Mac Guides
Intermediate
1 min read 4 stepsJanuary 30, 2026Verified January 2026How to Lock and Unlock Files on Mac
Protect important files from accidental changes by locking them in Finder.
In this guide (4 steps):
1
Lock a file
~15sRight-click a file → Get Info (or ⌘+I). Check the "Locked" checkbox at the top.
2
Understand locked behavior
~15sLocked files can't be edited or deleted without confirming. They show a lock icon in Finder.
3
Unlock a file
~15sOpen Get Info again (⌘+I) and uncheck the "Locked" checkbox.
4
Lock via Terminal
~15sFor advanced users: use "chflags uchg filename" to lock and "chflags nouchg filename" to unlock.
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