macOS 10.14 Mojave is the “most secure macOS up to date”, if you believe Apple advertising, of course. This macOS update introduces unprecedented restrictions on third-party apps that operate on your Mac. Long gone are times when an app could easily access your content, Mail, address books, and browser history. With global data leakages happening on a daily basis, no wonder that in 2018 Apple placed a kind of “an Iron Curtain” that seals up your most important data, namely, Full Disk Access permission.

What is full disk access in macOS Mojave?

If you don’t have permission to open a file or folder on Mac On your Mac, select the item, then choose File Get Info, or press Command-I. Click the disclosure triangle next to Sharing & Permissions to expand the section. Click the pop-up menu next to your user name to see the permissions.

Full Disk Access feature is much like a security check at an airport. When you grant “Full Disk Access” to an app it is added to the white-list of applications that are now marked as safe to work with your data. At the same time, all other applications will be greeted with “You Shall Not Pass.” The protected areas that require Full Disk Access permission are your Mail, Messages, Safari, Home, Time Machine.

According to Apple: “So if your app attempts to access any data that is part of one of the protected categories the system will automatically terminate it.” And by “terminate” Apple really means a forced crash.

What does Full Disk Access mean to you

If you haven’t upgraded to Mojave yet, you don’t have to worry. If you’re running Mojave, using some apps may get troublesome in case they haven’t been yet optimized for 10.14. So, just in case, be prepared for a number of app crashes on your Mac. What else you might expect is that many apps will start bombarding you with prompts to grant them the so-desirable “Full Disk Access.” Should you grant such access? We’ll try to answer that further below.

• I am trying to rename the 'codesign' file name for patch problem, but I tired everything and seems like I can only have read access to the filea inside usr/bin. Folder permission 'System' is set to Read&Write; I'm on admin account; What I have tried: Going into terminal using sudo -i.
• Currently Running: macOS Catalina 10.15.1 Issue: Ever since I upgraded to Catalina, macOS is not allowing me to change read and write permissions on system protected files, hence, I am not able to tweak the system as per my likes and dislikes. Steps Tried To Solve The Issue: SIP, always remains disabled on my boot drive. So, no question arises regarding any conflict with system integrity.
• On your Mac, select an item, then choose File Get Info. Click the lock icon to unlock it. Enter an administrator name and password. In the Sharing & Permissions section, do any of the following: Add a user or group: Click the Add button below the list, select a user or group, then click Select.

When should you grant Full disk access for an application?

First, if an app comes from a credible developer and you want it to properly do its job. Obviously, a daily scheduler or some other app from “Productivity” category would absolutely need access to your Calendar in order to simply function. On the other hand, if some Chess application is asking to access your Mail you should be concerned about its real intentions.

Normally, credible apps would politely explain why they want to access your disk and specify the limits for their activity. For example, apps from utilities category, like disk cleaners or disk backup software, are designed to analyze your disk contents to do their job properly, so giving them “Full Disk Access” makes sense. But even if you don’t, these apps will still retain much of their functionality, though be limited in certain actions. To sum it up, providing “Full Disk Access” is perfectly normal if you follow these 2 main conditions:

1. An app comes from a trusted source
2. The explanation for FDA is reasonable

If you doubt about the app’s declared intentions, you can contact the developers of the app — usually their response will be quick and to the point.

How to give Full Disk Access?

Full Disk Access is administered via System Preferences > Security & Privacy. Starting from macOS 10.14 Mojave it contains a special Full Disk Access section that like a folder. Easily enough, you can drag & drop your apps onto a pane right from the Applications folder. But prior to that, you should “unlock” this dialogue window.

How to see Full Disk Access utility:

1. Click on Apple icon > System Preferences...
   
2. Go to Security & Privacy
   
3. Click on a Privacy Tab
   
4. Click Full Disk Access section in the sidebar

Now click the “lock” icon and enter your system password to unlock the panel settings. Well done! Now you can drag & drop apps directly from your Applications so they have a Full Disk Access. You can also do it in bulk by adding many apps at once. Alternatively, you might click the “+” sign to add apps one by one.
Note: For more security of your accounts, you can click “Advanced…” in the same window and tick the checkbox that reads “Require an administrative password…”. This will prevent other users of your Mac from accessing the most important system parts and thus minimize the potential damage from such actions.

What is Full Permissions and how to give them?

How is Full Disk Access different from standard permissions requests on macOS? Permissions are granted for individual actions, like accessing your Photos, whereas Full Disk Access gives unrestricted rights to do multiple operations on your Mac. System permissions come in 3 types.

