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How the two macOS permissions differ
| Question | Files & Folders | Full Disk Access |
|---|---|---|
| What can it cover? | Specific protected locations, including Desktop, Documents, Downloads, network volumes and removable volumes. | Broad file access, including data from other apps, Time Machine backups and certain administrative settings for all users on the Mac. |
| How is access controlled? | You can turn access to listed locations on or off for an individual app. | You can add or remove an app from the Full Disk Access list. |
| When might it fit? | When an app needs to work with particular folders or volumes. | When an app’s function genuinely requires access beyond those specific locations. |
Apple documents these as distinct categories in Privacy & Security; it does not describe Full Disk Access as simply an upgraded Files & Folders setting. The documentation cited here does not spell out every implementation-level interaction between the two, so treat them as separate controls rather than assuming one automatically replaces the other. See Apple’s macOS file-access security guide.
What Files & Folders access covers
Files & Folders is location-specific. Depending on the app and macOS version, its entry can list protected locations such as Desktop, Documents, Downloads, network volumes and removable volumes. You can enable or disable access to the listed locations for that app.
For example, an app that needs to open or save items in Downloads may need access to that location. That does not, by itself, establish a need for access to unrelated protected data elsewhere on the Mac. The app’s purpose and the locations it lists should make sense together. Apple explains this control in Control access to files and folders on Mac.
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What Full Disk Access covers
Full Disk Access is broader than permission for one or several named folders. Apple says it can include access to data from other apps such as Mail, Messages, Safari and Home; Time Machine backups; and certain administrative settings for all users on the Mac. Because that scope may expose more than a particular app needs, grant it only when the app’s function calls for it and you trust the app.
Apple frames its approach this way: “Apple believes that users should have full transparency, consent, and control over what apps are doing with their data.” The statement appears in Apple’s macOS security documentation.
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How to review or change either permission
- Open the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
- Select Privacy & Security.
- Choose Files & Folders to review an app’s location-specific access, or choose Full Disk Access to review broad-access apps.
- Use the controls beside a listed app or location to change access. The lists show apps that have requested access.
These paths are for macOS 13 or later. Apple identifies System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy for macOS 12 or earlier. If the labels differ on your release, search System Settings or System Preferences for “Privacy & Security.” Apple’s current directions are in Change Privacy & Security settings on Mac.
Why an app might ask for access—and how to decide
An app may request Files & Folders access because it needs to work with a protected location. Full Disk Access is a much wider request, so consider whether the app’s stated job plausibly needs access to data beyond selected folders. A request alone does not show that the broader permission is necessary.
- Check the app’s purpose and the specific locations listed under Files & Folders.
- If the app asks for Full Disk Access, consider whether its function requires access to data from other apps, backups or administrative settings.
- Grant only what you are comfortable with and what the app needs. You can return to Privacy & Security to review or revoke access.
This is a practical least-access approach based on the different scopes; the right choice depends on the app and task. Neither category is universally appropriate for every app.
Files & Folders is not Finder’s Sharing & Permissions
These controls answer different questions. Files & Folders and Full Disk Access are app privacy permissions: they govern an app’s access to protected data. Finder’s Sharing & Permissions settings govern whether a user or group can read or change a particular file, folder or disk. Changing an item’s ownership or access settings does not necessarily resolve an app’s privacy-permission denial, and changing an app’s privacy permission does not necessarily change who owns a file. Apple describes item-level access in Change permissions for files, folders or disks on Mac.
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macOS versions and managed Macs
Apple’s security guide says the user-consent model for protected files applies in macOS 10.15 or later, and that apps requiring full storage-device access must be explicitly added in macOS 10.13 or later. The settings labels differ across releases: Apple directs users with macOS 13 or later to System Settings, and users with macOS 12 or earlier to System Preferences.
On a work- or school-managed Mac, device management may configure some privacy permissions using Apple’s Privacy Preferences Policy Control (PPPC) settings. Apple’s deployment guidance includes controls for specific folders such as Desktop, Documents and Downloads. What an administrator can configure depends on the operating system and management setup; the guidance does not establish that every permission can be pre-approved. See Apple’s PPPC device management payload settings.
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