RepairPermissions For Mac

Permissions represent the various settings that have an effect on an application’s ability to read, write or execute certain files. If they are not set correctly, some apps may no longer function as expected.

Before OS X El Capitan, this operation could be performed with the Disk Utility or from the command-line, but the introduction of System Integrity Protection has made the function unnecessary, leading to its removal. However, advanced users may still need to fix permissions after working with system files, and RepairPermissions is a simple command-line tool that can do the job.

When System Integrity Protection was introduced in El Capitan, it allowed the OS to protect file permissions automatically, as critical folders were simply locked as write-protected. Consequently, the 'Repair Disk Permissions' function in the Disk Utility became obsolete, so it was removed.

However, developers and other advanced users often deal with system files, and a tool that can help them fix file permissions can come in handy in many situations.

RepairPermissions can be accessed from the Terminal app, and you only need to enter the valid mount point of a system partition for it to begin rebuilding caches. The utility then repairs permissions for the whole partition.

If the tool is launched while in single-user mode, it can only fix the permissions of the current root volume.

You can also input a command that brings up a list of the available operations and view the utility’s current version.

While RepairPermissions is certainly not difficult to use, novices may be deterred by the command-line interface. Experienced users should nave no such qualms, however, and the utility does the job just fine, enabling you to fix system file permissions easily.