SoFunction
Updated on 2025-05-04

Solve Python error: PermissionError: [Errno 13] Permission denied: ‘xxx’

Problem background

PermissionErroris part of a built-in Python exception that occurs when trying to access or modify files or directories in the file system without proper permissions. Specific error informationPermissionError: [Errno 13] Permission denied: 'xxx'It indicates that the operating system returns the error number 13, indicating that the operation is not authorized.

When you encounter this error, you can usually solve the problem by checking the permissions of the file or directory, or adjusting the code logic. Here are some specific suggestions and examples for resolving this error.

Solution

1. Check file and directory permissions

Make sure you have read and write permissions to the file or directory you operated on. On Unix or Linux systems, you can usels -lCommand to view the permissions of files and directories:

ls -l 

Output example:

-rw-r--r-- 1 user user 0 Jan 1 00:00 

Ensure that the current user has sufficient permissions (read, write, execute) to access files or directories.

2. Change file or directory permissions

If the permissions of the file or directory are insufficient, you can usechmodCommand to change permissions (to make sure your user has permission to change these permissions):

chmod u+rwx 

3. Make sure the script is run in the correct user context

Make sure your scripts run in a user context with the appropriate permissions, especially if actions that require administrator permissions. You can usesudoElevate permissions:

sudo python3 your_script.py

4. Catch and handle exceptions

usetry-exceptBlock CapturePermissionErrorException and handle the exception as needed.

file_path = ''

try:
    with open(file_path, 'w') as file:
        ("Hello, World!")
except PermissionError as e:
    print(f"Error: {e}. You don't have permission to write to '{file_path}'.")

5. Use temporary files or directories

If you cannot modify the file directly, you can usetempfileModules create and use temporary files or directories.

import tempfile
import shutil

try:
    with (delete=False) as temp_file:
        temp_file.write(b"Hello, World!")
    # Replace the target file    (temp_file.name, '')
except PermissionError as e:
    print(f"Error: {e}. You don't have permission to access the specified file.")

6. Check whether the file is occupied by other processes

Sometimes, files may be locked by other processes. In this case, you can try to close other processes that may occupy files, restart the system, or check the system log to find the process that locks the file.

Examples and applications

Let's demonstrate the solution with a few complete examples.

Example 1: Capture and process PermissionError

file_path = ''

try:
    with open(file_path, 'w') as file:
        ("Hello, World!")
except PermissionError as e:
    print(f"Error: {e}. You don't have permission to write to '{file_path}'.")

Example 2: Check permissions and change file or directory permissions

# Check file permissionsls -l 

# Change file permissionschmod u+rwx 

Example 3: Make sure the script runs in the correct user context

# Run scripts with elevated permissionssudo python3 your_script.py

Example 4: Using Temporary Files

import tempfile
import shutil

try:
    with (delete=False) as temp_file:
        temp_file.write(b"Hello, World!")
    # Replace the target file    (temp_file.name, '')
except PermissionError as e:
    print(f"Error: {e}. You don't have permission to access the specified file.")

Summarize

PermissionError: [Errno 13] Permission denied: 'xxx'Error indicates that you do not have permission to perform certain operations at the operating system level. We can effectively avoid and resolve such errors by checking and changing file or directory permissions, running scripts in the correct user context, catching and handling exceptions, using temporary files or directories, and ensuring that files are not occupied by other processes.

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