOS disk permissions issues

Over time, Mac disk permissions may be corrupted, resulting in the inability to use the software or to open certain files, folders, and disks. This may be caused by installing and uninstalling the program.

This issue is more common in older versions of macOS and Mac OSX, but this does not mean that new versions will not appear. The longer you use your Mac, the more likely you are to encounter this problem.

How to fix MacBook disk permissions

One of the best ways is to use the "first aid" feature in Disk Utility:

1. Open Disk Utility.
2. Select your Mac boot disk.
3. Click First Aid, click Run, and then click ContinueConfirm.

We will introduce this method in detail and another method:

1. By Disk Utility
2. Through the terminal

1. Through Disk Utility

How to use MacDisk Tool to fix MacBook disk permissions:

1. Go to Findor > Applications > Utility and run Disk Utility.
2. Select your boot disk in the sidebar, usually called Macintosh HD.
3. Click the First Aid button, and then click Run.
4. Select Continue Continue.

Waiting for "first aid" to check your Mac boot disk and identify any problems. If disk permission issues are found, Disk Utility should automatically repair them during First Aid.

By Disk Utility in Recovery Mode

If you cannot use Disk Utility because you do not have permission to open the application, you will need to use Disk Utility in macOS recovery mode instead. First, follow the steps below to enter recovery mode:

On Macs equipped with Apple chips:

1. Close Your Mac.
2. Press and hold the Power button on the computer until the "Options" button appears.
3. Click the option and then click to continue .
4. Select your Mac boot disk and click Next .
5. Enter your password when prompted, and then click to continue .

On Macs equipped with Intel chips:

1. RestartYour Mac.
2. Immediately press and hold Command R on the keyboard.
3. Select your Mac boot disk and click Next .
4. Enter your Password when prompted, and then click to continue .

After entering recovery mode, select Disk Utility, and then click to continue . You can then follow the steps outlined above to fix disk permissions on your Mac.

2. Through the terminal

Still encountering disk permission issues after running "First Aid" in Disk Utility? Try to fix them using a terminal instead:

1. Go to Findor > Application > Utility and run Terminal.
2. Enter the command sudo diskutil resetUserPermissions / 'id -u' and press Enter.
3. Enter your Mac administrator password when prompted, and press again.
If you see "Error-69841", type
4. and press chflags -R nouchgEnter, and repeat step 2.

Through the terminal in recovery mode

Corrupted disk permissions may prevent the terminal from opening or running properly. If you encounter this problem, use the terminal in recovery mode instead. First, according to the type of Mac you are using, follow the steps above to boot your Mac into recovery mode and do the following:

After seeing the
1. Restoring window , click Utility in the menu bar.
Select
2. Terminal to run it.
Fix disk permissions using the terminal as described above.

Conclusion

If your Mac has disk permission issues, don't panic; this is not uncommon. They can cause some troubles—such as preventing you from running certain applications, accessing certain files and folders, or using different drives—but they can be fixed with the above solutions.

If you have trouble trying to resolve this issue, or if you still have damaged disk permissions after troubleshooting, you can use

MacKeeper's advanced service to get support from trained experts. Our technicians provide service around the clock and can use remote access to your Mac to help you get your computer back to its best condition as soon as possible.

FAQs about MacBook Disk Permissions

1. What is the function of repairing disk permissions?

Fix disk permissions on your Mac includes checking permissions for files, folders, software, and drives based on the correct POSIX permission list, and then fixing any discrepancies. This is the only way to restore access to certain data or software after permissions are corrupted.

2. How to fix permissions on external drives on Mac?

You can use macOS built-in disk utility to fix disk permissions on external drives as follows:

1. In the Finder, open Disk Utility from Application > Utility.
Select your external drive in the sidebar and click
2. First Aid.
Click
3. Run , and then click Continue to continue.

This process works on almost all versions of macOS, including Catalina, Mojave, Ventura, and Sonoma.

3. When should disk permissions be fixed on your Mac?

It is best to fix disk permissions on your Mac if:

You cannot run some applications or programs that cannot be started.
macOS tells you that you do not have permission to access certain files, folders, and drives.
You noticed slow system performance and "Access Denied" error.

4. Why can't I change permissions on my Mac?

You usually encounter issues changing permissions on your Mac when your user account does not have administrator rights, or when the files, folders, or applications you are trying to access are under control of other users. Please check if you are using the correct account.

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