What is the difference between file permissions and file ownership in macOS?
File permissions and file ownership are closely related but serve different purposes in macOS. File ownership identifies which user and group control a file, while file permissions determine whether users can read, write, or execute that file. Even if a file belongs to your account, missing execute permission can still trigger the “zsh: permission denied” error. Likewise, a file with execute permission may remain inaccessible if another user owns it and restricts access. You can check both using the ls -l command in Terminal. Understanding these concepts helps troubleshoot permission-related problems more effectively and ensures that only authorized users can modify or execute important files.
