This site will have limited functionality while we undergo maintenance to improve your experience. If an article doesn't solve your issue and you want to ask a question, we have our support community waiting to help you at @FirefoxSupport on Twitter and/r/firefox on Reddit.

Search Support

Avoid support scams. We will never ask you to call or text a phone number or share personal information. Please report suspicious activity using the “Report Abuse” option.

Learn More

when I want to update to Firefox 4 I get "the operation can't be completed because you don't have permission to access some of the items

  • 1 reply
  • 2 have this problem
  • 2 views
  • Last reply by cor-el

more options

I wanted to update to Firefox4. I downloaded the app and when I tried to drag the Firefox icon into the Applications I was asked if I want to replace the older version of Firefox. When I clicked "replace" I got the message: the operation can't be completed because you don't have permission to access some of the items

I wanted to update to Firefox4. I downloaded the app and when I tried to drag the Firefox icon into the Applications I was asked if I want to replace the older version of Firefox. When I clicked "replace" I got the message: the operation can't be completed because you don't have permission to access some of the items

All Replies (1)

more options

If you get an error message that you do not have sufficient permissions or have other problems with updating to update then easiest is to download the full version and trash the currently installed version to do a clean install of the new version.


Download a new copy of the Firefox program and save the DMG file to the desktop

  • Trash the current Firefox application to do a clean (re-)install
  • Install the new version that you have downloaded

Your profile data is stored elsewhere in the Firefox Profile Folder, so you won't lose your bookmarks and other personal data.