To review and revoke Full Disk Access on macOS 13 or later, open Apple menu > System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access, find the app and switch off its access. On macOS 12 or earlier, open System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy and select the relevant permission category. Turning off access changes the app’s privacy permission; it does not uninstall the app.
What Full Disk Access allows
Full Disk Access is a broad privacy permission. Apple says it lets an app access all files on the Mac, including data from other apps such as Mail, Messages, Safari and Home, Time Machine backups, and certain administrative settings for all users. Apple’s platform security guide says apps that require access to the full storage device must be explicitly added in system privacy settings. Apple’s Mac guide and its platform security guide describe these controls.
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Apple’s guide frames its privacy approach around user transparency, consent and control over what apps do with their data. Because this permission is so extensive, it is worth checking whether each listed app still needs it rather than approving requests automatically.
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macOS 13 or later
- Open the Apple menu and choose System Settings.
- Select Privacy & Security in the sidebar. Scroll if needed.
- Select Full Disk Access to see the apps listed for that permission.
Apple’s current Privacy & Security settings guide documents the route and the app list.
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macOS 12 or earlier
Open Apple menu > System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy. Find the relevant privacy category there. Apple’s platform security guide gives the older route as System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy.
How do I remove an app from Full Disk Access?
Review the names in the list and switch off access for an app that no longer needs it. The exact control and its appearance can differ between macOS releases, so use the on/off control shown beside the app on your Mac rather than relying on a universal button label. Apple documents adding an app through an Add button, but its guide does not describe one universal revocation gesture.
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If an app later needs the permission for a feature, return to the same settings page and enable access only after confirming the app and why it is requesting access. On a work- or school-managed Mac, administrator-imposed restrictions may limit which settings you can change.
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Full Disk Access is not the same as Files & Folders
macOS lists Files & Folders and Full Disk Access as separate privacy categories. Files & Folders governs access to certain locations, while Full Disk Access is broader. If your goal is to narrow an app’s access, inspect the category that corresponds to the files or locations in question; changing one permission should not be treated as changing every kind of access.
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Revoking permission does not uninstall the app
Switching off Full Disk Access changes a privacy permission. It is separate from removing the application itself, and it may affect features that rely on the permission. If you want to uninstall the software, follow the app developer’s uninstall instructions or Apple’s general app-removal guidance; do not treat a privacy setting as an uninstall control.
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