Full Disk Access on Mac: when to grant or remove it

What Full Disk Access allows

macOS keeps some data private even when you are signed in to the account that uses it. Apple's Privacy & Security guide describes Full Disk Access as access to files including data from other apps, Time Machine backups and certain administrative settings for all users.

That makes it broader than allowing an app to work with one selected document. It can be relevant to a backup program copying protected data or a cleanup tool listing a protected app's files. The app's actual operation and ordinary filesystem restrictions still matter.

The permission isn't a malware verdict or a recommendation from Apple. A request says that software wants access; it doesn't tell you whether its purpose is sensible or whether you should trust the developer. Information the app collects remains subject to its privacy practices.

It also doesn't turn off System Integrity Protection, decrypt every locked volume or grant remote access to a stranger by itself. Those are separate boundaries and capabilities.

When a request makes sense

Start with the exact feature, not the broad category of app. A backup tool may need protected files to create the backup you asked for. A security scanner may need to inspect more locations. A storage utility may need it for a particular protected category while its ordinary scans work without it.

Request	Useful question before granting
Backup application	Which protected data is included, and what fails or is skipped without access?
Security tool	Is this the genuine vendor's documented scan or protection feature?
Storage or cleanup feature	Which protected folder needs review, and can the rest of the app work without it?
Ordinary document task	Would opening or selecting that one file be enough?
Unexpected website instruction	Why would this page need an installed app to receive broad local-file access?

Check the developer's current documentation for the installed version. A generic instruction that every Mac app needs Full Disk Access is not an explanation. Neither is a message promising that granting permissions will automatically make the computer faster.

On a work or school Mac, use the approved app and ask IT about a blocked or managed permission. Don't remove management settings to make a toggle available.

Grant access in macOS 15, 26 or 27

Apple documents the same settings location in macOS 15 Sequoia, 26 Tahoe and 27 Golden Gate. These are documentation checks; we did not grant any app new permissions to write this guide.

Confirm the app and feature you intend to authorize. Use the genuine installed application.
Open Apple menu › System Settings › Privacy & Security › Full Disk Access.
If the app is already listed, turn on its switch. If it isn't listed, click the + or Add button, select the application and choose Open.
Authenticate through macOS if it asks. Check that the prompt names the action and app you intended.
If macOS or the app requests a quit and reopen, save your work and relaunch that app.
Retry the specific feature and confirm that the needed category or file is now available.

Use the app you meant to authorize. A suite may have a documented helper with its own identity; don't add every similarly named component just because it is installed. If the developer's instructions don't match the current version, ask for clarification.

Turning on a general-purpose terminal or scripting app can authorize file operations performed through that tool. Prefer an app's own documented workflow over granting a broad tool access simply to bypass an unexplained error.

Review or revoke access later

Return to System Settings › Privacy & Security › Full Disk Access and turn off the app's switch when you no longer want it to have that permission. Follow a relaunch request if one appears. You can then test whether the ordinary features you still use work without it.

Revocation can stop a protected-file scan or cause a backup to skip data; review the app's report rather than assuming the entire job remains complete. Conversely, an app may continue to work with ordinary documents because those didn't require Full Disk Access.

The permission list is a useful periodic review after you stop using an app or change what you need from it. Uninstalling the app and cancelling its subscription are separate actions. Turning off this permission doesn't cancel a service or remove data already collected elsewhere.

Don't confuse it with other permissions

Files & Folders covers access to specified locations. Accessibility allows control and automation capabilities. Screen & System Audio Recording concerns recording, and App Management concerns updating or deleting other apps. Apple lists these separately for a reason.

A successful Full Disk Access grant therefore doesn't automatically resolve a screen-sharing, camera or microphone request. Find the permission that matches the feature and read its consequence. Avoid switching on an entire page of unrelated access to see whether one of them helps.

For a Mac's built-in protection layers, use the XProtect explanation. Broad file access isn't a requirement for seeing basic CPU use in Activity Monitor or a reason to turn off macOS protections.

If the feature still reports no access

Check that you authorized the application actually running, not an old copy in Downloads or another version of the suite. Save work and follow the vendor's relaunch instructions, then retry one affected feature.

Read the error and the scan's scope. An unavailable external drive, another account's ownership, a locked volume and a privacy denial are different problems. Full Disk Access doesn't make every path present or every file disposable.

If the permission is managed, leave it to the administrator. For an unexplained failure on your personal Mac, provide the developer with the app version, macOS version and the affected category without sharing private file contents unnecessarily. A permission reset command copied from another product can remove unrelated authorizations.

Tend works without Full Disk Access

Tend's ordinary battery, CPU, memory, energy and hardware views work without it. The four optional uses in Tend's permissions help are clearing Safari data, clearing Recent Items lists, listing iPhone or iPad backups, and listing Mail's downloaded copies of opened attachments. Without access, those protected cleanup categories are skipped.

Listing and reviewing storage is free; Tend Pro provides the cleanup actions described on the pricing comparison. Full Disk Access doesn't expand Tend's Space Map or Files into other people's accounts: those remain limited to your home folder. Tend doesn't install an administrator background helper.

Questions

Is Full Disk Access safe to grant?

It is a broad permission, so decide from the genuine app, its developer’s privacy practices and the specific feature needing protected files. The request alone is not proof that an app is trustworthy.

Where is Full Disk Access on macOS 15, 26 and 27?

Open System Settings › Privacy & Security › Full Disk Access. Turn on the intended app, or add it with the Add button, and follow any authentication or relaunch prompt.

Can I turn Full Disk Access off afterward?

Yes. Turn off the app’s switch in the same settings. Protected-file features may then stop working or skip data, so review the app’s report.

Does Tend require Full Disk Access for battery monitoring?

No. Ordinary battery and resource monitoring work without it. Tend uses it only for the four optional Safari, Recent Items, device-backup and Mail-attachment cleanup features described above.