macOS: Blender doesn't have execute permission for non admin accounts #72605

New Issue

System Information
Operating system: MacOS High Sierra and Catalina
Graphics card:

Blender Version
Broken: 2.80+ through 2.93
Worked: (optional)

Short description of error
Since Blender 2.80 I have an issue with MacOS user permissions.
After installing Blender as admin user, it is not possible to open it in other user accounts.
It doesn't matter in which account I install it, it always works only in this account and in no other account.
I tried it on various Macs with various systems (from High Sierra to actual Catalina) and with Blender 2.80, 2.81 and 2.82 Alpha,
in all cases with the same problem. Even if I change the user permissions vor everybody to "Read", it is not possible to open it for other users.
Until 2.79 it was possible to drag&drop Blender into the Application folder and every user on the Mac could open it without problems.

Exact steps for others to reproduce the error

Move Blender to /Applications
Create a standard user account, "test"
Run sudo su - $USER -c '"path/to/Blender"'. It launches
Run sudo su - test -c '"path/to/blender"': permission denied

$ ls -la /Applications/Blender2.93.0.app/Contents/MacOS/Blender 
-rwx------@ etc
$ ls -la "/Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox"
-rwxrwxr-x@ etc

**System Information** Operating system: MacOS High Sierra and Catalina Graphics card: **Blender Version** Broken: 2.80+ through 2.93 Worked: (optional) **Short description of error** Since Blender 2.80 I have an issue with MacOS user permissions. After installing Blender as admin user, it is not possible to open it in other user accounts. It doesn't matter in which account I install it, it always works only in this account and in no other account. I tried it on various Macs with various systems (from High Sierra to actual Catalina) and with Blender 2.80, 2.81 and 2.82 Alpha, in all cases with the same problem. Even if I change the user permissions vor everybody to "Read", it is not possible to open it for other users. Until 2.79 it was possible to drag&drop Blender into the Application folder and every user on the Mac could open it without problems. **Exact steps for others to reproduce the error** - Move Blender to /Applications - Create a standard user account, "test" - Run `sudo su - $USER -c '"path/to/Blender"'`. It launches - Run `sudo su - test -c '"path/to/blender"'`: permission denied ``` $ ls -la /Applications/Blender2.93.0.app/Contents/MacOS/Blender -rwx------@ etc $ ls -la "/Applications/Firefox.app/Contents/MacOS/firefox" -rwxrwxr-x@ etc ```

Added subscriber: @KarlKuhberger

#93236 was marked as duplicate of this issue

Added subscriber: @robbott

Hi, can you start blender from command line and see what the error is ?
Maybe https://developer.blender.org/paste/ the log from your admin and non admin account.

Hi, can you start blender from command line and see what the error is ? Maybe https://developer.blender.org/paste/ the log from your admin and non admin account.

Hi! I noticed a strange thing just now. When I put Blender into the application folder (doesn't matter whether in admin account or not), then I can open it in this account
and I can do this without error also from the Terminal. So far, so good.
But if I switch to another user account and try to show the package contents of Blender a totally empty folder will be shown!!
This is ridiculous because it's the same Blender folder from the Application folder.

Hi! I noticed a strange thing just now. When I put Blender into the application folder (doesn't matter whether in admin account or not), then I can open it in this account and I can do this without error also from the Terminal. So far, so good. But if I switch to another user account and try to show the package contents of Blender a totally empty folder will be shown!! This is ridiculous because it's the same Blender folder from the Application folder.

can you please provide the info I asked above and also https://developer.blender.org/paste/ the output of ls -al /Applications/Blender* ?

can you please provide the info I asked above and also https://developer.blender.org/paste/ the output of `ls -al /Applications/Blender*` ?

Yes, I have pasted the info now.

Ok. You can then mention it here like that: P1193

Quickfix in the terminal execute:
find /Applications/Blender.app -exec chmod 755 {} \;

Ok. You can then mention it here like that: [P1193](https://archive.blender.org/developer/P1193.txt) Quickfix in the terminal execute: `find /Applications/Blender.app -exec chmod 755 {} \;`

Works great. Thank you!!

