"ignore ownership on this volume" is missing

Question

"ignore ownership on this volume" is missing

Settings have somehow recently changed for my external drive. This drive is used for time machine backups and for doing some manual backups of files and folders. I now have to enter my administrator password each time I delete a folder. When I look at my external drive in Finder and choose "get info", the checkbox and "ignore ownership on this volume" does not show up. I know that if this DID appear, I could check the box and it would turn off the need to use my password to delete folders from the external drive. What has happened and how can I change my settings? Why doesn't this option appear when I choose "get info"?

iMac, OS X El Capitan (10.11.1), Microsoft Office for Mac 2011

Posted on Dec 13, 2015 9:02 AM

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Answer 1

Dec 13, 2015 6:21 PM in response to Linc Davis

Thanks but what you described is not my issue. I have some files stored on the external hard drive in addition to my time machine backups. I want to delete several of these files and folders (not any in the backup time machine folder). Each time I attempt to delete a file or folder, I must enter my password. When I look at my external drive in Finder and choose "get info", the checkbox and "ignore ownership on this volume" does not show up. I know that if this DID appear, I could check the box and it would turn off the need to use my password to delete folders from the external drive.

I have been using this external hard drive for several years both as time machine backup as well as storing other files and folders on it. I have never had to enter my administrator password in order to delete a file or folder. This has just now changed, with upgrading to El Capitan recently.

My understanding is that if I check the box to ignore ownership on this volume, then I can delete the files and folders without being challenged each time for my administrator password. I don't understand why that option does not appear on the external hard drive. Any assistance would be most appreciated.

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Answer 2

ezylstra

Level 1

9 points

Aug 5, 2017 3:31 PM in response to Linc Davis

I realize two years have passed, but I am simply trying to follow directions, and Apple says to ignore ownership on the backup volume: Time Machine: How to transfer backups from a current backup drive to a new backup drive - Apple Support

And I also don't see that where this document says I should.

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Answer 3

Barney-15E

Level 10

112,776 points

Aug 5, 2017 3:44 PM in response to ezylstra

ezylstra wrote:

I realize two years have passed, but I am simply trying to follow directions, and Apple says to ignore ownership on the backup volume:

Linc isn't here anymore.

Where does Apple state you should ignore ownership on the backup volume?

The link you provided says to not ignore ownership, and you shouldn't.

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Answer 4

Barney-15E

Level 10

112,776 points

Aug 5, 2017 9:44 PM in response to ezylstra

ezylstra wrote:

Ah, yes. I didn't read it through since I never found the checkbox that it said I should find. That leaves me a bit uncertain.

That's the point of this thread. The checkbox is removed from Time Machine volumes. You have no option.

The link is for preparing a drive for use with Time Machine. However, once Time Machine takes control of it, Ignore ownership will be deselected and the checkbox removed.

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Answer 5

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,547 points

Dec 13, 2015 6:40 PM in response to paul_springfield

You can't ignore ownership on a backup volume. Also, you should not be using the volume for anything other than Time Machine backups.

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Answer 6

Barney-15E

Level 10

112,776 points

Dec 13, 2015 6:40 PM in response to paul_springfield

paul_springfield wrote:

Thanks but what you described is not my issue.

But, as you state in this description, that very much is your issue. You cannot ignore ownership on a TM volume.

I have some files stored on the external hard drive in addition to my time machine backups.

…

When I look at my external drive in Finder and choose "get info", the checkbox and "ignore ownership on this volume" does not show up.

I have no idea why you were able to ignore ownership on a TM volume before because it was never possible.

If you are the owner of the files, then you wouldn't need to elevate your privileges.

Your current user after the upgrade does not register with the OS as the one that owns the files on the external.

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Answer 7

Linc Davis

Level 10

209,547 points

Dec 13, 2015 6:42 PM in response to paul_springfield

As I wrote earlier, you can't ignore ownership on a volume used by Time Machine. There is no way around that. There is also no good way around the fact that you should not use the volume for anything other than Time Machine backups. If you do that, you'll run into problems like the one you have now. Please move the files in question to some other volume, entering your password one last time if need be.

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Answer 8

Dec 13, 2015 6:44 PM in response to Barney-15E

Thanks.

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Answer 9

Dec 13, 2015 7:57 PM in response to Linc Davis

Thanks.

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Answer 10

Phixter

Level 1

0 points

Feb 25, 2016 4:19 AM in response to paul_springfield

Sorry to butt in but couldn't you creat another partition on the drive and use one for TM and the other for the randoms folders and files.?

I had the same issue but I ran Disk Utility on it, deleted the TM backup folder (over 2million files) and it was ok. Obviously you'd have to be careful make sure you have a recent back up of your machine somewhere else, but this could be a good longterm solution.

Just a thought

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Answer 11

ezylstra

Level 1

9 points

Aug 5, 2017 7:49 PM in response to Barney-15E

Ah, yes. I didn't read it through since I never found the checkbox that it said I should find. That leaves me a bit uncertain.

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