"The operation can’t be completed because you don’t have permission to access some of the items" when trying to move folders

It sounds like something, some 3rd party thing is watching over your files.

EtreCheck is a FREE simple little diagnostic tool to display the important details of your system configuration and allow you to copy that information to the Clipboard. It is meant to be used with Apple Support Communities to help people help you with your Mac. It will not display any personal info.

https://www.etrecheck.com/

Thanks for Old Toad’s etrecheck instructions…

Slow iMac 2017 - Apple Community

This was my issue. I was using .nosync in the folder name and when I removed it, I could move the folder.

For me the problem persisted for all files and subdirectories of OneDrive folder.

I had the folder OneDrive in my iCloud because I moved a lot of files from OneDrive to iCloud, and called "OneDrive" the folder where I moved them to. After reading this thread I decided to rename OneDrive folder to something else (like "FormerOneCloud").

It worked. Now I can sync this folder with my devices, and remove any files from it as I wish.

Hi weweredemons,

Welcome to Apple Support Communities. Based on the error message you provided, it seems like you may need to change the permission for the user account on your Mac to Read & Write. This is a step that may allow you to make changes. Here's how:

Change permissions for files, folders, or disks on Mac

Permission settings determine who can view and alter files on the computer. You change permission settings at the bottom of the Info window for a file, folder, or disk in the Finder. For example, you can change permission settings for a folder so that other users who log in to your Mac, or connect to it for file sharing, can view but not change files in a folder.

Assign permissions to users and groups

1. On your Mac, select a disk, folder, or file, then choose File > Get Info.

2. If the information in Sharing & Permissions isn’t visible, click the disclosure triangle.

3. If necessary, click the lock icon  to unlock it, then enter an administrator name and password (or, if your Mac has Touch ID, use Touch ID).

4. Click a user or group in the Name column, then choose a privilege setting from the pop-up menu. 

* Read & Write: Allows a user to open the item and change it.

* Read Only: Allows a user to open the item, but not change its contents.

* Write Only: Makes a folder into a drop box. Users can copy items to the drop box, but can’t open it.

Only the owner of the drop box can open it.

* No Access: Blocks all access to the item.

You can undo any changes to privilege settings for a user or group in the Sharing & Permissions section since opening the Info window. Before closing the Info window, click the Action pop-up menu , then choose “Revert changes.”

Apply permissions to all items in a folder or a disk

1. On your Mac, select a folder or a disk, then choose File > Get Info.

2. Click the lock icon  to unlock it, then enter an administrator name and password (or, if your Mac has Touch ID, use Touch ID).

3. Click the Action pop-up menu , then choose “Apply to enclosed items.”

Following these steps may help and is outlined in this article: Change permissions for files, folders, or disks on Mac - Apple Support

Kind regards.

Hello weweredemons,

Thanks for that info. Since it's isolated to OneDrive, please contact the developer, they should have info about adjusting the permissions or an option to download the files to your Mac, that you can then move to the folder you want.

How to contact an app developer - Apple Support

Thanks.

Hi guys,

Check the characters in your files. I had ther same issue, but I discovered that the files had characters like ! and / in their names. After removing these characters the moving of the files worked fine

I'm having this same problem, and the stock, boilerplate responses from Apple are basic and useless as they do not solve the problem. Doesn't anyone at Apple know how to deal with undelete-able folders that display the error message "You don't have permission to access some of the items mac." It is NOT a "permission" issue as I have full permission (Read & Write) to the folder in question. Note: the folder is empty; there are no files in it. So how do I delete this folder (and about 10 more like it)?

Darren,

Did you find a solution? I've got 300 GB sitting on my iMac's internal hard drive that I can't delete. I've tried all the obvious stuff and no luck. My head is about to explode. How can something so simple be so hard?

Could you give me more details? About how many times did you reboot in total? When you checked "permissions," what did you look for? Did you notice the "permissions" changing or staying the same with every reboot?

same issue, I tried everything and none works! I think Apple is silently forcing us to get an Apple Storage subscription to backup our files and for ultimate compatibility since they're not keen on solving this issue!

Having the same problem...no response from Apple...