Fix File Permissions on Android: It is impossible to get the best of your Android device with Gingerbread, Jelly Beans, KitKat, Lollipop, Marshmallow or Nougat firmware installed unless you have enabled root access on your mobile or tablet. Rooted devices give you unlimited access to all the administrative functions of the device, including the functions blocked by the manufacturer. Rooted access gives you total control over your device, so you do not have to worry about inanimate and broken firmware updates.
Here’s how to fix file permissions on Android devices to get full access to each device’s customization feature and give it a custom look with tools unavailable on Google Play Store or other official Google apps and platforms support. Defining file permissions on Android devices makes it easy to install custom ROMs, the root of the device, installing apk moderated applications, flash firmware files and much more.
The performance of your device results in a remarkable performance jump if you have root access. Root on Android devices is similar to the jailbreak on Apple products. You become a super user by rooting your Android devices, meaning you are free to make any changes to like the firmware of the device or programming.
With a rooted device, you install a wide variety of custom ROMs, kernels, mods, custom themes, wallpapers, ports, patches and much more on your Android device. Android is an open-source firmware that allows users from all over the world to create different things for different Android devices. You can use applications, tools, and software that are not normally supported or available on the Android platform.
Therefore, knowing how to repair the file permission is essential for every Android user to be able to install modded applications and ported to work correctly on any Android firmware. See below how you can set file permissions on Android devices and fix file permissions on them.
What Are File Permissions? For Understanding “Permissions” system on Android
On Linus or UNIX file systems, each file on the hard disk has a set of permissions that are related to it. These permissions are also called Attributes, which define the level of accessibility for a user or group of users.
One of these permissions is the Read-Write-Execute attributes that prompt the system to know who is allowed to access specific files. Each file is associated with its owner, group, and others. When you change permissions, you have made changes to the rules about who can access what is on the device.
Android is a Linux-based platform for mobile phones that also has a file permissions structure that may require occasional changes from time to time on some of the users. I explained this complex process in simple secular terms so that everyone can grasp the inherent logic of Android file permissions.
Let’s go back to the main topic, is not it?
Before you Start for Fix File Permissions on Android
To set/fix file permissions on an Android device, you must first have root access to the device, which means that your device must be rooted. If your device is rooted well and good other see our guide for the root of any Android device.
After that, your device must have a superior file manager on it. See the Root browser, Root Explorer, ES File Explorer, and Busy box apps and install one of these file manager applications on your device. Root File Explorer app is the best for this method. I recommend you go with that one. Otherwise, there is no constraint you can install what you feel comfortable with.
Set or Fix File Permissions on Android Devices
Guide for non-experts: Non-experts or beginners can see detailed set of instructions below to fix the file permissions on Android devices.
Note: Unnecessary changes to the firmware file system may damage the normal operation of the unit. Follow the steps at your own risk.
- Copy the file whose permission you want or its apk to the internal memory of the device or the external SD card.
- Open the File Explorer application from the device application tray.
- In the File Explorer application, you will see a list of directories and files.
- If you saved the / Apk file to the device’s internal memory, open it from the sd card directory. Data recorded on an external SD card can be found by tapping on storage/extSdcard.
- Copy the file or its Apk to the root directory to set or repair the Read-Write-Execute (r-w-e) file permissions. File permissions can not be set while the file is stored in the internal memory or the external SD card.
- Here’s how to copy the file to the root directory: Tap on the file and hold it until you see a list of options. Select Copy, and then tap the Home or Top icon on the bottom toolbar to open the location of the target directory.
- Select the “Copy” option and go to the target directory by tapping the Home or Top icon in the bottom bar.
- Go to the directory/location where you want to paste the file and press the “Paste” button.
- You can now easily manage the authorization rules for this file. Just hold it down and from the options panel, select “Permissions“.
- In the Data window, you will see the lines Read, Write, Execute Columns and Owner, Group, Others. Select the combination you want for the file and press the OK button.
Modify the permissions by checking and unchecking the options. The most widely used permission on Android devices is rw-r- (Owner> read + write | Group> read | More> read).
Table Guide for Reference
———————————-
No– Box is Unchecked, Yes– Box Checked
| Number | Read | Write | Execute |
| 0 | No | No | No |
| 1 | No | No | Yes |
| 2 | No | Yes | No |
| 3 | No | Yes | Yes |
| 4 | Yes | No | No |
| 5 | Yes | No | Yes |
| 6 | Yes | Yes | No |
| 7 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
So, for example: 777 is the same as
777 is the same as rwxrwxrwx
755 is the same as rwxr-xr-x
666 is the same as rw-rw-rw- and so on.
I do hope this Guide will come in handy to all those people who want to set file permission but need some clarity upon the same.
Quick Steps for Advanced Users:
Above the guide was a bit long because it was for the non-experts, so had to explain each step in detail. Guide below is for experts and assumes that they are well clued with the file authorization methods on Android.
- Copy the / apk file you want to repair and copy to the internal or external SD card of your devices.
- Copy and paste the / apk file to the location suggested by the developer. If it is an application, push it to the system/app directory.
- Set permissions on rw-r-r-
- Finally, restart your phone or tablet.
Note that if you assign an incorrect number of file permissions when copying an application or file to your rooted Android device, your phone may be blocked on a bootloop. To correct this error, follow these steps:
- Remove the battery from your device and start it in CWM or TWRP recovery mode.
- Go to the “advanced” option in the recovery and select “fix permissions.” .fix-Permissions-in-CWM
- Then, “wipe dalvik cache“.
- Go back to the main menu and select “restart the system now”.
That’s all. You have successfully set and set the file permissions on the Android device. Give us your ideas in the comments section below.