chflags: copy or delete failed by uchg flag

chflags

Change a file or folder's flags.

Syntax

    

chflags [-R [-H | -L | -P]] flags file ...

Examples

➜ Downloads $ cp download.dat no_delete
cp: no_delete: Operation not permitted
➜ Downloads $ cp ls -lOe no_delete(Capital O, not number 0)
-rw-r--r--  1 operator1  staff  uchg 0  5 26 19:44 no_delete
➜ Downloads $
➜ Downloads $ chflags nouchg no_delete
➜ Downloads $ cp download.dat no_delete
➜ Downloads $

 

Examples

Lock the folder "finance" against changes:
$ chflags uchg finance

Unlock the folder named "finance" and allow changes to all the contents:
$ chflags -R nouchg finance

Make the folder ~/Library visible (this was the default setting prior to OS X Lion )
$ chflags nohidden ~/Library

(An alternative method is to use the 'Go' drop down menu in Finder and hold down the option key.)

Hide the folder ~/Library from finder:
$ chflags hidden ~/Library

Make the file MyLogs.txt append-only:
$ chflags uappnd MyLogs.txt

Unlock your Documents directory and everything in it:
$ chflags -R nouchg ~/Documents 

Keywords and keyword aliases - Owner or Super-user only:

             opaque           set the opaque flag 
             nodump           set the nodump flag 
             uappnd, uappend  set the user append-only flag
   uchg, uchange, uimmutable  set the user immutable flag
             uunlnk, uunlink  set the user undeletable flag

Keywords and keyword aliases - Super-user only:

             arch, archived   set the archived flag
             sappnd, sappend  set the system append-only flag
   schg, schange, simmutable  set the system immutable flag
             sunlnk, sunlink  set the system undeletable flag

The immutable flag makes the file/folder Locked/Protected and is equivalent to locking the file in Finder's Show Info box.

Putting the letters no before an option causes the flag to be turned off.

  For example:
       uchg    Means the file cannot be changed
     nouchg    Means the file can be changed (immutable bit cleared)
        hidden  Will set the hidden flag
      nohidden  Will remove the hidden flag