cnewb

Q: the file couldn't be opened because you don't have permission to view it

Everytime I time to open a PDF file in Preview I get the msg, the file couldn't be opened because you don't have permission to view it. I have checked the GET INFO and all permissions are correct. Does anyone know how to solve this problem?

Thank you.

Posted on Jun 19, 2014 7:42 AM

Close

Q: the file couldn't be opened because you don't have permission to view it

  • All replies
  • Helpful answers

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jun 19, 2014 7:50 AM in response to cnewb
    Level 10 (208,000 points)
    Applications
    Jun 19, 2014 7:50 AM in response to cnewb

    Back up all data.

     

    Quit the application, if it's running.

     

    Triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it:

     

    ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.Preview

     

    Right-click or control-click the highlighted line and select

     

    Services ▹ Reveal in Finder (or just Reveal)

     

    from the contextual menu. A Finder window should open with a folder selected. If it does, move the selected foldernot just its contents—to the Desktop.

     

    The folder you're moving has a name that begins with "com." It is not the subfolder named "Data" or anything else.

     

    Launch the problem application and test. If it works now, delete the folder you moved. Otherwise, quit again, and put the folder back where it was, overwriting the one that may have been created in its place.

     

    Caution: If you delete some or all of the contents of the selected folder, but leave the folder itself in place, the application may not launch. Deleting the folder will cause it to be rebuilt automatically.

  • by cnewb,

    cnewb cnewb Jun 19, 2014 8:08 AM in response to Linc Davis
    Level 1 (1 points)
    Jun 19, 2014 8:08 AM in response to Linc Davis

    When I right click, there is no option "Services....".

  • by Linc Davis,

    Linc Davis Linc Davis Jun 19, 2014 12:37 PM in response to cnewb
    Level 10 (208,000 points)
    Applications
    Jun 19, 2014 12:37 PM in response to cnewb

    Open the Library folder in your home folder by holding down the option key and selecting

     

    Go ▹ Library

     

    from the Finder menu bar. Navigate in the usual way to the folder indicated above.

  • by jdsfc,

    jdsfc jdsfc Aug 8, 2016 3:02 PM in response to cnewb
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Mac OS X
    Aug 8, 2016 3:02 PM in response to cnewb

    That did not work for me. any other suggestions? thanks

  • by Eric Root,

    Eric Root Eric Root Aug 9, 2016 8:54 AM in response to jdsfc
    Level 9 (72,904 points)
    iTunes
    Aug 9, 2016 8:54 AM in response to jdsfc

    You might want to consider starting a new discussion. Since this one is a couple of years old, less people are likely to look at it. A new post would be much more visible. You can link to this one.

     

    User File Ownership - Reset   see post by Linc Davis

     

    You may need to rebuild permissions on your user account. To do this,boot to your Recovery partition (holding down the Command and R keys while booting) and open Terminal from the Utilities menu. In Terminal, type:  ‘resetpassword’ (without the ’s), hit return, and select the admin user. You are not going to reset your password. Click on the icon for your Macs hard drive at the top. From the drop down below it select the user account which is having issues. At the bottom of the window, you'll see an area labeled Restore Home Directory Permissions and ACLs. Click the reset button there. The process takes a few minutes. When complete, restart.   

     

    Repair User Permissions


     

    User/File Permissions - How to Fix