Changed status from 'Open' to: 'Archived'

Added subscriber: @jesterking

@ideasman42 why was this issue closed? There is even a patch for the problem?

Changed status from 'Archived' to: 'Confirmed'

I saw running a local command on the users system fixed the issue and assumed it was a local permissions issue (users sometimes manage to mess up their own permissions) re-opening.

I saw running a local command on the users system fixed the issue and assumed it was a local permissions issue *(users sometimes manage to mess up their own permissions)* re-opening.

Added subscriber: @RobertS

Just set up a new MacOS machine, and Blender is the only app that did this.

https://devtalk.blender.org/t/blender-doesnt-work-in-a-multi-user-environment-on-macos/11076

Just set up a new MacOS machine, and Blender is the only app that did this. https://devtalk.blender.org/t/blender-doesnt-work-in-a-multi-user-environment-on-macos/11076

This issue was referenced by 66e02d15a0

This issue was referenced by 66e02d15a0eeca35bbff578c018860f7a6ea7e41

Changed status from 'Confirmed' to: 'Resolved'

Added subscriber: @Bigbigsimon

Please can this be re-opened. It isn't fixed, this issue means my kids can't use Blender 2.8x without an adult doing the workaround. All previous versions worked fine.

Added subscriber: @EAW

@Bigbigsimon Please open a new report and mention this report in it.

Added subscriber: @MariusGiurgi

@ideasman42 this isn't fixed. I have the same issue. I installed 2.8.4 by simply drag and drop from the opened dmg file into the /Application folder.. I can open it fine in my user, but my son is not able to open it in his user.

Here's the GetInfo on the Blender.app both within he dmg file and after I copy it to the /Application folder:
The access for "everyone" is NO ACCESS.

Also, by changing the access for everyone to "Read Only" or "Read & Write" directly in the GetInfo window does not seem to fix the problem either. My guess is that every file within the Blender.app folder structure would have to have these permissions set so that the group (e.g. staff/wheel) or even everyone would have at least the read and execute permission set (e.g rwx r-x r-x maybe?).

I could try to do a chmod 755 -R Blender.app to set permissions to read/execute to all files and folders in the app, though I'm not sure if this is the right solution. Perhaps setting the group for all folders/files to a generic group like staff/wheel would be better? I feel like these permissions should have been set appropriately by you guys when you deploy the mac version so that all permissions are set correctly when copying the application from dmg to the Application folder.

@ideasman42 this isn't fixed. I have the same issue. I installed 2.8.4 by simply drag and drop from the opened dmg file into the /Application folder.. I can open it fine in my user, but my son is not able to open it in his user. Here's the GetInfo on the Blender.app both within he dmg file and after I copy it to the /Application folder: The access for "everyone" is NO ACCESS. ![Screen Shot 2020-08-17 at 12.25.20 PM.png](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F8788604/Screen_Shot_2020-08-17_at_12.25.20_PM.png) ![Screen Shot 2020-08-17 at 12.31.21 PM.png](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F8788605/Screen_Shot_2020-08-17_at_12.31.21_PM.png) Also, by changing the access for everyone to "Read Only" or "Read & Write" directly in the GetInfo window does not seem to fix the problem either. My guess is that every file within the Blender.app folder structure would have to have these permissions set so that the group (e.g. staff/wheel) or even everyone would have at least the read and execute permission set (e.g **rwx r-x r-x** maybe?). I could try to do a **chmod 755 -R Blender.app** to set permissions to read/execute to all files and folders in the app, though I'm not sure if this is the right solution. Perhaps setting the group for all folders/files to a generic group like staff/wheel would be better? I feel like these permissions should have been set appropriately by you guys when you deploy the mac version so that all permissions are set correctly when copying the application from dmg to the Application folder.

Also.. one minor esthetic thing.. can the dmg installer get a little TLC to make it look a little bit more polished? :) Here's a comparison between Blender's and firefox/minecraft dmg installers.

