Privacy settings in System Preferences "+" & "-" options greyed out

Question

Level 1

5 points

Privacy settings in System Preferences "+" & "-" options greyed out

I can't add a new Application to Files and Folders Privacy settings because the options to add "+" or remove "-" are greyed out.

If I log off and then log in a a different Admin user the problem does not occur.

Therefore I guess the problem is with my user settings.

How can I reset my Security and Privacy settings?

Is there command line utility to do this?

Maybe in Recovery Mode?

Any help would be appreciated.

Hardware Overview:

Model Name: MacBook Pro

Model Identifier: MacBookPro10,1

Processor Name: Quad-Core Intel Core i7

Processor Speed: 2.7 GHz

Number of Processors: 1

Total Number of Cores: 4

L2 Cache (per Core): 256 KB

L3 Cache: 6 MB

Hyper-Threading Technology: Enabled

Memory: 16 GB

Boot ROM Version: 262.0.0.0.0

SMC Version (system): 2.3f36

Serial Number (system): C0****FT1

Hardware UUID: E1623E4A-E01E-5FC2-AA39-57B75F465113

System Software Overview:

System Version: macOS 10.15.6 (19G73)

Kernel Version: Darwin 19.6.0

Boot Volume: MacSSD

Boot Mode: Normal

Computer Name: Mac

Username: xxxxxxxxxxxx

Secure Virtual Memory: Enabled

System Integrity Protection: Enabled

Time since boot: 1:21

[Personal Information Edited by Moderator]

MacBook Pro 15″, macOS 10.15

Posted on Jul 27, 2020 7:28 AM

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Answer 1

TomCroll Author

Level 1

5 points

Jul 28, 2020 6:05 PM in response to anonyme4321

Hi anonyme4321,

Sorry I had missed this recommendation until now.

So in the interest of a complete history and a bug hunting exercise I have just done the following.

With Premiere Pro 14.2 installed. Reset preferences as per the instruction in the link you provided.
Re installed Premier Pro 14.3.1
The problem still existed
Again tried to reset the preference as instep 1 above, but the permissions issue stops Premiere Pro getting to the Splash screen. Therefore I can't reset the preferences, not that I should need to.
Re Installed Premier Pro 14.2

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Answer 2

TomCroll Author

Level 1

5 points

Jul 27, 2020 7:44 AM in response to anonyme4321

I have tried Locking and unlocking.

Rebooting

Uninstalling the App I want to add to the list and re installing it

I have even reinstalled Catalina from Recovery mode

I have given the App full disk access

The App is Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2020

The App won't run because it stops with an Error "Can't access folder "Private".

Note all other Adobe CC apps installed and run OK with no permission errors.

I am guessing the error is because the system thinks I don't have permission to add Premiere Pro to the Files and Folders.

Reply

Answer 3

etresoft

Level 9

51,038 points

Jul 27, 2020 8:23 AM in response to TomCroll

That particular interface is just buggy. Normally, when an app asks for access to a restricted area, you can choose whether or not to give it access. At that time, an entry for the app is made in this list.

However, any apps that have Full Disk Access are also listed. These cannot be removed or even selected. But if you find one that really does have specific settings for the desktop, downloads, or removable volumes, then you will be able to select that one and change the setting. The “-“ button will also be enabled at that time.

But as far as I know, there is no way to enable the “+” button. An app has to ask for access and that will put it in the list along with the setting that you allow it.

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Answer 4

TomCroll Author

Level 1

5 points

Jul 28, 2020 4:46 PM in response to anonyme4321

Thanks anonyme4321,

I really appreciate your help with this.

I have done that and have been waiting for about a month now, In fact I just tried the newer version 14.3.1. The issue has not yet been resolved.

So, I have again reverted back to 14.2 :(

I have been talking to Adobe about this...

However, I was hoping to solve the permissions issue itself. The program does work if I log on as a different user. Therefore it has to be due to my permissions, not necessarily an Adobe issue.

My theory is, this is a very rare issue and probably due to my individual environment, as such probably won't be resolved by Adobe in the short to medium term. I am guessing they won't be able to replicate my problem on any of their test systems, therefore they won't be able to fix it.

There has to be a way to re-set my permissions at the command line if only I knew the Command. I do have better than a rudimentary knowledge of Unix/Linux command processing and permission modification. Enough knowledge to know I don't want to do chmod 777 ;)

I am guessing there is a "reset ...... /home" command or something like that.

Once again thank you so much for you help so far.

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Answer 5

TomCroll Author

Level 1

5 points

Jul 28, 2020 5:01 PM in response to etresoft

Thanks for your input.

Yes I agree the interface is some what fragile :)

If you read my response to anonyme4321, you will see what I believe is my real issue and as such I am looking for a command line solution.

I don't consider myself a Unis/Linux pro, but I have installed many such systems over the years, mainly working at the command line.

Of course, due to a very robust backup strategy, I do have the option of a complete format of the disk and reinstall of Mac OS and all my apps. But that will take me out for a day :(

Thanks again

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