Apple is tightening Full Disk Access on the Mac. Check which apps have it today

On the Mac, most apps have to ask before they can read your photos, contacts or documents. One setting, Full Disk Access, skips most of those checks. It exists so backup apps can copy everything. On October 2, 2026, Apple said some developers are using it in ways that put people at risk, and that it will make it harder to grant.

You don’t need to wait for Apple’s change to act on this. It takes a couple of minutes to see which apps have Full Disk Access on your Mac right now.

What Apple said

In a post for developers, Apple wrote that Full Disk Access “largely sidesteps” the controls that protect private data, and that some developers are using it in ways that could expose “files, mail, messages, and even browsing history—without users’ full knowledge and understanding.” For messaging apps, it added, this can also compromise the privacy of the people you talk to.

Apple said it will add controls so that granting this access takes “very explicit user action,” and tied the change to AI: “As AI agents become increasingly capable and autonomous, the risks associated with this level of access will grow substantially.” Apple didn’t give a date or say which macOS version will include the change. TechCrunch later corrected its own story to say this is about informed consent, not a new limit on what apps can do once they have access.

What prompted it

Apple didn’t name any app. The announcement came shortly after a public dispute over Muse, Meta’s AI agent for the Mac. As Ars Technica and TechCrunch report, Inc. columnist Jason Aten said Muse sent him a notification referring to a private Apple Messages conversation, even though he believed he hadn’t given it permission to read his messages.

Meta’s CTO, David Singleton, said the Messages integration is opt-in and that Muse can only read Messages content if both Full Disk Access and Muse’s Messages connector are turned on. Mac security researcher Patrick Wardle told Ars Technica that, technically, an app with Full Disk Access can read any file that isn’t restricted to the system’s root user, including browsing history, browser cookies and chats. Apple’s statement, that this access can expose messages and browsing history, reads closer to Wardle’s description.

Why it matters

AI agents are useful because they can act across your files, mail and accounts. That’s also what makes their permissions important. Full Disk Access is a broad grant: it isn’t “let this app see my Messages,” it’s closer to “let this app see nearly everything.” And anything that can take control of an app with that access inherits it too.

What you can do

1. See who has Full Disk Access. Open System Settings › Privacy & Security › Full Disk Access. Each app with access has its switch turned on.
2. Turn off anything you don’t recognize or need. Backup and some security tools genuinely need it. A chat app, a note-taking app or an AI assistant usually doesn’t, or not all the time.
3. Prefer narrower permissions. If an AI tool offers connectors for specific services, give it the few it needs rather than the whole disk.
4. Check again after installing an AI agent. Setup screens often ask for several permissions in a row. It’s worth revisiting the list afterwards.
5. Keep macOS up to date. When Apple ships the new controls, they’ll arrive in a system update.

If you’re weighing whether to give an AI tool deep access, our explainer on how infostealers steal sessions shows what’s typically at stake in a browser profile: saved logins and session cookies.

Sources

• Apple Developer, Updates to Full Disk Access in macOS, October 2, 2026
• TechCrunch, Apple says it’s tightening macOS ‘Full Disk Access’ controls due to new risks from AI agents, October 2, 2026
• Ars Technica, Apple changes full-disk access permissions to curb abuse from AI agents, October 2, 2026