Also.. one minor esthetic thing.. can the dmg installer get a little TLC to make it look a little bit more polished? :) Here's a comparison between Blender's and firefox/minecraft dmg installers. ![Screen Shot 2020-08-17 at 12.14.04 PM.png](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F8788679/Screen_Shot_2020-08-17_at_12.14.04_PM.png)

Changed status from 'Resolved' to: 'Needs Developer To Reproduce'

Added subscriber: @ideasman42

Added subscriber: @ankitm

Added subscriber: @andrejbauer

This bug persits still and is quite annoying. Here is some techinical information that might help. I have tested Blender 2.83 LTS and Blender 2.90.1 on MacOS Catalina 10.15.7, installed either directly via the downloaded DMG or through Homebrew (which just downloads the DMG anyway).

When Blender is installed, the permissions on /Applications/Blender.app are set to drwx------, i.e., only accessible by the owner, and the owner is the username under which the application was installed. This prevents other users from accessing the application.

As far as I can tell the culprit is the DMG installation file that is available on the Blender web site, because that one already has the Blender.app folder with permissions set to drwx------. When the folder is dragged to /Applications it just inherits the bad permissions. Therefore, the problem cannot be blamed on users, as was suggested by @ideasman42 above.

The quick fix suggested by @robbott above is wrong because it sets all files to the same mode (makes them all executable). A better quick fix is this:

sudo find /Applications/Blender.app -type d -exec chmod a+rx {} \;
sudo find /Applications/Blender.app -type f -exec chmod a+r {} \;
sudo chmod a+x `find /Applications/Blender.app -perm +100 -type f`

The real fix should be quite easy: whatever script or process is used to generate the MacOS DMG install file should be changed to make sure that the file permissions are correct. Someone on the development team probably knows who is in charge of generating the DMG file.

This bug persits still and is quite annoying. Here is some techinical information that might help. I have tested Blender 2.83 LTS and Blender 2.90.1 on MacOS Catalina 10.15.7, installed either directly via the downloaded DMG or through Homebrew (which just downloads the DMG anyway). When Blender is installed, the permissions on `/Applications/Blender.app` are set to `drwx------`, i.e., only accessible by the owner, and the owner is the username under which the application was installed. This prevents other users from accessing the application. As far as I can tell the culprit is the DMG installation file that is available on the Blender web site, because that one already has the `Blender.app` folder with permissions set to `drwx------`. When the folder is dragged to `/Applications` it just inherits the bad permissions. Therefore, the problem cannot be blamed on users, as was suggested by @ideasman42 above. The quick fix suggested by @robbott above is wrong because it sets *all* files to the same mode (makes them all executable). A better quick fix is this: ``` sudo find /Applications/Blender.app -type d -exec chmod a+rx {} \; sudo find /Applications/Blender.app -type f -exec chmod a+r {} \; sudo chmod a+x `find /Applications/Blender.app -perm +100 -type f` ``` The real fix should be quite easy: whatever script or process is used to generate the MacOS DMG install file should be changed to make sure that the file permissions are correct. Someone on the development team probably knows who is in charge of generating the DMG file.

Added subscriber: @ArtTeacher

I want to start by saying I love Blender & appreciate all the hard work the development team puts in. Thank you!

That said, this is still a problem with Catalina & 2.91.0. Maybe it's not a big deal if you are only dealing with 1 or 2 computers - or if you are the computer's only user. However, in a computer lab or school, this is super inconvenient. Last year, I could have students update their own computer & I would just need to add my password to complete the installation. It worked for everyone & saved me so much time. Now I need to login myself to 25 different computers to use Terminal to fix the permissions. Please fix this soon.

I want to start by saying I love Blender & appreciate all the hard work the development team puts in. Thank you! That said, this is still a problem with Catalina & 2.91.0. Maybe it's not a big deal if you are only dealing with 1 or 2 computers - or if you are the computer's only user. However, in a computer lab or school, this is super inconvenient. Last year, I could have students update their own computer & I would just need to add my password to complete the installation. It worked for everyone & saved me so much time. Now I need to login myself to 25 different computers to use Terminal to fix the permissions. Please fix this soon.

Added subscriber: @Internet_Seer

Added subscriber: @brecht

@brecht , do you know if this is fixed in 2.93?

I'm having the same issue with the 2.92 dmg, which looks to be the latest available build.

