Can't write to Desktop ƒ; contradictory permissions info in the Get Info window

I don't have write permission for my Desktop folder.
In the folder's Get Info window, under Sharing & Permissions, it reports a contradiction: it says "You can only read," and at the same time under Privilege it says I have "Read & Write" access. If try I use the popup menu to change "Read & Write" to something else, it goes right back to "Read & Write" upon releasing the menu. At any rate, "You can only read" is the correct part of the contradictory info.
My account is an Admin account. I am typing the correct password to unlock the fields in the Get Info window. I've tried repairing permissions in Disk Utility, and that didn't help.
A user named bennarsson reported the exact same problem in this thread: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/3039851?start=0&tstart=0
baltwo responded that "If you've selected your Desktop folder, then something is extremely wrong if it says You can only read, while showing you under name with read and write privileges." No kidding! Other than that, bennarsson didn't get any solution to the problem.
Any ideas? It's pretty frustrating not being able to modify anything in my Desktop folder!

Try this. Launch the Terminal app in /Utilities, copy & paste this this command into TextEdit, substitute your actual username for the placeholder, copy and paste it into the window that pops up, and hit the return key. So if your username was mike, it would be sudo chown -R mike:admin ~/Desktop
sudo chown -R username:admin ~/Desktop
When the Password: prompt pops up, carefully type in your admin password, since nothing shows up on the screen, and hit the return key. That should do it.

Similar Messages

I have a cd that itunes can't find info for. I tried to add the info but the get info button is grey. can anyone help? thank you!

I have a Macbook Pro with OS 10.6.8

Hi Maeyer,
Welcome to the Support Communities!
Have you had issues importing and editing information from other CDs, or just this one?
I would check your preference settings in iTunes and try to import the entire CD again. You can also try just adding one track by dragging it to a playlist to see if you get a different result. These articles may help ...
iTunes: About the Add to Library, Import, and Convert functions
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1347
Playing and managing content in iTunes
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1399#3
Editing and arranging content
Each audio or video file in iTunes has several settings and tags that can be easily modified. These options can be accessed by selecting any file in the iTunes browser windows and selecting "Get Info" from the File menu. You can add song lyrics, artwork and set special playback options. The "Info" tab lets you edit information about the file including artist and album info.
Cheers,
- Judy

Edit "more info" in the "get info" window

I have songs on iTunes that are all named with what artists and song and album it is. When i click get info for the song out of itunes. In the "more info" section for song song will tell what artist and album it is and others will just say when it was last open. Can I edit the info in there to tell it who the artist is and album so when i put it on my phone it doesn't go in the no artist section.

I have it named in itunes I know how to change the info in itunes. Outside of itunes when i right click it and get info for it that window doesn't say what artist it is in the "more info" section. And other songs do have artists and album in this window in the "more info" part, and they're doing what their supposed to on my phone. So i need to adjust it a different way.

Disappearing info in the "Get Info" panel

When I select "get info" on a jpeg file using Mountain Lion, I am able to see all the "More Info" data, but if I come back to that same file after navigating away from it, all the data disappears? I was able to flawlessly recreate this scenerio with multiple jpeg files.
Here's where it gets even wierder. If I open that same file in Photoshop and select "File Info," the information is still there; however, after If I close the file and go back in the Finder the info comes back, but goes away as soon as I navigate away from it and come back to it.
Hardware/Software:
MacBook Air 13" 2012 Thunderbolt
1,7GHz Core i5
4Gig RAM
OS 10.8 Mountain Lion
Adobe PhotoShop CS5.5
Apple Thunderbolt Monitor 27"
USB external drive for TimeMachine
USB Keyboard, Mouse
USB Smart Card Reader

Please use bugreport.apple.com to file a bug describing the problem.
Here are the details on what I submitted. If you're seeing the same thing, please reference the Bug ID# 12156897.
Title: Finder Get Info... "More info" (spotlight info) disappears when reopened
Summary:
The "More info" data is replaced with "--" after the first time it is viewed.
Steps to Reproduce:
Make sure the boot volume has Spotlight enabled.
Download some files using Safari.
In the Finder, navigate to the Download folder.
Command-I to get info on the downloaded files.
"More info" shows where the file was downloaded from.
Close the Info dialog.
Use Command-I to reopen the Info window.
Expected Results:
"More info" has the same data as before.
Actual Results:
"More info" is replaced with "--" where it previously showed the download URL.
Regression:
If you open the same containing folder (Downloads in this example) in a new Finder window, the first time Get Info is used, "More Info:" is correct. The second time or later, it is replaced with "--".

