# macOS keeps asking for permission, or Full Disk Access stays off

> Fix repeated macOS permission prompts and a Full Disk Access switch that seems ignored: duplicate copies, stale entries, and quitting and reopening.

- URL: https://moreroom.app/support/permission-prompts
- Topic: Troubleshooting
- Updated: 2026-10-17
- Publisher: MoreRoom (Yando Pte. Ltd.) — https://moreroom.app

## In short

- macOS asks again when the copy of MoreRoom you open isn’t the one you allowed — often a second copy in Downloads or in the disk image. Keep only the one in Applications.
- Remove MoreRoom from System Settings › Privacy & Security › Full Disk Access with the – button, add it again with +, then quit and reopen MoreRoom.
- You can always click Scan Without Full Access: MoreRoom then skips protected folders and macOS never asks.

## How to reset Full Disk Access for MoreRoom

1. **Keep a single copy.** Quit MoreRoom. In Finder, search for MoreRoom and move any copy that isn’t in Applications to the Trash. Eject the MoreRoom disk image if it’s mounted.
2. **Remove the old entry.** Open System Settings › Privacy & Security › Full Disk Access, select MoreRoom and click the – button.
3. **Add it again.** Click +, choose MoreRoom in the Applications folder, click Open, and make sure its switch is on.
4. **Reopen MoreRoom.** Open MoreRoom from Applications. Settings › General should now show Full Disk Access: On.

## Why macOS asks

macOS protects your Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Photos, Mail, Messages and other apps’ data. An app needs either your permission for each of these places or **Full Disk Access** for all of them. MoreRoom asks only for Full Disk Access, once — and without it, it doesn’t open those places at all, so macOS shouldn’t ask during a scan.

## If you keep getting prompts, or access stays “Off”

**Two copies of MoreRoom.** macOS gives permissions to one specific copy of an app. If you allowed the copy in Applications but open another one — still in Downloads, or inside the mounted disk image — macOS treats it as a different app. Keep only the copy in **Applications**.

**A stale entry.** After an update or a reinstall, the switch in **Full Disk Access** can point to an old copy. Remove the entry with **–** and add MoreRoom again with **+** (steps above).

**MoreRoom wasn’t reopened.** macOS applies Full Disk Access when the app starts. If macOS offers to quit and reopen MoreRoom after you turn the switch on, accept — or quit it with `⌘Q` and open it again.

**A prompt for something else.** MoreRoom asks macOS for permission to send notifications only when you turn on [alerts](https://moreroom.app/support/alerts), and Finder asks for your administrator password only when you uninstall an app owned by the system. Those are expected.

## Check the result

Open **MoreRoom › Settings… › General**: **Full Disk Access** should say **On**. The home screen’s “Without Full Disk Access, protected folders are skipped” note disappears.

## Still stuck?

[Contact us](https://moreroom.app/contact?topic=bug) with your MoreRoom and macOS versions, and tell us which prompt you see. On a Mac managed by your company or school, Full Disk Access may be controlled by an administrator: ask them.

## Related articles

- [Grant Full Disk Access to MoreRoom](https://moreroom.app/support/full-disk-access.md)
- [Install MoreRoom on your Mac](https://moreroom.app/support/install-moreroom.md)
- [A scan seems slow or stuck](https://moreroom.app/support/scan-slow-or-stuck.md)

## Still need help?

Write to us: a real person reads every message and answers within 2 business days. https://moreroom.app/contact