How to Repair Disk Permissions in macOS 13

In macOS 13 (Ventura), the traditional "Repair Disk Permissions" feature found in older operating systems is no longer a standalone button in Disk Utility. Apple removed this manual option because System Integrity Protection (SIP) now automatically protects and repairs system file permissions during regular updates. However, you can still resolve permission discrepancies and file system errors by using the First Aid feature within Disk Utility, or by resetting user folder permissions via Terminal if you are experiencing issues within your home directory.

Running First Aid in Disk Utility

Disk Utility’s First Aid feature inspects the drive for errors, including directory structure and file permission problems, and repairs them automatically.

  1. Open Disk Utility by pressing Command + Space, typing "Disk Utility," and pressing Return (or navigate to Finder > Applications > Utilities > Disk Utility).
  2. Click View in the top-left corner of the window or the menu bar, then select Show All Devices.
  3. In the left sidebar, select your primary startup volume (typically named Macintosh HD or Macintosh HD - Data).
  4. Click the First Aid button in the top toolbar.
  5. Click Run to confirm, then click Continue.
  6. Wait for the scan and repair process to complete. Once finished, click Done.

Note: For a thorough check, run First Aid starting from the lowest sub-volume (Data), then the main container, and finally the top-level disk.

Running First Aid in macOS Recovery (For System Disks)

If Disk Utility cannot repair the volume while macOS 13 is running, run First Aid from macOS Recovery:

  1. Shut down your Mac.
  2. Enter Recovery Mode:
    • On Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3): Press and hold the power button until you see "Loading startup options," select Options, and click Continue.
    • On Intel-based Macs: Press the power button, then immediately press and hold Command + R until the Apple logo appears.
  3. Select an administrator user account and enter the password if prompted.
  4. From the Recovery menu, select Disk Utility and click Continue.
  5. Select your drive, click First Aid, and run the repair process.
  6. Restart your Mac normally when finished.

Resetting User Account Permissions

If your permission errors are limited to opening, saving, or modifying files in your user profile (Desktop, Documents, Downloads), reset the Home folder permissions:

  1. Open the Terminal app from Applications > Utilities.

  2. Type the following command (replace <username> with your actual short username):

    diskutil resetUserPermissions / `id -u <username>`

  3. Press Return. If prompted, enter your administrator password.

  4. Once the process completes, restart your Mac.