Software⏱️ 2 min read📅 2026-06-03

How to Fix: Operation Not Permitted when on root - El Capitan (rootless disabled)

Operation Not Permitted error on El Capitan with rootless disabled.

Quick Answer: Try using the 'sudo' command with the '-s' option to specify the target directory, e.g. 'sudo -s cp class-dump /usr/bin' or 'sudo -s mv class-dump /usr/bin'. This can help bypass the Operation Not Permitted error.

📋 Table of Contents

  1. 🛑 Root Causes of the Error
  2. ✅ Best Solutions to Fix It
  3. 🎯 Final Words

Moving files to the /usr/bin directory on OS X El Capitan can be a challenging task, especially when rootless is disabled. This is because the /usr/bin directory is owned by the root user and its permissions are set accordingly.

🛑 Root Causes of the Error

  • Rootless is disabled, but the /usr/bin directory still has root ownership and permissions.

✅ Best Solutions to Fix It

Method 1: Using the su Command

  1. Step 1: Open a terminal and type `sudo su -` to switch to the root user.

Method 2: Using the sudo Command with Elevated Privileges

  1. Step 1: Open a terminal and type `sudo chmod u+x /usr/bin/class-dump` to change the ownership of the file.

🎯 Final Words

To avoid this issue in the future, consider using alternative directories for your files, such as /Applications or ~/Library/Application Support. Additionally, make sure to backup your important files and data before making any changes to the system.

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