Sometimes when you want to use the Terminal, you will receive certain errors like “operation not permitted”. And obviously it’s very concerning since you wanted to finalize that command and ensure everything is going to be fine.

The problem is that a lot of the time, these errors can arise. And while the Terminal is a very good tool, it’s not without some errors here and there. 

Why does the “operation not permitted” error appear?

There are normally a lot of reasons why this error can arise. When it happens, that means you won’t have access to the protected files and directories on your device. A lot of the time, upgrading to a new operating system will do that. It’s because the new OS will add security features that overwrite older commands. Even if this issue arises, you don’t really need to worry. There are multiple methods that you can use to make this process seamless, as you will notice below. 

Make sure you have Full Disk Access

Sometimes the reason why this error appears is because you did not allow Full Disk Access via the terminal. That can be a problem, so you want to go to the Privacy and Security Settings. Here you choose the Full Disk Access section, and from there you will need to find the Terminal. Provide full disk access and then you can add your password to ensure that those changes will stick. After that, all you want to do is to open the Terminal to see if the new changes were made. If there are any issues, you want to open up the Terminal and test the commands.

Adjusting the file permissions

In case you still have the “not permitted” error, a good idea is to adjust the file permissions. For example, based on the user, some files or folders will have read-only access. They don’t have read and write permissions, so you can only see the content, but not edit them as well. That’s a crucial thing to keep in mind and consider here.

Perform good maintenance on your Mac

Keeping your Mac in a great running shape is always going to be important. The best thing that you can do here is to ensure you perform maintenance tasks as often as you can. Simple things like freeing RAM, deleting junk files and other things like that will always help quite a bit. You can also free up purgeable space, run maintenance scripts, flush the DNS cache, repair disk permissions and other things.

All of these tasks will come in handy if you want to ensure that your device is in an excellent shape. Thankfully, a Mac cleanup tool can help you do that, and it will only lead to a much better experience in the end. 

How often should you run these tasks? It doesn’t matter, you don’t need to run them extremely often. However, it is ok to run them from time to time. It’s especially true if you install and download lots of apps. At that point, you can encounter lots of temporary files, errors and so on. Addressing those problems will only make things better and prevent any downsides.

Disable the Mac system integrity protection, at least for a little bit

• Boot your Mac in the Recovery Mode
• After that, you will need to enter the Terminal
• Use the “csrutil disable” command
• Restart your Mac to ensure everything will be fine
• Enter the Terminal again and then you can try to run the original command. 

When you encounter these issues, it can be very difficult to blame it on a bunch of things. As always, the main focus has to be on making sure that the process is cohesive and everything runs smoothly. Terminal errors can be quite common, and they do appear from time to time. At the end of the day, you want to be certain that you can avoid issues.

We always recommend following these tips if you encountered any problems, as it will help make the entire process very cohesive and simple. At the same time, you also want to take your time and go through all the steps. Passing any of the steps can end up making the solution not working. At the end of the day, you always want to protect yourself as much as you can. You will certainly appreciate how helpful these tools can be.

It’s important to ensure that your Terminal has all the permissions and features necessary to work as expected. Otherwise, you can implement these solutions asap and ensure they will restore your Terminal to the way it should work. Make sure that you go through all the steps effectively, and restart your device to ensure everything works smoothly after following these guidelines!