# How to grant full disk access in Photoshop on Mac: step by step for designers > Learn how to grant full disk access in Photoshop on Mac through System Settings, then fix the file lock and write access errors. URL: https://www.lazur.app/how-to/grant-full-disk-access-in-photoshop Updated: 2026-11-08 To grant full disk access in Photoshop on Mac, open Apple menu > System Settings, go to Privacy & Security, and choose Full Disk Access. Photoshop has no switch of its own, so you add it there, click Add, pick Photoshop in Applications, and switch it on. ## Quick answer - Photoshop has no Full Disk Access switch of its own. You grant it in macOS under Privacy & Security. - Go to Apple menu > System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access, then add Photoshop from Applications. - Switch Photoshop on, quit it, and reopen it. Restart your Mac only if the errors continue. - The fix clears some file lock and write access errors, not all of them. Adobe users report mixed results. Applies to: Photoshop desktop app on macOS 14.0 or later, Photoshop 27.x. Time: 10 min. Difficulty: Easy. ## What you need - A Mac running macOS 14.0 or later for Photoshop 27.11, per CG Channel - Photoshop installed in the Applications folder - A Mac account that can change System Settings, with its password ready - The file that failed to open or save, so you can test the fix ## How to Grant Full Disk Access to Photoshop on a Mac in Photoshop on a Mac 1. **Quit Photoshop first.** (Photoshop > Quit Photoshop) Quit Photoshop before you change anything. Quitting first means you reopen Photoshop after the change, which is the order Adobe's posts describe. Tip: The exact label can include the version number, so match what you see on your screen. 2. **Open the Apple menu.** (Apple menu > System Settings) Click the Apple icon in the top-left corner of the screen, then choose System Settings. 3. **Open Privacy & Security.** (Privacy & Security) In the sidebar, click Privacy & Security. 4. **Select Full Disk Access.** (Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access) Click Full Disk Access. Apple's guide says you may need to scroll down the list to find it. 5. **Click the lock icon if the list is greyed out.** If the list is greyed out, click the lock icon and enter your Mac password. Apple's current guide does not mention the lock, but Adobe's 2022 tip does. Tip: Skip this step if the list responds when you click it. 6. **Add Photoshop from Applications.** Click the plus button (+) under the list. Open Applications, select Adobe Photoshop, then click Open. Tip: If Photoshop already appears in the list, skip ahead to the switch in the next step. 7. **Switch Photoshop on.** Make sure the switch next to Photoshop is on. An entry with its switch off does not get Full Disk Access. 8. **Quit and reopen Photoshop.** (Photoshop > Quit Photoshop) Quit Photoshop, then open it again. Adobe's 2022 tip says to restart your Mac, but Apple's guide does not require that, so restart only if errors continue. 9. **Test the file from File > Open.** (File > Open) In Photoshop, choose File > Open and pick the file that failed. A September 2022 reply said this route worked when opening from Finder failed. 10. **Revoke access later if needed.** (Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access) When you no longer need access, go back to Full Disk Access. Switch Photoshop off, or select it and click the minus button (-). ![Designer working at a Mac on a desk with a graphics app open, the setting where Photoshop needs full disk access](https://images.lazur.app/content-images/howto/grant-full-disk-access-in-photoshop/how-to-grant-full-disk-access-in-1-6f1db5.jpg) Full Disk Access is a macOS permission. Apple says it lets an app reach all files on the Mac, including data from other apps such as Mail, Messages, Safari and Home. It also covers Time Machine backups and some administrative settings. That is a wide permission, so understand it before you switch it on. Photoshop has no Full Disk Access switch inside its own menus, so every change happens in macOS. ## Check your Mac and Photoshop versions first Start with your versions. Menu labels can differ between macOS releases, so match what you see on your screen. CG Channel reports that Photoshop 27.11, the September 2026 release, works with macOS 14.0 or later. Adobe's own help pages did not open for this guide, so confirm the current minimum on Adobe's site before you upgrade anything. To see your macOS version, choose Apple menu > About This Mac. To see your Photoshop version, choose Photoshop > About Photoshop. If you are unsure which build you have, the [Photoshop version check guide](https://www.lazur.app/how-to/check-your-photoshop-version-in-photoshop) walks through the numbers. - **14.0+** Minimum macOS version CG Channel lists for Photoshop 27.11, released September 2026 ([source](https://www.cgchannel.com/2026/10/adobe-releases-photoshop-27-11/)) - **10.14** macOS Mojave, the release where Full Disk Access was introduced, according to MacPaw ([source](https://www.macpaw.com/how-to/full-disk-access)) ## Older macOS versions use a different path Full Disk Access arrived with macOS Mojave, version 10.14, according to MacPaw. On Monterey or older, go to Apple menu > System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy. Select Full Disk Access in the list, then tick the box next to Photoshop. The order is the same as on newer systems: Privacy, then Full Disk Access, then Photoshop. Adobe's 2019 Catalina thread describes the same route, with Photoshop added under Security & Privacy > Privacy > Full Disk Access. ## Why the lock icon and restart advice vary Adobe's posts give two pieces of advice that Apple's current guide leaves out. The first is to click the lock icon before you add an app. The second is to restart your Mac afterward. A 2022 Adobe quick tip says both. A commenter on that tip says Apple has since renamed these settings. Apple's guide for current macOS mentions neither the lock nor a restart. Treat both as fallbacks. Try the change, quit and reopen Photoshop, then restart only if the errors remain. If the list is greyed out, the lock is the first thing to check. ## Test that the change worked Don't assume the change worked just because the switch is on. Try both routes. Double-click the file in Finder, then open it from File > Open in Photoshop. A September 2022 reply on the Adobe thread said the Open dialog worked where the Finder route failed, on Photoshop 23.5.1. If one route works and the other fails, keep using the working route while you investigate the other. Close the test file when you are done so it does not hold a lock on the next attempt. ## The file is locked error in detail ![Graphic designer checking files on a laptop before opening Photoshop on a Mac](https://images.lazur.app/content-images/howto/grant-full-disk-access-in-photoshop/how-to-grant-full-disk-access-in-2-370e83.jpg) The October 2019 Adobe thread on macOS Catalina reports the message 'Could not update smart object files because the file is locked.' The text adds that you may not have the necessary access permissions, or that another program is using the file. Check both causes. Close other apps that might have the file open, then grant Full Disk Access. The accepted answer in that thread was to add Photoshop under Full Disk Access. Later posts said it did not help for some users, including a 2022 report on Photoshop 23.4.2. Full Disk Access is worth trying, but it is not a guaranteed fix. ## The write access was not granted error in detail A separate Adobe thread covers the error 'Because write access was not granted.' An Adobe employee replied on April 30, 2021 with a longer route. Open Privacy & Security, choose Accessibility, add Photoshop, then grant Full Disk Access and restart. The original poster confirmed on May 1, 2021 that it worked. That thread gives no macOS or Photoshop version. The poster also said remote support agents had changed a setting on a page they did not name. If you hit this error, follow the Accessibility route and the Full Disk Access route in order, then restart. ## Common mistakes when granting Full Disk Access - Adding the wrong file. Pick Photoshop from Applications. Skip helper tools and other Adobe apps. - Adding the app but leaving its switch off. An entry with its switch off grants nothing. - Skipping the quit and reopen. Adobe's posts describe reopening Photoshop after the change, so do that before you judge the result. - Changing a setting you do not understand. In one 2021 case, remote helpers changed a read and write setting. Write down what you change. - Expecting one fix to solve every error. The file lock and write access errors have different causes, and fixes worked for some users only. - Leaving access on after the job is done. Switch Photoshop off once you no longer need the permission. ## How much access you are giving Photoshop Full Disk Access reaches more than one folder. Adobe's quick tip says the Full Disk Access entry overrides Files and Folders, so it covers more than the folder-by-folder choices you made under Files and Folders. Grant it to Photoshop only. Remove it when a project is finished if you no longer need it. Ignore download sites that tell you to turn off System Integrity Protection or Gatekeeper to fix this. Those changes go well beyond what Photoshop needs for this permission. ## If errors remain after the change If Photoshop still refuses to save, work through this list in order. Quit Photoshop, restart your Mac, then reopen the file through File > Open. Community fixes include saving a copy of the file to a folder such as Desktop. That worked for some users, but not for all of them. Check that no other program has the file