Entering info on the Get Info Info page

I have misspelled entries a few times. Even after correcting the word whenever a new entry is made ITunes still tries to copy in the incorrect word. Example: I once entered "Audiio" then corrected it to "Audio". Whenever I enter that word again I have to type the whole word or "Audiio" is copied. In the past I could just enter "Au" and the rest would fill in. This is just one example.
Is there a cache file or buffer that I can clear either totally or selectively?
Thanks,

Use the search field to make sure you have eliminated every single misspelled entry... then maybe try relaunching iTunes.

Can't write to desktop

hello,
somehow my sister can't write files to her desktop.
what should i check to make this feature available again?
thanks
max

she has read/write permission
when you double click on the desktop folder in her home folder finder says "There is no application set to open the document “Desktop”." search for an application....
when you try to drag a file to the desktop, you get the transparent cirlce with a line through it "no" symbol, not the green plus
when you try to save to the desktop," The document “can't write to desktop: Apple Support Communities” could not be exported as “can't write to desktop/ Apple Support Communities”. You don’t have permission."
but info says she does have permission...
this happened after transfering files from her old drive.

All my hard drives (internal and external) have a small lock in the lower left corner of the icon and I don't have permissions to access. Permissions are set to 'Custom' in the get info window and I can't change them.

All my hard drives (internal and external) have a small lock in the lower left corner of the icon and I don't have permissions to access. I have 3 user accounts set up and I cannot access any of them. Permissions are set to 'Custom' in the get info window and I can't change them. Originally I had Snow Leopard installed on one hard drive and 10.5.8 installed on another. I started to have some problems accessing data between them and so I tried changing the permissions on ONE hard drive partition. The next thing I know, all my drives are locked (except the ones with the systems on them), the small lock appeared in the lower left corner of the drive icons and I don't have permissions to access any of them. In the get info window, permissions are set to 'Custom' and I can't change them.

There is suddenly a lock icon on my external backup drive!
Custom Permissions

Can you see a image in the Get Info Window?

After upgrading to Mt LIon and while using CS6, I can't see image previews in the Get Info window. Can't see images in the upper left corner of the get info window, so I can't make a selection and then do a copy- paste like I could do before I upgraded to Mt Lion with CS6. I want to be able to paste a image of the subjects in my folders.. IE folder of Panda Bears would have a image of a Panda showing on that folder. Folder of The Great Wall would have a image of the Great Wall on the Folder of Great Wall pictures. This has always worked for the past many years I have used a Mac and Photoshop. I started with Photoshop 2. All my photo folders are represented by images so I have a good idea of what is contained in each folder. Now after 2 weeks in China, 20 folders are represented by 10-11-12, 10-12-12, 10-13-12, 10-14-12 and so on. Shows me nothing but dates. I have tried saving as Jpeg, Tiff, and PAD, and still can't do a copy-paste in the Get Info window. Apple says it is a Adobe problem, Yesterday Adobe told me it is because I am uusing a Nikon D800 and Adobe does not have a patcdh for the NEW Nikon camera. I then tried using my Nikon D2Xs, Nikon D3X, Nikon 800 and even my wife's D50 and none of these camera allow me to copy paste the thumbnail image to the clipoboard like I have been able to do for YEARS... I can see images in a folder in Bridge, but the images dont show in my desktop folders.IE, a folder on my desktop with 200 pictures only show with words/ numbers/letters NO IMAGES appear in the folders on the desktop. On some folders the folders in a folder don't show up as Folders either.
Can Any one help me. Same thing happens on my MACPRO w 16 GB Ram and on my 17" MacBook Pro.

