1. Code42 Support
  2. Incydr
  3. Using the backup agent
  4. Troubleshooting

macOS not backing up files with personal data

Updated

Overview

Due to Apple's privacy restrictions for files and folders containing personal data, Code42 cannot back up some files from locations like the desktop, Contacts, Photos, and Mail until you grant access to the Code42 agent.

Affects

  • Devices running macOS Mojave 10.14 and later.
  • The warning message shown below may appear if the administrator chooses to show the message.
Granting full disk access to Code42 is only required once
If you already followed the steps below to grant full disk access to Code42, you do not need to repeat these steps after upgrading to a newer version of macOS.

 

Dismiss the warning message

Select the Do not show this warning again checkbox to prevent the warning from appearing the next time you open the Code42 agent. 

The message only appears if full disk access is not granted to Code42. If you do not click the checkbox, the warning continues to appear every time you open the Code42 agent until you perform the recommended solution to grant full disk access described below.

Files Not Backing Up On macOS warning message

Recommended Solution

Users

Step 1: Grant full disk access to the Code42 agent

  1. Open Apple System Settings.
  2. Select Privacy & Security.
  3. Search for (or navigate to) Full Disk Access. 
  4. In the right pane, click the + icon.
  5. Navigate to Applications > Code42.
  6. Click Open.
  7. Follow the prompts to quit and restart the app.
  8. (Optional) Click the lock in the lower-left corner to re-lock privacy settings.
  9. (Required) Follow the steps in the next section to restart the Code42 service. The Code42 agent does not have full disk access until the Code42 service restarts.

Step 2: Restart the Code42 service

There are two ways to restart the Code42 service: restart your device, or enter a command in the Code42 agent command prompt. Choose whichever option is easiest for you.

Option 1

Restart your Mac.

Option 2
  1. Open the Code42 agent.
  2. If necessary, sign in to your account.
  3. Press Option+Command+C to open the Code42 commands prompt.
  4. Enter this command:
    restart
  5. Press Enter.
    This closes the Code42 agent, reauthenticates the Code42 agent with the Code42 server, and then restarts the Code42 service.

Step 3: Confirm full disk access status (optional)

  1. Open the Code42 agent.
  2. If necessary, sign in to your account.
  3. Press Option+Command+C to open the Code42 commands prompt.
  4. Enter this command:
    fullDiskAccess
  5. Press Enter.
    A message appears indicating if full disk access is enabled or disabled.

Administrators

Use a device management tool, such as Jamf Pro, to manage security preferences on macOS Catalina 10.15 and macOS Mojave 10.14. For more details, see macOS permissions for the insider risk agent.

Jamf also provides instructions for granting full disk access. See Preparing Your Organization for User Data Protections on macOS 10.14.

For other mobile device management (MDM) tools, consult with your vendor for more information.