How to Open an App as Root on a Mac

Written By: Robert K
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How to Open an App as Root on a Mac

Difficulty

Moderate

Steps

6

Time Required

5 - 30 minutes

Introduction

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    • Most graphical applications are not designed for root access.

    • Limit yourself to specific tasks you need to execute, understand well, or you can experiment (if you don't care about your data).

    • One wrong move can cost you: inaccessible files, application crashes, or security vulnerabilities.

    • You will need an administrator account!

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    • Open Terminal.

    • Log into an administrator account on your computer. Go to Applications → Utilities and launch Terminal.

    • This administrator account must have a non-blank password, or Terminal will not allow you to access root privileges.

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    • Open the application's package contents.

    • Locate the application in Finder. Right-click (or Control-click) its icon and select Show Package Contents from the drop-down menu.

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    • You should now see one or more folders inside the application. Locate the executable file inside this folder.

    • This is usually inside /Contents/MacOS.

    • The executable often has the same name as the application, but it could have another name, such as "run.sh."

    • The executable file icon is usually a black square with the word "exec" in small letters.

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    • Type sudo followed by a space. Do not enter the command yet.

    • Make sure to enter a space after sudo

    • Do not enter the command until the next step.

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    • Drag the executable file into the Terminal line.

    • This should automatically insert the file path to the executable file.

    • You will need to enter your password to complete the operation.

    • When you type your password, it will not show! This is for security purposes. Be assured, your password is being registered even if nothing is being displayed on screen.

Conclusion

If you have questions, please leave a comment below. I will try to get to as many questions as I can.

Author

Robert K

Member since: 31/12/21

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