Quick Answer
Use Finder’s Get Info window to check a file’s permissions, or use Terminal to search for files you cannot read. In Terminal, the following command searches your home folder and reports files that cannot be opened by your account:
find "$HOME" -type f ! -readable -print
This command only searches and reports files; it does not change permissions or delete anything. If you need to inspect protected locations outside your home folder, you may need administrator authorization. Do not change permissions just to make a file appear in a search—macOS protects some files because they are used by the system or another user.
What “Permission to Access” Means on a Mac
macOS permissions control who can read, change, or run a file. A file can be visible in Finder but still deny access when you try to open, move, rename, or delete it.
Common reasons include:
- The file belongs to another user account.
- Your account has no read permission.
- The enclosing folder does not allow you to view its contents.
- The file is inside a protected macOS or application folder.
- Privacy controls restrict Terminal, Finder, or another app from accessing the location.
- The file is on an external, network, or removable drive with different ownership rules.
- A file or folder has an access-control entry that grants or denies access separately from its basic permissions.
A failed search does not always mean a file is missing. It may mean the search tool could not enter a folder or read its contents.
Find Inaccessible Files in Finder
Finder is the safest starting point when you already know approximately where the file is.
1. Locate the file or folder
Open Finder and browse to the location. If you do not know where it is, use the Finder search field and search by the file’s name or extension.
A file that appears dimmed, cannot be opened, or produces an access-related message may have a permissions problem. The same can happen when you try to browse a folder.
2. Check permissions with Get Info
- Select the file or folder.
- Choose File > Get Info, or press Command-I.
- Expand Sharing & Permissions.
- Review the entries for your user account and the group named staff or another listed group.
- Check whether your account has Read & Write, Read only, or No Access.
For a folder, its permissions control whether you can list and enter the folder. A file may have readable permissions while its parent folder prevents you from reaching it.
If the permission controls are locked, click the lock button and authenticate with an administrator account. Unlocking the panel lets you edit permissions; it does not automatically grant access.
3. Avoid changing permissions immediately
Before changing anything, consider why the file is protected. System files, another user’s private files, application data, and files on managed or shared storage may require their existing restrictions.
Changing permissions on a system folder can interfere with macOS or an app. If the file belongs to another user, ask that user to copy or share it instead of taking ownership.
Search Your Home Folder with Terminal
Terminal can find unreadable files more precisely than Finder. This method checks files under your home folder, which is generally the most relevant place to search for personal documents.
Before you begin, quit any app that may be actively changing the files you are investigating. The command below only reads directory information and reports matching paths.
1. Open Terminal
Open Applications > Utilities > Terminal.
2. Run a read-only permission search
This command searches your home folder for regular files that your current account cannot read:
find "$HOME" -type f ! -readable -print
What the parts mean:
find "$HOME"starts at your home folder. The quotation marks safely handle spaces in the path.-type flimits results to regular files.! -readableselects files your account cannot read.-printdisplays each matching path without changing it.
If Terminal prints no results, it did not find an unreadable regular file under your home folder. That does not prove that every file on the Mac is accessible; protected locations outside your home folder were not searched.
3. Include folders you cannot read
To report unreadable folders as well as unreadable files, run:
find "$HOME" ! -readable -print
This may report a folder and many paths beneath it, depending on what the search can enter. It still makes no changes.
For a cleaner search that reports permission-related errors separately, use:
find "$HOME" -type f ! -readable -print 2> "$TMPDIR/find-permission-errors.txt"
This sends diagnostic messages from find to a temporary text file instead of mixing them with the results. The command does not modify the files being searched. To view those messages, run:
cat "$TMPDIR/find-permission-errors.txt"
The temporary file is only a record of the command’s diagnostics. When you no longer need it, you can remove it with:
rm "$TMPDIR/find-permission-errors.txt"
Warning: rm permanently removes the specified temporary file without moving it to the Trash. Confirm the path carefully before pressing Return. Do not substitute a broader path.
Search a Specific Folder
If you know the likely location, limit the search rather than scanning your entire home folder. This makes results easier to understand and reduces unrelated permission messages.
Replace the example path with the folder you want to inspect. The -- marks the end of command options, which helps when a path begins with a hyphen.
find -- "$HOME/Documents" -type f ! -readable -print
This searches only the Documents folder in your home folder. It does not change the folder or its contents.
For a folder outside your home directory, use its exact path. For example:
find -- "/Volumes/External Drive" -type f ! -readable -print
A removable or network volume may use ownership rules that differ from your Mac’s internal storage. If the command reports that it cannot enter the volume, check whether the drive is connected, mounted, and available to your account.
Search Protected Locations Carefully
Searching the entire startup volume can produce many permission errors and can take time. It also exposes paths belonging to the operating system, other users, and applications. Start with a specific directory whenever possible.
If you are an administrator and need to inspect locations your normal account cannot read, you can run find with sudo:
sudo find / -type f ! -readable -print
Terminal will request your administrator password. When you type it, the cursor usually does not move and no characters appear; this is normal. Press Return after entering the password.