I can see the current [bundle.sh ]] shows -mode 755 but doesn't include the -uid 0 -gid 0 parameters from [ https:*developer.blender.org/rB66e02d15a0eeca35bbff578c018860f7a6ea7e41 | this commit .

I don't know anything about hdiutil and creating disk images to know if this is necessary.

@andrejbauer 's work around did seem to get me to a usable state.

@brecht , do you know if this is fixed in 2.93? I'm having the same issue with the 2.92 dmg, which looks to be the latest available build. I can see the current [bundle.sh ]] shows `-mode 755` but doesn't include the `-uid 0 -gid 0` parameters from [[ https:*developer.blender.org/rB66e02d15a0eeca35bbff578c018860f7a6ea7e41 | this commit ](https:*developer.blender.org/diffusion/B/browse/master/release/darwin/bundle.sh$107). I don't know anything about `hdiutil` and creating disk images to know if this is necessary. @andrejbauer 's work around did seem to get me to a usable state.

Changed status from 'Needs Developer To Reproduce' to: 'Confirmed'

Added subscriber: @sebbas

The file bundle.sh has not been in use for a while.
The new python script using hdiutil command does not use the -mode and has no effect as this option seems to have been removed.

The cmake install target should take care of setting the modes to all the files and not rely on build pipeline post script.

I will see with @sebbas what can be done.

cmake install options
https://cmake.org/cmake/help/v3.0/command/install.html

The file `bundle.sh` has not been in use for a while. The new python script using `hdiutil` command does not use the `-mode` and has no effect as this option seems to have been removed. The `cmake install` target should take care of setting the modes to all the files and not rely on build pipeline post script. I will see with @sebbas what can be done. cmake install options https://cmake.org/cmake/help/v3.0/command/install.html

Added subscriber: @ponderz

@brecht Can someone take a look at this ? Not sure if i need to do anything here, as I expected to have the make install take care of file permissions.

Changed status from 'Confirmed' to: 'Resolved'

This should be fixed now on the buildbot, and for upcoming 3.0 and LTS releases.

Added subscriber: @uurazzle

Added subscriber: @dmcjhu

Running into this problem still when installing 3.0 on admin account in macOS Monterey.

Added subscriber: @hsmeets

I'm also running into this problem. Blender 3.0 being called from FreeCAD on MacOS 12.1 (Monterey).

chmod workaround is not working.

I'm also running into this problem. Blender 3.0 being called from FreeCAD on MacOS 12.1 (Monterey). chmod workaround is not working.

This should be fixed in the 3.0.1 build on:
https://builder.blender.org/download/daily/

This should be fixed in the 3.0.1 build on: https://builder.blender.org/download/daily/

I'm afraid not....downloaded and installed the daily build and tried again,

Still cannot be called externally from another program (FreeCAD in this case).

I'm afraid not....downloaded and installed the daily build and tried again, ![Schermafbeelding 2022-01-12 om 16.20.48.png](https://archive.blender.org/developer/F12802418/Schermafbeelding_2022-01-12_om_16.20.48.png) Still cannot be called externally from another program (FreeCAD in this case).

The permissions read and execute at least are set correctly for all users in the screenshot
I'd check if the caller program as disk access or not
Blender.app is a directory and not an executable (despite the permissions (; ) so if the command shown in the bottom window is what is running, it's wrong. See https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/advanced/command_line/launch/macos.html#details

1. The permissions read and execute at least are set correctly for all users in the screenshot 2. I'd check if the caller program as disk access or not 3. `Blender.app` is a directory and not an executable (despite the permissions (; ) so if the command shown in the bottom window is what is running, it's wrong. See https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/advanced/command_line/launch/macos.html#details

Apologies, :-( forgot to change back to the correct path after trying something else.

I can confirm, permissions are okay now.

Apologies, :-( forgot to change back to the correct path after trying something else. I can confirm, permissions are okay now.

Download

What's New

Blender Studio

Manual

Developers Blog

Documentation

Benchmark

Blender Conference

Development Fund

One-time Donations

macOS: Blender doesn't have execute permission for non admin accounts #72605