Which problem-solving techniques are still available in macOS Tahoe? While Intel Macs still have a few, Apple silicon Macs don’t have many left.
RepairHomePermissions
First we repaired disk permissions, until SIP made that impossible. Then we reset user permissions until Apple withdrew that advice. Next we ran repairHomePermissions in Recovery. Should you still use that?
Four eras: rebuilding the Desktop, repairing permissions, resetting Home permissions, and most recently cursing privacy protection. A cynical history?
Going deeper into Recovery mode, by setting the correct keyboard, sharing the Data volume with another Mac, using full features in Disk Utility and Safari, and avoiding repairing Home permissions.
Once, you could run diskutil to ‘fix’ broken permissions in your Home folder, then it was replaced by repairHomePermissions in Recovery. Apple no longer documents this, but it’s still there. Should you use it?
We used to repair permissions of the system until SIP. After a short break, we often repaired them again, this time on preference files. Why did Apple cancel that? Should we still try it for fixing problems?
When nothing seems able to get that preference setting right, don’t abandon hope – follow this instead.
In the last few days, Apple has again changed its recommended procedure for resetting or repairing permissions on […]
Can now explain what is wrong with a file’s permissions, and can scan any folder of you choice.
New and more reliable version of a tool to check whether Home folder permissions are correct or causing problems.
The Eclectic Light Company 