This command uses administrator privileges to inspect the startup volume. It does not repair permissions, but it can display sensitive filenames and may take considerably longer than a search of your home folder. It may still skip special system resources or produce errors for locations that are unavailable.
Privacy and safety warning: Do not use sudo casually. It allows the command to access files that your account normally cannot read. Avoid adding commands that delete, move, or change permissions while using sudo.
To keep ordinary results separate from diagnostics, use:
sudo find / -type f ! -readable -print 2> "$TMPDIR/find-root-errors.txt"
Review the diagnostic file with:
cat "$TMPDIR/find-root-errors.txt"
When finished, remove only that temporary report:
rm "$TMPDIR/find-root-errors.txt"
If the search does not behave as expected, press Control-C to stop the current command. Stopping find does not undo a permission change because these commands do not make changes.
Check a File’s Ownership and Permissions
Once you have a path, inspect its basic permission information with ls:
ls -lOe@ -- "/path/to/file"
Replace /path/to/file with the actual path. The command displays:
- The permission string, such as whether the owner, group, and others can read or write.
- The file’s owner and group.
- Flags that may affect behavior.
- Access-control entries, when present.
- Extended attributes, when present.
The -- prevents a path beginning with a hyphen from being interpreted as an option. This command only displays metadata.
To inspect every parent directory in a path, use:
namei -l -- "/path/to/file"
The namei utility may not be available in every macOS environment. If Terminal reports that the command cannot be found, inspect each parent folder with ls -ld instead:
ls -ld -- "/path" "/path/to" "/path/to/file"
For a file to be accessible, you generally need permission to traverse each parent directory and permission to read the file itself. A readable file inside a directory marked No Access is still unreachable through that directory.
Give Terminal or an App Access to a Location
macOS privacy controls can block an application even when ordinary Unix permissions look correct. This is separate from the permission entries shown in Finder.
If Terminal reports that it cannot access a folder you selected, open:
Apple menu > System Settings > Privacy & Security
Review relevant sections such as Full Disk Access and Files and Folders. Select the app that needs access and enable only the permission necessary for the task. You may need to quit and reopen the app before the change takes effect.
The exact choices depend on the location and app. Do not grant broad access permanently if a narrower permission solves the problem. When finished, return to the same settings and disable access you no longer need.
When You Should Change Permissions
Change permissions only when you own the data or have clear authorization to manage it. A common repair is to restore your own access to a personal file, but the correct setting depends on the file’s purpose and location.
Before changing anything:
- Make a backup or confirm that another copy exists.
- Close the app that uses the file.
- Record the original owner and permissions with
ls -lOe@. - Confirm that the file is not part of macOS, an application bundle, or another user’s private data.
- Use Finder’s Get Info window when possible.
If you change a setting in Sharing & Permissions, use the lock button to unlock the panel, make the smallest necessary change, and click the action menu to apply it only where appropriate. The available controls can differ between files and folders.
To reverse a Finder permission change, return to Get Info, select the affected account, and restore the previous access level you recorded. If you do not know the original setting, do not guess; restore the file from a backup or contact the owner.
Troubleshooting
The search returns nothing
The file may be readable, outside the search path, hidden by a privacy restriction, or not a regular file. Search the suspected parent folder directly and verify the spelling and capitalization of the path.
find says “Permission denied”
The current account cannot enter part of the search path. Search a folder you own, review Terminal’s privacy permissions, or use sudo only when you have a legitimate administrative reason.
Finder shows the file, but it will not open
Check both the file and every parent folder in Get Info. Also check whether the app that opens the file has permission to access its location.
A file is on an external drive
Confirm that the drive is mounted and unlocked. Ownership and permissions may be managed by the drive’s format, another Mac, a network service, or a backup system. Avoid changing ownership until you understand how the drive is shared.
The file belongs to another user
Ask the owner to copy it to a shared location or provide access. Taking ownership can disrupt the owner’s access and may violate the expectations of a shared Mac.
You changed permissions and an app stopped working
Reverse the change using the original settings from your recorded ls output or restore the affected item from a backup. Do not recursively apply broad permissions to an application or system folder.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I find inaccessible files without Terminal?
Yes. Use Finder search to locate likely files, then open File > Get Info and review Sharing & Permissions. Finder is useful for individual items; Terminal is better for systematically checking many paths.
Does find with ! -readable change anything?
No. The commands in this guide only search, display metadata, or write diagnostic messages to a temporary file. They do not change permissions, move files, or delete search results.
Why can an administrator still be denied access?
Administrator status does not automatically bypass every macOS privacy control or protection mechanism. Terminal may also lack permission to access a location until you grant it access in System Settings > Privacy & Security.
Should I use chmod 777 to fix the problem?
No. Broad permissions can expose private data and create security or application problems. Identify the owner, location, and required access first, then make the smallest authorized change—or ask the file’s owner to provide a copy.
Can I search hidden files?
Yes. Terminal searches directory entries without requiring Finder to display hidden items. However, protected system locations may still be inaccessible, and you should avoid modifying files merely because they are hidden.
Final Thoughts
Start with Finder’s Get Info window for a single file. For a systematic check, use `find “$HOME” -type f !