Permission-protected areas are: contacts, microphone, webcam, Mail, remote desktop control, and calendars. Whenever an app wants to have access to your a, b, c... it will initiate a standard dialogue box (you’ve seen it million times) where you can click either “Ok” or “Don’t Allow”. In the second case, an app will crash if it attempts to access the restricted areas on your Mac. Once again, you should be ready for a flood of permission prompts when you upgrade to macOS 10.14 Mojave.
The new reality is that permissions is no longer a mere formality when dealing with apps on your computer. You should rather view permissions as a tool, which means you can grant and revoke permissions when necessary. For example, if an app is bothering you with notifications, you can easily take away it’s privileges in System Preferences/Privacy/. Starting from macOS Mojave this particular panel will become an often-visited place on your Mac.

Broken permissions?

The problem comes when some user permissions get lost or broken. One morning you may find that you no longer can open a file or access a certain folder on your Mac. Luckily, there is an easy way to fix it.

I usually fix disk permissions with a tool called CleanMyMac X which has a pretty strong reputation within Mac community.

To fix broken disk permissions:

1. Download CleanMyMac from developer’s site (free download)
   
2. Click Maintenance tab
   
3. Check Repair disk permissions
   

If you perform the rest of maintenance tasks from the described section you may even see your Mac running faster and smoother.

Privacy Permissions not working on Mojave (Camera and Mic)

An often reported issue on macOS Mojave is camera and microphone permissions not working properly. While Apple’s own apps handle camera and mic perfectly well, many third-party apps (like Skype) end up becoming totally unusable due to missing permissions or “Full Disk Access denied”. In such cases, a dialogue box that requests permission is never displayed, for whatever reason. And if a program hasn’t requested a permission — you guessed right — there is no way to make it work. What can you do?

1. Reinstall the app in question
2. Add the app to Full Disk Access folder (see above)
3. If nothing else helps, you may want to downgrade to macOS High Sierra

macOS Mojave privacy changes (and challenges)

Apple’s decision to harden security requirements on macOS Mojave is a long expected move. In the short term we’ll see a swarm of software conflicts linked with macOS permissions. As I mentioned earlier, many users have already reported their audio apps crashing while attempting to enable the microphone access. The same refers to apps that require using camera on your Mac. Still, in the long run, the stronger grip on security will is beneficial for all of us. And as to the flaws, they will hopefully be fixed in the next macOS updates.

To save yourself from the misfortune of constantly crashing software it is recommended that you update all your apps to the latest available versions. Good news, it no longer means hours of googling. You can use the tool I described above, CleanMyMac X, that has a quick built-in Updater module.

1. Run CleanMyMac X (Download a free version here)
   
2. Click Updater
   
3. Mark apps you want to update

This will reduce the chances of your apps crashing on macOS Mojave.
Under today’s security standards users must explicitly authorize any app i.e “an opt-in” logic will become prevalent. Previously, malicious programs could simulate the supposed consent by using the so-called synthetic clicks — a term from a hacker universe. Now such practice becomes more and more difficult but it doesn’t mean “data leaks” will disappear anytime soon.
The described pre-authorization logic is nothing new for iOS users and has gradually become an industry standard. But who would complain about having stronger security on their Mac? Eventually, we’ll get there even if it means making a few redundant clicks everyday.

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Summary

An incompatible file system, faulty permission settings, and unexpected formatting error are all likely to cause your external hard drive to show up as 'Read Only' on your Mac. Luckily, there are solutions to these problems, either by formatting the device, changing settings, or repairing your device. Besides, if you get your data lost during the problem-solving process, you can retrieve your data with EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard. Try these tips without worries!

Don't worry when your external hard drive displays as read-only on Mac. This page includes 3 reliable solutions that can assist you in removing the 'read-only' error from your external hard drive, making it readable again on Mac. Pick up any method below to make your device accessible without losing any data now:

SymptomsThe External Hard Drive Shows Up as 'Read Only' on Mac, Help!

'Hi there, do you know how to make the external hard drive accessible again when it shows as 'Read Only' on Mac computer? I'm having this problem that my Seagate external hard drive suddenly turned to read-only this morning when I connected it to Mac. I could only read and view saved data on the drive. But get no access to use the data on my external hard drive. If you have any clues to get permissions to access the read-only external hard drive on Mac, please tell me. Thanks very much.'

