Insimenator.org

How to turn off Rootless (SIP, or System Integrity Protection) in OS X El Capitan and later, note Apple Discontinued SIP in later versions of MacOS.

Posted because if you are running El Capitan or later and you want to Increase your Maximum Open File Limit you Will need to do this.

Apple introduced System Integrity Protection (rootless) mode as a security feature in OS X El Capitan. It prevents you (and programs) from changing root-level files even with your password, but it can stop some programs from working. Here's how to disable it

Introduced as a security feature in Mac OS X El Capitan, OS X System Integrity Protection (SIP) protects files, directories, and processes at the root level from being modified.

The protected directories are: /System, /bin, /sbin, /usr (but not /usr/local). The symbolic links from /etc, /tmp, and /var to /private/etc, /private/tmp, and /private/varare also protected, although the target directories are not themselves protected. Most preinstalled Apple applications in /Applications are also protected.

For some power users SIP can be a major headache. It prevents all kind of software from being installed, and doesn't let you work outside your home directory (even if using Sudo at the command line, or when logged in as the "root" user).


Turning off SIP is something of a hassle because you need to restart your Mac in Recovery Mode. Make sure that you re-enable SIP as soon as you've finished with whatever task it was interfering with. It forms a vital part of OS X's security system.

Assuming that you know what you're doing, here is how to turn off System Integrity Protection on your Mac.

Turn off your Mac (Apple > Shut Down).
Hold down Command-R and reboot. Keep holding Command-R until the Apple logo appears.
Wait for OS X to boot into the OS X Utilities window.
Look up Near the Apple Menu and Not the Window with The Reinstall Options, Choose Utilities > Terminal.

In Terminal:
Enter csrutil disable.
Enter reboot.

Your Mac will reboot and start up with SIP disabled. You can check the status of SIP by opening Terminal and entering csrutil status. You should see "System Integrity Protection status: disabled."


Switch SIP back on
It's important to re-enable SIP when you've finished your task. Here's how to set OS X rootless mode back on.

Turn off your Mac (Apple > Shut Down).
Hold down Command-R and press the Power button. Keep holding Command-R until the Apple logo appears.
Wait for OS X to boot into the OS X Utilities window.
Choose Utilities > Terminal.
Enter csrutil enable.
Enter reboot.

Now open Terminal and enter csrutil status to check the status of SIP. It should say "System Integrity Protection status: enabled."