{"id":102980,"date":"2022-06-29T12:06:01","date_gmt":"2022-06-29T12:06:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/?p=102980"},"modified":"2025-08-28T11:26:58","modified_gmt":"2025-08-28T11:26:58","slug":"fixed-zsh-permission-denied-in-mac-terminal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stellarinfo.com\/blog\/fixed-zsh-permission-denied-in-mac-terminal\/","title":{"rendered":"4 Ways to Fix Zsh Permission Denied in Mac Terminal"},"content":{"rendered":"

So, you are opening a file, and you have decided to do it with the help of the Terminal app. A moment later you see the Zsh permission denied error. How to fix that? Let us first take a look at the root of the problem itself.<\/p>

What does Zsh Stand for?<\/h2>

The Zsh or the so-called Z shell is a Unix shell. It’s a macOS default shell designed on top of bash. In other words: it’s the default Shell in macOS (and a shell itself is the interface that provides access to an operating system’s services). Zsh is used more often than Bash (“bourne again shell”) since it is more powerful, and has an extended number of features.<\/p>

What is Zsh Permission Denied Error?<\/h2>

The problem you are encountering appears when the Terminal cannot complete the task as it simply can’t access the file. Either the file is locked, the command has been formatted in a wrong way, or even the file permission is insufficient.<\/p>

Ways to Fix the Zsh Permission Denied Error on Mac<\/h2>

A. Check Disk Permissions<\/h3>

Since we have talked about file permissions, let’s start with them. <\/p>

To check disk permissions through Terminal:<\/strong> <\/p>

1. Open Terminal and paste the following command: ls -l.<\/em> Add a space after the command and do not press Enter<\/strong> for now.<\/p>

\n
\"Terminal\"
Terminal<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>

2. Find the file you need to open > drag it into the Terminal window (this will not actually move the item, but will do the trick).<\/p>

3. Press Return<\/strong>.<\/p>

If the letters “rwxr”<\/strong> appear before your username in the result string, it means you have the access to read, write, and execute the file. If there is only one sign, for example, “r”<\/strong>, it means the file is read-only to you.<\/p>

If you are checking disk permissions of the file through Finder:<\/strong><\/p>

    \n
  1. Find the desired file in the Finder window.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Press Command + I<\/strong> to open the Get Info<\/strong> option. Find Sharing & Permissions<\/strong> at the bottom of the window.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. In case you see nothing beneath it, find the arrow and click it.<\/li>\n<\/ol>

    The permissions should now be visible to you. To have the necessary access, it should state “Read & Write”<\/strong>.<\/p>

    \n
    \"Get
    Get Info window > Sharing & Permissions<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>

    B. Change the Ownership of the Directory to Solve Zsh Permission Denied<\/h3>

    Let’s try changing the ownership of the directory:<\/strong><\/p>

    Open Terminal again and use the command chown -R $USER:$USER \/path\/to\/directory<\/em>. <\/p>

    Where $USER is the currently logged-in user and \/path\/to\/directory – a place you are writing it to.<\/p>

    C. Grant Access to the Disk to Terminal if it has No Full Access<\/h3>

    If it is the case with Terminal, this might be another reason for the Zsh permission denied error. <\/p>

    To check if that’s true, and give them access to the disk, do the following:<\/strong><\/p>

      \n
    1. Open System Preferences<\/strong>. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Find Security & Privacy<\/strong>. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Then choose the Privacy<\/strong> tab.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. Click the padlock<\/strong> in the left bottom corner > type your admin password to apply changes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    5. From the list choose Terminal and tap the mark beside it to add it to the list of full access.<\/li>\n<\/ol>
      \n
      \"Security
      Security & Privacy > Privacy tab > Full Disk Access highlighted<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>

      Note:<\/strong> If Terminal is not on the list (this may happen in the newest macOS versions), you’ll need to add it manually by clicking the + <\/strong>button and searching Terminal in the search bar. Next, you’ll need to quit Terminal to apply the changes.<\/p>

      \n
      \"Add
      Add Terminal to Full Disk Access on Mac<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>

      D. Use a Sudo Command <\/h3>

      If none of the above helped use the superpower — a Sudo command. In simple words, a Sudo command stands for superuser do, when a permitted user gains super user privileges or executes a command as another user. Mind it will ask for the current (not the root one) user’s password when using the mentioned command for the first time.<\/p>

      Here are the commands you might try:<\/strong><\/p>