How to Enable Group Write Permission Automatically on Mac OS 10.5 and 10.6

Whenever you create a file under Mac OS, the group permission is set to read only. This is fine on your personal files but can be a problem when you create files on the network share for other people to use. You have to change the permission manually to allow other people in your group to modify the files.

Traditionally, there is a umask command on the Unix system that lets you change the default permissions of the file or folder you create. This command is often used in a logon script, and once it’s set, you do not have to run it again. Where would you use this command under Mac OS?

Apple has published a kb article about how to set this up for the 10.5 and 10.6 server. I have tested it on the regular, non-server version of 10.5 and 10.6 and it worked. The article requires you to create a file in a hidden folder /etc . If you have not done this before, you probably do not know how to do it. Here are the simple steps for you to follow.

1. Open Terminal application.
2. Type the following to become root (admin). You have to provide your password when prompted.

   sudo bash

3. Type the following to create the configuration file.

   echo umask 002 > /etc/launchd-user.conf

4. Reboot the machine.

Once the machine is rebooted, every file or folder you create will have the group write permission set automatically.