How to Completely Disable System Integrity Protection (SIP) on macOS

Introduced in OS X El Capitan, System Integrity Protection (SIP) (often referred to colloquially as “rootless”) is a profound security feature in macOS. It restricts the privileges of the root user, preventing even the most powerful administrator from modifying protected system files, directories (like /System, /bin, /usr), and pre-installed Apple applications. While SIP is essential for protecting average users against advanced malware, developers, kernel extension creators, and advanced system tweakers sometimes need to disable it to accomplish their work.

Disclaimer: Disabling SIP significantly lowers the security posture of your Mac. Only do this if you are actively developing system-level software or absolutely require a specific legacy modification. You should re-enable it immediately after your work is complete.

Step 1: Boot into macOS Recovery Mode

Because SIP protects the operating system while it is running, you cannot disable it from a normal terminal window within macOS. You must boot into a special, isolated environment: macOS Recovery.

For Intel-based Macs:

1. Click the Apple menu and select Restart.
2. Immediately press and hold the Command (⌘) + R keys on your keyboard.
3. Keep holding them until you see the Apple logo and a progress bar.

For Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) Macs:

1. Click the Apple menu and select Shut Down. Wait for the screen to go completely black.
2. Press and hold the physical Power button (Touch ID button).
3. Keep holding it as the screen turns on. It will say “Continue holding for startup options”.
4. When it says “Loading startup options…”, release the button.
5. Click the Options icon (a gear) and click Continue.
6. You may be prompted to select a user and enter your administrator password to unlock the disk.

Step 2: Launch the Recovery Terminal

Once you are in the macOS Recovery interface (you will see a window with options like “Restore from Time Machine” and “Reinstall macOS”):

1. Ignore the main window. Look at the menu bar at the very top of the screen.
2. Click Utilities.
3. From the drop-down menu, select Terminal.

Step 3: Disable SIP using csrutil

The command-line tool used to manage SIP is called csrutil (Configuration Security Root Utility).

1. In the Terminal window, type the following command precisely:

csrutil disable

2. Press Enter.
3. You will see a warning message stating that you have successfully disabled System Integrity Protection and that you must restart your machine for the changes to take effect.
4. Type reboot and press Enter, or click the Apple menu and select Restart.

Step 4: Verify SIP Status

Once your Mac boots back into your normal desktop, you can verify that SIP is actually off.

1. Open the normal Terminal application (in Applications > Utilities).
2. Run the following command:

csrutil status

The output should explicitly state: System Integrity Protection status: disabled. You now have true, unrestricted root access to the entire file system.

Step 5: Re-enabling SIP (Crucial)

When you have finished installing your driver or making your system modifications, you must turn SIP back on to protect your Mac.

1. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 to boot back into macOS Recovery and open the Terminal.
2. Type the following command:

csrutil enable

3. