Download/desktop permissions locked

[design.ed]

I have two imacs - one at home and one at work. Last week both of them locked my desktop and downloads folders. I have tried locating the folder in finder > get info and unlocking the file. I still get the error 'The folder "Downloads" can't be opened because you don't have permission to see its contents.'

I did manage to find the permissions setting one time and it have my user (the main admin user) down as full read and write permissions. Any other suggestions?

 

[MacsBug]

A few questions 1st...

1. Are you logged in as as an Admin on both of the Macs?
2. What version of MacOS are you using?
3. What were you doing before this happened?
4. Do you have an Antivirus app installed?

Both the Desktop and Download folders are in your home folder. Easiest way to get there is to hit Command Shift H from the Finder, or you can select it from the Go menu. Then you can right click on the folders and on the bottom are the permissions section where you can change the permissions.

 

[design.ed]

A few questions 1st...

1. Are you logged in as as an Admin on both of the Macs?
2. What version of MacOS are you using?
3. What were you doing before this happened?
4. Do you have an Antivirus app installed?

Both the Desktop and Download folders are in your home folder. Easiest way to get there is to hit Command Shift H from the Finder, or you can select it from the Go menu. Then you can right click on the folders and on the bottom are the permissions section where you can change the permissions.

Thanks for your reply!

1. Yes, I'm logged in as admin on both.
2. One I had upgraded to Seqouia, the other I hadn't yet
3. Nothing that I can think of, I sat at my computer one morning and tried to download something and got the error
4. I use CleanMyMac on both computers, this is the only thing I can think of that could have 'broken' something? I've tried contacting them without any luck.

I went to Go menu > downloads and got the same folder as before. When I select get info' I get the same box with no permissions section (see below).

 

[MacsBug]

What it looks like you did was that you had moved your desktop and downloads to DropBox,

The reason that you do not see the permissions is due to Dropbox uses hard links so your not accessing the files directly.

What you need to do is turn off the backup feature in Dropbox, and then copy back all of the files that were on your desktop and in the downloads folder.

I would recommend though that before you turn off the Backups that you either use the Dropbox app, or go to dropbox.com and copy the files from dropbox to an external drive. That way you you wont lose any files.

 

[design.ed]

What it looks like you did was that you had moved your desktop and downloads to DropBox,

The reason that you do not see the permissions is due to Dropbox uses hard links so your not accessing the files directly.

What you need to do is turn off the backup feature in Dropbox, and then copy back all of the files that were on your desktop and in the downloads folder.

I would recommend though that before you turn off the Backups that you either use the Dropbox app, or go to dropbox.com and copy the files from dropbox to an external drive. That way you you wont lose any files.

That's how it seems from that file path, but if I go to my Dropbox there is no downloads folder. I'm also not sure why it would have moved there on both computers without me doing anything?

If I follow the filepath in the screenshot above there is no library in the branded folder... but this is the path I get if I go to finder > go > downloads. You can also see the little arrows where it's created aliases for the desktop and downloads folders rather than having the actual folders.

 

[MacsBug]

There are several ways to access the home Library folder. Easiest way is to click on the Go menu inthe Finder and hold down the Option key. As soon as you hit the Option key, you will see the Library in the list.

But, lokking at the images you posted, you should be able to just click on Dropbox in the sidebar to acess the folders. and copy them.