Linux system errors
Permission Denied
Reviewed for reference consistency: August 11, 2026
the process does not have permission to access the resource
What 13 Means
The 13 error on the Linux system errors indicates permission denied — the process does not have permission to access the resource. This typically occurs due to attempting to read or write a file without sufficient privileges.
Error 13 (EACCES) occurs when the kernel prevents a process from performing a file system operation due to existing permission bits (owner, group, others) or ACLs.
How to fix 13
General informational guidance, not professional advice. Commands can affect your system or data — back up first and proceed at your own risk. FixerCode is an independent reference, not affiliated with any vendor mentioned.
Inspect the file's current permissions and owner
List the permission bits, owner, and group for the path that triggered the denial to see which permission is missing.
ls -la /path/to/fileConfirm which user the process is running as
A process may run under a different user than expected, especially inside services, containers, or cron jobs.
whoami && idCheck for extended ACLs or security module denials
Standard permission bits may look correct while an ACL or a security module like SELinux or AppArmor blocks the access separately.
getfacl /path/to/file ; ausearch -m AVC -ts recent 2>/dev/null || journalctl -t audit --since '5 min ago'Verify the full directory chain is traversable
Even if the target file is readable, a missing execute bit on any parent directory prevents traversal to reach it.
namei -l /path/to/file
Technical Background
Error 13 (EACCES) is a kernel-level enforcement of security policy. It means the system call requested by the process was blocked because the user account running the process does not have the necessary permissions for that specific file or directory.
This can happen even for the 'root' user in environments with Mandatory Access Control (MAC) systems like SELinux or AppArmor, which can restrict even superuser access based on security profiles.
Common Causes
- Attempting to read or write a file without sufficient privileges
- Executing a script that does not have the executable bit set
- Accessing a directory restricted to the root user
Typical Scenarios
- A web server trying to read a configuration file owned by root
- Running a local script without first running 'chmod +x'
What to Know
Verification of file ownership and permission bits (using 'ls -l') is the first step in resolving access rejections. In restricted environments, auditing security profiles (like SELinux or AppArmor logs) may reveal mandatory policy blocks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Linux 13 error
No, error 13 is 'Permission denied'. 'Operation not permitted' is error 1 (EPERM), which usually involves low-level system restrictions.
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