I can't give permission to read or write and i'm the administrator

Question

Level 1

8 points

I can't give permission to read or write and i'm the administrator

Hi,

I am trying to change some of the icons on my iMac (late 2009, 27"). I opened the 'get info' window for the icon I wanted to replace. I clicked on the lock icon (bottom right) in 'sharing and permissions', so I could change my permissions from 'read only' to 'read and write'. This is when it said 'The operation can’t be completed because you don’t have the necessary permission.' I am currently the only one who uses this Mac and the administrator.

Does anyone know why this message is appearing? Or if I could change permissions for myself?

Alex

iMac, OS X El Capitan (10.11.6), Late 2009. 27"

Posted on Aug 27, 2016 10:16 AM

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Answer 1

raina_b22

Community Specialist

Aug 28, 2016 4:44 PM in response to Alex Dear

Hi Alex Dear,

Thanks for your question. The resource below explains how to change the icons for files and folders on your iMac. Try following these steps, and if the issue persists, please reply and let us know wh files you are trying to change.

Mac Basics: Icons represent the files on your computer

Changing an item's icon

To change the icon of an app, folder or file, first copy an image or another icon to the clipboard (Edit > Copy). You can then use that image for the item's icon.

In the Finder, select the item you want to have a different icon.

From the File menu, choose Get Info or press Command-I to open the Get Info window.

Click the icon in the upper-left corner of the Get Info window to select it.

From the Edit menu, choose Paste or press Command-V to replace the icon.

Enjoy the rest of your day!

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Answer 2

BDAqua

Level 10

250,259 points

Aug 28, 2016 7:31 PM in response to Alex Dear

In the Get Info window, is it Locked?

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Answer 3

Alex Dear Author

Level 1

8 points

Aug 29, 2016 1:37 AM in response to raina_b22

Hi,

Thank you for responding, I have tried that but when I try to copy the new icon, it just offers to copy the name. So that when I come to paste it on the old icon by clicking edit, the paste option is not available.

ps. I cannot seem to change permissions for who can write.

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Answer 4

judysings

Community Specialist

Aug 29, 2016 11:34 AM in response to Alex Dear

Hi Alex Dear,

Thank you so much for sharing your screenshot. It looks like you are trying to make a change to the applications folder, which is a system file in OS X. That is why you are not able to change the icon or change the permissions. Try the steps above using a folder that you created, and will should see that the process works.

Take care.

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