Allan Sicks wrote:
Thanks for your input. Problem might be with the EASTER BUNNY..... have to have someone to blame.
I can't blame you for saying that.
Adobe is the clear owner of the responsibility to make functional their product that they claim is compatible with your operating system. Adobe is the one who sold you the product.
I just went looking for what Adobe has said about Mountain Lion compatibility, and they both list Mountain Lion as compatible and include such language as that on this page (emphasis mine):
Adobe and Apple have worked closely together to test Adobe® Creative Suite® 5, 5.5 and CS6 editions and individual products for reliability, performance and user experience when installed on Intel® based systems running Mac OS X Mountain Lion (v10.8). Earlier versions of Adobe Photoshop® (CS3 and CS4) software were also tested with Mountain Lion and there are currently no known issues.
I suggest that Adobe needs to get on the ball and get this fixed. The time for user patience is over.
If someone from Adobe is saying "Adobe can't fix it" then that someone is at the wrong authority level and/or is thinking on the wrong level.
This is business and the business is making products that have value and are sold to people who perceive that value. Adobe doesn't get to keep selling products that don't work while standing on principles that "it's someone else's problem". Customers don't care why it doesn't work.
It's obvious to a child that if Photoshop CS5 can write the proper things to the Apple OS so that the thumbnails are visible, that there's something Adobe could do to fix it.
But EVEN IF this were something only Apple could fix, that Apple hasn't fixed it yet says pretty loudly that Adobe isn't making the right overtures to Apple for their mutual benefit. Adobe, are your executives so greedy that they can't grease a few palms of their friends over at Apple to put some priority on this? What's the problem here? Has Adobe actually forgotten how to do business?
-Noel
P.S., You should know that I don't use a Mac and am personally having no issues with seeing proper thumbnails and previews on my Windows 7 and 8 systems, since the software that does that isn't from Adobe.

I have the latest Mac Air 13" and I have a Seagate 500MB external hard disk I cant copy or Cut any files on the hard disk and I cant even delete any files. I have the settings as Read and Write in the get info tab. Please help

I have the latest Mac Air 13" and I have a Seagate 500MB external hard disk I cant copy or Cut any files on the hard disk and I cant even delete any files. I have the settings as Read and Write in the get info tab. Please helpand also note that my hard drive was formatted on a Windows 7 Laptop.

thats the problem, its in MSDos (Fat) or NTFS for Windows.
Options.....
1. offload all that data on the HD onto your PC, THEN format the HD in EXFAT for use on BOTH PC and Mac for read/write.....then reload all (or as you need) that data back onto the HD
2. get another HD, and format it for Mac OSX extended journaled.
FAT32 (File Allocation Table)
Read/Write FAT32 from both native Windows and native Mac OS X.
Maximum file size: 4GB.
Maximum volume size: 2TB
You can use this format if you share the drive between Mac OS X and Windows computers and have no files larger than 4GB.
NTFS (Windows NT File System)
Read/Write NTFS from native Windows.
Read only NTFS from native Mac OS X
To Read/Write/Format NTFS from Mac OS X, here are some alternatives:
For Mac OS X 10.4 or later (32 or 64-bit), install Paragon (approx $20) (Best Choice for Lion)
Native NTFS support can be enabled in Snow Leopard and Lion, but is not advisable, due to instability.
AirPort Extreme (802.11n) and Time Capsule do not support NTFS
Maximum file size: 16 TB
Maximum volume size: 256TB
You can use this format if you routinely share a drive with multiple Windows systems.
HFS+ ((((MAC FORMAT))) (Hierarchical File System, a.k.a. Mac OS Extended (Journaled) Don't use case-sensitive)
Read/Write HFS+ from native Mac OS X
Required for Time Machine or Carbon Copy Cloner or SuperDuper! backups of Mac internal hard drive.
To Read HFS+ (but not Write) from Windows, Install HFSExplorer
Maximum file size: 8EiB
Maximum volume size: 8EiB
You can use this format if you only use the drive with Mac OS X, or use it for backups of your Mac OS X internal drive, or if you only share it with one Windows PC (with MacDrive installed on the PC)
EXFAT (FAT64) ------Can read/write from both PC and Mac
Supported in Mac OS X only in 10.6.5 or later.
Not all Windows versions support exFAT.
exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table)
AirPort Extreme (802.11n) and Time Capsule do not support exFAT
Maximum file size: 16 EiB
Maximum volume size: 64 ZiB
You can use this format if it is supported by all computers with which you intend to share the drive. See "disadvantages" for details.

Can I change the position of the Get Info window?

Can I change the position of the Get Info window?