If you right-click your external storage device, select 'Get Info', and see 'You can only read' at the bottom of the info window, you are encountering one of the commonest problems with an external hard drive. When your external hard drive or other external storage devices show up as 'Read Only' on your Mac, you can:

• Open the drive and view the files
• copy files from the external storage drive

You can't:

• Copy files to the device
• Delete files from the external drive

When you can't use your external storage devices normally, it could be quite annoying and frustrating for the problem not only represents a threat to your work efficiency but also shows the possibility of data loss.

ReasonsWhy Is Your External Hard Drive Read-Only on Mac

Why can you only read the external hard drive that is connected to your Mac? There are three possible reasons.

The File System Is NTFS

Right-click your hard disk and select 'Get Info'. If you find your external hard drive is NTFS format, that's what the cause is. The incompatibility of the file system is the main cause of the error-external hard drive 'Read Only' on Mac. NTFS is a file system that is optimal for Windows-based computer. Although the Mac operating system allows you to read the files on external hard drive, you can't write files to it because the way that NTFS writes data to the device is incompatible with the way of macOS doing it. (Go to the Fix.)

The Permission Settings Is Not Ignored

An external hard drive is subject to the access permission set up by OS X for all files and folders on the system. When you use the device on another computer with a different OS, the permission settings with it may not be recognized or prevent access to the files on the hard disk. (Go to the Fix.)

The Hard Drive has Formatting Errors

Another common cause for the external hard drive 'Read Only' problem on Mac is the formatting errors of the storage device itself. If you see a warning says the device is only being mounted in read-only mode while connecting, your hard disk is diagnosed to have formatting errors that prevent you from writing files to it. (Go to the Fix.)

Identify the cause that leads to the 'Read Only' error on your Mac from the information above, then follow the corresponding solution to solve the problem with ease.

FixesHow Can You Solve the External Hard Drive 'Read-only' Problem on Your Mac

Based on different reasons, there are three solutions to the problem.

Fix 1: Reformat the External Hard Drive

If your external hard drive is read-only on your Mac due to its NTFS file system, you can easily fix it by reformatting the device to a Mac-compatible format with the built-in Disk Utility on Mac. Before that, remember to back up your external hard drive quickly with a highly-efficient data backup software since the formatting will erase all the files on the device.

Step 1: Launch 'Disk Utility'.

• Head to 'Applications' > 'Utilities'.
• Or tap 'Command + Space' and type Disk Utility.

Step 2: In the list of available drives on the left, choose the problematic external hard drive. Then click the 'Erase' option in the main window.

Step 3: Choose a proper file system and rename your hard disk. (Both APFS and Mac OS Extended file system are Mac-exclusive. Thus, if you want your external hard drive to be both Mac and PC compatible, choose MS-DOS, also known as FAT, or ExFAT instead.)

Step 4: Click Erase to reformatting your external hard drive.

Wait for the reformatting process to complete and then go to the information window, this time you will see the 'You can only read' has changed to 'You can read and write', which means you can read and write the drive on your Mac normally.

Mac Do Not Have Write Permissions Format

Generally speaking, when a storage device shows up as read-only, you can still copy files off of it. If you cannot view or see all saved data on the drive, don't worry. After you format it, you can use the Professional Mac hard drive recovery software - EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac to get back your lost data on the drive with simple clicks:

Step 1. Select the disk location (it can be an internal HDD/SSD or a removable storage device) where you lost data and files. Click the Scan button.

Step 2. EaseUS Data Recovery Wizard for Mac will immediately scan your selected disk volume and display the scanning results on the left pane.

Step 3. In the scan results, select the file(s) and click Recover Now button to have them back.

Mac Do Not Have Write Permissions For Dummies

Fix 2: Ignore Permissions

If you are sure the problem is caused by the permission settings, you just need to ignore the permissions to solve the 'Read Only' external hard drive problem on your Mac.

Step 1: Right-click your external hard drive shown on your Mac and select 'Get Info'.

Windows Do Not Have Permission

Step 2: Expand the 'Sharing & Permissions' section, then click the lock to authenticate.

Minecraft Do Not Have Permission

Step 3: Check 'Ignore ownership on this volume'.

Do Not Have Permission To Access File

Fix 3: Check and Repair Hard Drive errors

If there is formatting error on your external hard drive that makes the device read-only, you can use Disk Utility to check the errors and repair the external storage device.

Change Read Write Permissions Mac

Step 1: Go to 'Disk Utility'.

• Head to 'Applications' > 'Utilities'.
• Or tap 'Command + Space' and type Disk Utility.

Step 2: Highlight the read-only external hard drive, click 'First Aid' in the top center, then click 'Run'.