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Gimp permission problems after Catalina upgrade

I can't access my downloads, documents, or desktop from Gimp. I get the following message.


Could not read the contents of Downloads

Error opening directory '/Users/username/Downloads': Operation not permitted



MacBook Pro

Posted on Oct 8, 2019 3:39 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Nov 1, 2019 7:36 AM

GIMP 2.10.14 has been released yesterday, and the releasenotes contain this paragraph (emphasis mine):


Improvements for the macOS version

Alex Samorukov introduced various improvements to the macOS build of GIMP.

First and foremost, GIMP is now compatible with macOS Catalina and doesn’t have the file permission issue that the 2.10.12 build had.

Secondly, the DMG will now open a window with an Applications shortcut that explains how to install it. He also added some fixes for command line users.

Finally, Alex built the new version with updated 3rd party components. Among other things, this means support for color profiles in HEIF/HEIC files.


Download is still in progress, but I really hope this has been fixed as announced.


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28 replies

Oct 17, 2019 11:21 AM in response to BDHIV

I've temporarily solved this by accessing the desktop (and other folders) via the terminal, and then starting Gimp manually from the terminal (it seems that Gimp inherits the permissions from the parent process). It's cumbersome, but it works.


Start terminal (or iTerm like I use)

$ cd ~/Desktop

This will open a dialogue asking if you want to give Terminal permissions to access the desktop. Do this for every folder you want to access.


Then do

$ /Applications/GIMP.app/Contents/MacOS/Gimp

Oct 20, 2019 3:50 PM in response to BDHIV

I saw some videos from the WorldWide Developers Conference and it said that applications that were not generated via the standard scripts in xCode may not work as expected. From what I saw on the Gimp discussions page, it looks like they are trying to regenerate the application using the standard scripts. There is hope, at least until Apple dashes our dreams.


The best workaround at this time appears to create a new directory in the root directory of your user files and do all your work there. If you use shared services like Dropbox, move the files via other applications.

Gimp permission problems after Catalina upgrade

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