You opened System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility to let an app control your Mac — a window manager, a text expander, Zoom or Teams screen control, a macro tool, an automation app — and something is wrong. The toggle won’t stay on. The app isn’t in the list at all. The switch is grayed out and won’t move. Or macOS asks for the same permission again every time you launch the app.
This is one of the most common macOS permission bugs, and it almost always comes down to one thing: the Accessibility permission is tied to the app’s exact identity and location, and something changed it — an update, a move to a new folder, a re-download, or a corrupted permissions database (called TCC). Below are the fixes in the order that resolves it fastest, from the 10-second toggle to the full permissions reset.
First: what “Accessibility” permission actually does
Accessibility access lets an app control your Mac — move the cursor, press keys, read and click UI elements in other apps. Because that’s powerful, macOS locks it behind an explicit toggle you have to flip yourself, and it re-checks the app’s digital signature every time. If the signature or path no longer matches what macOS approved, the permission silently stops working — even though the toggle still looks on.
Fix 1 — Toggle it off and back on (clears a stale grant)
Nine times out of ten a permission that “looks on but doesn’t work” is a stale entry after an app update:
- Open System Settings > Privacy & Security > Accessibility.
- Find the app, turn the switch OFF, then ON again. Authenticate with Touch ID or your password if asked.
- Fully quit and reopen the app (Cmd-Q, not just close the window). Permissions are only re-read at launch.
If it works but breaks again after the next app update, that’s normal macOS behavior — an updated binary has to be re-approved. Jump to Fix 4 to make it stick.
Fix 2 — The app isn’t in the list: add it manually
If the app never appears under Accessibility, add it by hand:
- Click the + button under the Accessibility list.
- Navigate to Applications, select the app, click Open.
- Make sure its new toggle is ON, then quit and relaunch the app.
Important: the app must live in /Applications (or your user Applications folder), not in Downloads or on a mounted disk image. If you’re running it straight from a .dmg or the Downloads folder, drag it into Applications first — macOS treats the same app in a different location as a different app and won’t honor the old grant.
Fix 3 — The toggle is grayed out and won’t move
A switch you can’t flip usually means one of these:
- The list is locked. Older macOS versions show a padlock at the bottom of the pane — click it and authenticate. On Sonoma/Sequoia you’re prompted with Touch ID instead.
- A profile or MDM is managing it. Work or school Macs can have Accessibility locked by a configuration profile. Check System Settings > General > Device Management — if a profile is present, only your IT admin can change it.
- Parental Controls / Screen Time restrictions can also freeze the pane on a managed account.
Fix 4 — Reset the permission so it stops re-asking (the real fix)
When macOS asks for Accessibility every launch, or the toggle refuses to hold, the TCC permissions database has a corrupt entry for that app. Reset just that app’s entry from Terminal (Applications > Utilities > Terminal):
tccutil reset Accessibility com.example.appbundleid
Replace com.example.appbundleid with the app’s bundle identifier. To find it, run:
osascript -e 'id of app "AppName"'
Then reopen the app and grant Accessibility fresh when prompted — the new grant will stick. To reset all Accessibility grants (you’ll re-approve each app once), run tccutil reset Accessibility with no bundle ID. This is safe; it only clears the approval list, not your data.
Fix 5 — After a macOS update, re-grant everything
A major macOS upgrade (for example moving to Sequoia) can wipe or invalidate Accessibility grants for third-party apps as a security measure. If several apps broke at once right after an update, that’s the cause — just re-toggle each one under Privacy & Security > Accessibility. It’s a one-time re-approval, not a bug.
Fix 6 — Rule out a damaged install
If one specific app never holds the permission no matter what:
- Delete and re-download the app from the developer’s site or the App Store — a re-signed fresh copy clears a broken signature.
- Run
tccutil reset Accessibility <bundleid>(Fix 4) before reopening the fresh copy. - Grant Accessibility when the new copy asks.
Still stuck? It may be deeper than one permission
If multiple system permissions are stuck (Accessibility, Screen Recording, Full Disk Access all misbehaving), you’re likely looking at a wider TCC-database corruption or, occasionally, a failing drive. Our guide to “Operation Not Permitted” and Full Disk Access / TCC fixes walks through resetting the whole privacy database, and our storage-full fixes cover the case where a nearly-full disk makes permission writes fail.
If your Mac is old enough that constant permission breakage is just one symptom of a machine that’s slowing down, it can be cheaper to upgrade than to keep fighting it — a refurbished Apple-silicon MacBook Air starts at $569.99 on our Apple clearance page, and we’ll take your old Mac as a trade-in credit even if it’s broken.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my Mac keep asking for Accessibility permission?
The app’s approved entry in the TCC database is stale — usually after an app update changed its signature, or the app was moved. Reset it with tccutil reset Accessibility <bundleid> and grant it once more; the new grant will hold.
Why isn’t my app showing up in the Accessibility list?
Add it manually with the + button, and make sure the app lives in /Applications — not Downloads or a mounted .dmg. macOS won’t list an app it considers to be in a temporary location.
Why is the Accessibility toggle grayed out?
The pane is locked (click the padlock / authenticate), or a work/school configuration profile or Screen Time restriction is managing it. Check System Settings > General > Device Management for a profile.
Is it safe to run tccutil reset Accessibility?
Yes. It only clears the list of apps you’ve approved for Accessibility — you’ll simply re-approve each one the next time it asks. It doesn’t touch your files or settings.
Did a macOS update break my permissions?
It can. Major upgrades sometimes invalidate third-party Accessibility grants on purpose. If several apps broke at once right after updating, just re-toggle each one — it’s a one-time re-approval.