Fix Microsoft Defender for Mac Stuck at Full Disk Access
Question details
Users need to resolve an issue where Microsoft Defender does not recognize that Full Disk Access has been granted.
- Product
- Microsoft Defender for Mac
- Device & OS
- macOS Monterey
- Scenario
- Configuring security permissions and system extensions for Microsoft Defender on a Mac.
- Observed behavior
- Microsoft Defender gets stuck on the Full Disk Access prompt and fails to recognize the permission, particularly on macOS Monterey and Apple Silicon devices.
Determine whether you are using an enterprise deployment managed by an IT administrator or a personal consumer version of Microsoft Defender, as the solutions differ significantly.
Deploy Privacy Permissions via MDM Profile (Enterprise)
Enterprise administrators can bypass this issue by centrally deploying a Mobile Device Management (MDM) profile to grant the necessary permissions.
This solution is strictly for enterprise environments. Deploying an MDM profile that grants Full Disk Access works smoothly on macOS Catalina and helps bypass the recognition glitch on macOS Monterey.
Log into your organization's Mobile Device Management (MDM) portal.
Configure a new MDM profile that explicitly grants Full Disk Access to the Microsoft Defender application bundle.
Ensure that your MDM profile also contains the required system-extension and kernel-extension payloads for Microsoft Defender.
Push the newly created MDM profile to the affected macOS Monterey devices in your fleet.
Install the Latest Defender Updates (Consumer)
Consumer users cannot manually install the required MDM profiles and must update the application to receive the official patch from Microsoft.
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- 1. Download for Mac: Visit the official WPS Office website and download the macOS installer.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Microsoft Defender asking for Full Disk Access when I already granted it?
This is a known software issue (particularly around version 101.84.44) where the Microsoft Defender app fails to recognize the granted privacy permissions on macOS Monterey, especially on Apple Silicon devices.
Can I manually install an MDM profile to fix this on my personal Mac?
No. Apple restricts standard consumer users from manually installing the specific MDM profiles required to bypass this issue. This workaround is only available for enterprise deployments managed by an IT administrator.
Does this issue affect older macOS versions like Catalina?
Generally, no. MDM profiles that grant Full Disk Access and system extensions work as expected on macOS Catalina. The specific recognition failure primarily affects macOS Monterey.
