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+--- Thread: "Could not read the contents of Desktop" (/Thread-Could-not-read-the-contents-of-Desktop)
"Could not read the contents of Desktop" - dncollins - 07-21-2021
That's the error message I get right after clicking on 'File/Export as ...' try to export a file to the desktop.
Small print of error diagnostic:
Error opening directory '/Users/<myuid>/-
Desktop': Operation not permitted.
Interestingly, after clicking on 'OK' in the diagnostic pop up window, it clears and I am able to export the file to the desktop.
So at this time, it's an annoyance.
I tried uninstalling/reinstalling Gimp 10.2.22 rev 3 to no avail. It is true that I download and install apps to an admin account on my iMac, and then run apps from my non-admin user account. Old habit that may no longer give any form of security, but other 3rd party apps not seeing this problem (yet).
Couldn't think of a search handle to find others with the problem, but if anyone has seen complaints about this already, please point me in the right direction. Otherwise I'm open to any ideas about why this is happening.
OS: Big Sur
device: iMac 27"
RE: "Could not read the contents of Desktop" - PixLab - 07-21-2021
Is that Application in the root Application folder, or one of the User's Application folders?
Right out of the box, my first thought would be, add GIMP to that user group with the right rights
I would install GIMP from that user account, your system will ask for your admin password from that user session anyway, but once installed GIMP should have the right to that user desktop without this annoyance.
RE: "Could not read the contents of Desktop" - dncollins - 07-21-2021
Being new to macos 11, I still have a macos 10.x mindset when it comes to the file system: So I am unaware of a distinction between the root Application folder and user Application folders: I'm used to all users having read+execute rights to apps in the root Application folder (and varying app operation according to settings in their respective user Libraries). I see that you run on a Linux system. Is it possible that the concept of root located apps and user located apps is something users of your Linux based OS are familiar with?. I freely admit this may be more an issue of my understanding of macos 11 than a Gimp problem, and if so, maybe I'm in the wrong forum.
RE: "Could not read the contents of Desktop" - rich2005 - 07-21-2021
There are similar problems going back a couple of years, not just the current MacOS version.
A permissions problem, the most comprehensive advice here: https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/395631/allow-all-applications-to-access-desktop-documents-and-downloads-in-catalina Maybe the same for bigsur.
In linux, being essentially a multi-user OS, applications install in the root system, and are accessed by users who have their own 'space' a home partition (or folder). Not usual to install and run a program from 'home' although it can be done.
RE: "Could not read the contents of Desktop" - dncollins - 07-21-2021
Thanks for the helpful link rich2005. Aside from doing the easy thing of giving full access rights to Gimp, the recommendations here for messing with macos security require a level of system expertise I do not have, or have time to acquire. And this small annoyance is not enough to make me want to grant full access rights to Gimp (although I could temporarily try it to see if it works). The ironic thing here is that macos warns that it's denying Gimp access to my desktop, but subsequently Gimp has no problem exporting a graphic I'm working on into my user account Desktop. This begs the question "what kind of access to my Desktop folder is Gimp asking for that it's not getting?".
Both the current version of Big Sur and Gimp that I've been using have been around long enough for other people to have seen this problem (Desktop access allowed in spite of warning), but if it's unique to me, it must be something I've got misconfigured.
As to where apps are stored on macos, I believe most of them, including Gimp are stored in the /Applications folder that sits in the 'data' volume managed by Big Sur. If by 'home' you mean my personal account folder that sits inside of the /User folder, there are no applications stored or run from there.
RE: "Could not read the contents of Desktop" - PixLab - 07-22-2021
(07-21-2021, 05:45 PM)dncollins Wrote: This begs the question "what kind of access to my Desktop folder is Gimp asking for that it's not getting?".
Is it possible that this user is "too much" locked? (seems to be a stupid question, though)
My experience with Mac stopped ~ "Yosemite" (something like ~5-6 years ago, before "El Chapo?") and I was using GIMP from lisanet.de (if I recall), but never got any user problem (my kids and wife account) with GIMP