If you want to open the "Get Info" panel in the center of your screen, define the following Automator service and install it in the "Services" Folder of your User Library. This service will be available when you ctrl-click a file or folder in the pop-up menu and it will open the "Get Info" in the center of the screen.
Open Automator and select New -> Service.
Select: Service receives "files or Folders" in "Finder.app"
Drag a "Run Apple script" action from the Actions pane -> Utilities onto the Workflow
Paste the following script into the action, after (* Your script goes here *) and before "return input"
          tell application "Finder"
activate
                    set {d1, d2, d3, d4} to (get bounds of window of desktop)
open information window of item input
                    set {i1, i2, i3, i4} to (get bounds of information window 1)
                    set position of information window 1 to {d1 + (d3 - i3 + i1) / 2, d2 + (d4 - i4 + i2) / 2}
          end tell
Save the service and name it e.g. "centeredGetInfo". It will be installed in your library -> Services.
Now you can ctrl-click any File or Folder, and in the Services Section of the pop-up menu you will see your new service "centeredGetInfo", also in File ->Services in the Finder, when you select a Finder item.
You can bind this service to a keyboard shortcut in the keyboard preferences and use it like the standard "Get Info"

In the get info screen the HD drive is lock, can not boot the computer

I can not boot my imac. In the Get Info window the Hard Drive has no access marked for everyone and a minus sign on the hard drive. How can I get around this??

Boot into Recovery (command-R at startup), launch Disk Utility, select the startup volume ("Macintosh HD," unless you gave it a different name), and run Repair Permissions (not Repair Disk.) Then reboot as usual. That will undo the worst of the damage. You may need to reinstall some of your third-party software.

Can I embed a photo caption to an image via Get Info? or using Preview?

Is there a way to embed a caption into an image file using Preview, or by using the Get Info box? Get Info can read captions already embedded, e.g. using Photoshop, but is there a way I can put in a caption without spending $$$ to buy Photoshop?
Hope someone can help
David Young

What exactly do you mean by "embed"?
If you mean write it to the IPTC metadata: you can do this with iPhoto and many, many other apps that are a lot less expensive than Photoshop
If you mean add text to the surface of the Photo: Yes you can do this with Preview and many, many other apps that are a lot less expensive than Photoshop
Regards
TD

Could not save Preferences because the file is locked, you do not have necessary access permissions, or another program is using the file. Use the 'Get Info' command in the Finder to ensure the file is unlocked and you have permission to access the file.

I have this massage every time close ps cc
Could not save Preferences because the file is locked, you do not have necessary access permissions, or another program is using the file. Use the ‘Get Info’ command in the Finder to ensure the file is unlocked and you have permission to access the file. If the problem persists, save the document to a different file or duplicate it in the Finder.

You may get better help in Photoshop General Discussion
The Cloud forum is not about using individual programs
The Cloud forum is about the Cloud as a delivery & install process
If you will start at the Forums Index https://forums.adobe.com/welcome
You will be able to select a forum for the specific Adobe product(s) you use
Click the "down arrow" symbol on the right (where it says All communities) to open the drop down list and scroll
If FINDER means Mac, read below (and try to give more information when asking a question)
Mac 10.9.3 workaround https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1489922
Enable Mac Root User https://forums.adobe.com/thread/1156604
-more Root User http://forums.adobe.com/thread/879931
-and more root user http://forums.adobe.com/thread/940869?tstart=0

How can I add the lyrics for songs in MP3 format in iTunes for Windows? There is even no the 'Lyrics' tab in the 'Get Info'.

This topic may be old for you, but I searched everywhere on internet and there's still no solution. I even called the Apple Support and the contact support is taking so long to answer... I can't add the lyrics for songs in MP3 format in my iTunes 11.1.3 for my Windows 8.1, I clicked right at the song in my iTunes library, clicked 'Get Info', and there's no 'Lyrics' tab there. I tried several lyrics-adder programs but they just won't work. How can I add lyrics for my MP3 songs then?

You may find that the file is Read-only, which means that it cannot be altered.
However, you can change the Read-only in "Properties" using your file manager.
1. The location (for the next step) of a song is found by looking n the Get Info/Summary>Where: of each song. Make a note of the location.
2. Go to the location (on your computer) of the song, right-click it and the last item on the pop-up menu is Properties. Go into Properties/General>Atributes and turn off the tick in the box named Read-only. Now go back to your iTunes Library and try that song again. The Lyrics tab should now be there.

Can I change where on the screen the "get info" display pops up?

Can I change where on the screen the "get info" display pops up? I have dual 23" cinema displays and the Get Info box always pops up inconveniently on the far, far left. Is there a way to change the default location, more towards the middle, where it would fit better into my work flow?

treetopstudio,
I'm not sure to change the default of Get Info but what you could do is open the Inspector instead it 1 remembers it location when you close it and 2 when you click on another icon in finder changes to that. To open it instead of the get info window Option + Command + i or hold Option and click File show Inspector.
Hope that helps,
Weston

Can't write to Desktop ƒ; contradictory permissions info in the Get Info window

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