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How To: Grant macOS Full Disk Access to Kolide
How To: Grant macOS Full Disk Access to Kolide
Grant Kolide Full Disk Access so we can better serve you!
Antigoni Sinanis avatar
Written by Antigoni Sinanis
Updated over a week ago

Since version 10.15, macOS has utilized a granular permissions system to limit applications' access to important system or user files.

Some functionality in Kolide may not work correctly if a privilege called "Full Disk Access" is not granted to the Kolide agent.

Why does Kolide need full disk access? 

Kolide needs full disk access to perform the following tasks:

  1. To list other apps that also have disk access that may not need it.

  2. To inspect system files that give us a better understanding of the security of the device.

  3. To look for evidence of plain text credentials in your downloads, documents, and desktop folders.

  4. Finally, to read the file name of our installation package to assist with user-to-device association. 

Kolide takes having full disk access to you and your end-users' Mac very seriously and will never transmit the content of your personal files to our server. 

If there are questions or concerns about this, please contact us at support@kolide.co, or speak with your admin.

How to Grant Full Disk Access:

First, click on the Apple icon on the top left corner and select System Settings.

From here, click into Privacy & Security.

Once here, click on the Full Disk Access menu.

Find the line item for Kolide and click the toggle to enable full disk access. To make changes, you will need to provide a password or a biometric confirmation.

Once you have enabled full disk access for Kolide, close the System Settings window.

Please note: if Kolide was initially downloaded to your computer prior to March 2023, then instead of "Kolide" you will see "launcher" on your Settings list. Launcher was the original name of the Kolide agent. In this case, please grant launcher full disk access.

There is no need to delete the Kolide agent and redownload it, but if you were to do so then you would see the name change reflected.

Troubleshooting

If you do not see "Kolide" in the list of available applications:

  1. Click the '+' button to add a new permitted application. This will open a new Finder window.

  2. On your keyboard, press the 'Command + Shift + G' keys simultaneously to open the "Go to Folder" window.

  3. In the 'Go to Folder' window, type the following: /usr/local/kolide-k2/Kolide.app and press 'Enter'.

  4. This will show you the location of the Kolide agent (named "Kolide"). Click "Open".

  5. You should now find Kolide present on the application list. Applications are added with full disk access automatically enabled, so you are now finished.

How to Grant Full Disk Access for Monterey:

If you are still using Monterey (consider upgrading to Ventura - just kidding!), the steps are slightly different:

  1. Click the Apple icon in the top left corner of your screen and select "System Preferences" from the drop-down menu.

  2. In the System Preferences window, select the menu icon labeled "Security & Privacy".

  3. Click the "Privacy" tab located at the top of the "Security & Privacy" settings window.

  4. In the left panel, scroll to locate "Full Disk Access". Click to open the "Full Disk Access" options.

  5. Click the gold lock icon in the bottom left corner to make changes, then enter an administrator name and password.

  6. Scroll down the list to locate the application named **Kolide**. Switch the toggle to the "on" position.

  7. Once finished, you may close the System Preferences window. Granting Kolide full disk access is now complete.

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