open. If the errors sound more like a full disk or scratch problem, read the [scratch disk guide for Photoshop on Mac](https://www.lazur.app/for/designers/problems/photoshop-scratch-disks-full-mac-fixes). ## If it does not work - **File is locked, you do not have necessary access permissions** Grant Full Disk Access to Photoshop, quit and reopen it, and check that no other program has the file open. The accepted 2019 fix helped some users only. - **Unable to save, write access was not granted** Add Photoshop under Privacy & Security > Accessibility, grant Full Disk Access, then restart. An Adobe employee suggested this route in April 2021. - **Photoshop still fails after you grant access** Open the file from File > Open instead of Finder. Save a copy to Desktop as a test. Restart your Mac if the error continues. - **The Full Disk Access list is greyed out** Click the lock icon and enter your Mac password. Then add Photoshop again if it is missing from the list. - **Photoshop is not in the Full Disk Access list** Click Add (+), open Applications, select Adobe Photoshop, then click Open. - **You are on Monterey or older** Use System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy, select Full Disk Access, and tick the box next to Photoshop. ## With Lazur Lazur is a voice assistant for the Mac that lives in the notch. Hold ⌥ ⌘ and ask; it sees your screen, answers out loud, points at buttons and walks you through apps. Hold fn to dictate. Free for 3 days, then $18/month: https://www.lazur.app/download - “Where's the Full Disk Access switch?”: Lazur circles Full Disk Access on your screen, then waits while you click each step yourself. It does not click for you. (Walks you through it) ## FAQ ### Does Photoshop have its own Full Disk Access setting? No. Photoshop has no Full Disk Access switch inside its own menus. You grant it in macOS under System Settings > Privacy & Security. Adobe's Photoshop product page does not show any Full Disk Access guidance either. ### Do I need to restart my Mac after granting access? Not always. Adobe's 2022 quick tip says to restart, but Apple's current guide mentions no restart. Quit and reopen Photoshop first. Restart your Mac if the errors continue. ### Why is the Full Disk Access list greyed out? The controls stay greyed out until you click the lock icon and enter a Mac password. Apple's current guide does not mention the lock, so if the controls already respond, you can skip that step. ### Will Full Disk Access fix every file is locked error? No. The accepted fix in a 2019 Adobe thread helped some users. Later posts report it did not help on Photoshop 23.4.2 in 2022. Check for other programs holding the file, and try opening it from File > Open. ### Is it safe to give Photoshop Full Disk Access? Apple describes the permission as broad, so grant it only to Photoshop. Switch it off when you no longer need it. Do not turn off System Integrity Protection or Gatekeeper because a website says that fixes this. ### Can I do this on macOS Monterey or older? Yes. MacPaw says that on Monterey or older, you go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy, select Full Disk Access, then tick the box next to Photoshop. The permission first appeared in macOS Mojave, version 10.14. ### Can Lazur add Photoshop to Full Disk Access for me? No. Lazur does not click buttons or change settings for you. It can point at the Full Disk Access entry on your screen and guide you one click at a time while you do the clicking. ## Sources 1. [Change Privacy & Security settings on Mac, Apple Support](https://support.apple.com/en-us/guide/mac-help/mchl211c911f/mac), Apple, checked 2026-11-09 2. [How to grant Full Disk Access on Mac and how to revoke it, MacPaw](https://www.macpaw.com/how-to/full-disk-access), MacPaw, checked 2026-11-09 3. [Learn how to give full disk access to Photoshop on macOS (quick tip), Adobe Community](https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/learn-how-to-give-full-disk-access-to-photoshop-on-macos-quick-tip/m-p/15290266), Adobe Community, checked 2026-11-09 4. [Error message: the file is locked, you do not have necessary access permissions, macOS Catalina, Adobe Community](https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop-ecosystem-discussions/error-message-the-file-is-locked-you-do-not-have-necessary-access-permissions-macos-catalina/m-p/10886813), Adobe Community, checked 2026-11-09 5. [Because write access was not granted, Adobe Community](https://community.adobe.com/t5/photoshop/quot-because-write-access-was-not-granted-quot/m-p/12001924), Adobe Community, checked 2026-11-09 6. [Adobe releases Photoshop 27.11, CG Channel](https://www.cgchannel.com/2026/10/adobe-releases-photoshop-27-11/), CG Channel, checked 2026-11-09 7. [Adobe Photoshop, Adobe](https://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop.html), Adobe, checked 2026-11-09