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i need to save to my desk top but it's telling me that i do not have significate acces privilleges.I brought the computer from some one i dont see any more so if there is a pass code i dont think i can get it.however there are other pass codes on the computer that i have like if i install something ne on my mac it ask me for the pass word which i had created and thats fine, only when i want to drag something to my desktop screen i get that problem. :?:

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This sounds like a classic ownership/permissions issue rather than a hardware fault. Because bought the Mac used, the Desktop folder in the home folder may still be owned by the previous account or your current account may be non‑admin. ’s idea to use Disk Utility helps system file permissions, but it usually won’t change who owns the Desktop inside a user’s Home folder.

Try this from the Finder first:

  • Open your Home folder (House icon in Finder or Shift+Cmd+H) and locate Desktop.
  • Right‑click (or Control‑click) Desktop → Get Info.
  • At the bottom open “Sharing & Permissions”, click the lock and authenticate with an admin account if asked.
  • Make sure your short username is listed with “Read & Write”. Use the action (gear) menu and choose “Apply to enclosed items…” to propagate the change.

If you have admin access and are comfortable with Terminal, this will reset ownership and basic permissions (replace myshortname with your account short name):

sudo chown -R myshortname:staff /Users/myshortname
sudo chmod -R u+rwX /Users/myshortname

sudo will prompt for an admin password. Back up important data before running recursive commands.

If you don’t have any admin password, options are: ask the seller for credentials, back up accessible files to an external drive and reinstall macOS, or take the machine to an Apple/authorized tech to reset the account safely. Repairing system permissions alone generally won’t fix a Desktop that’s owned by another user.

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Member Avatar for gortonsfi

Have you tried repairing disk permissions?

Member Avatar for mizery

how can i repair disk permission

Member Avatar for mizery

Have you tried repairing disk permissions?

how do i repair disk permission

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