Mac OS X: File can‘t be moved if locked

If you can't move a file, it might be locked. Unlock it before you move it. Note that moving a file is different from copying a file—"move" means to put it in a different place and remove it from the original place; "copy" means just that, make a copy in a different place without removing the original.

This article has been archived and is no longer updated by Apple.

You can't move a file to a different place on the Mac OS X disk. When you try to move it, one of these messages appears:

    "The operation cannot be completed because you do not have sufficient privileges for some of the items."

    "The operation cannot be completed because the item <item name> is locked."

 

Mac OS X 10.4 tip: In Tiger, you can only copy locked items. You can't move them. The above alert messages do not appear.

This happens when the file is locked and you drag it to a place on the same disk. It does not happen when you copy it to a different disk or volume or to another computer or server on the network.


To fix this, unlock the file before you move it. Follow these steps:

    1. Click the Finder icon in the Dock.
    2. Select the file.
    3. Choose File > Get Info (or Show Info for Mac OS X 10.1.5 or earlier).
    4. Click to deselect the Locked option.


Tip: If the checkbox is dimmed, you probably don't have permission to move or edit the file.

Mac OS X file locking is implemented using the UNIX immutable bit. The immutable bit is not the same as a permission and is a strong form
of protection against change.

"Mac OS X: Cannot Empty the Trash or Delete a Locked File"
"Mac OS X: Unable to Delete, Unlock, Modify, or Copy an Item"

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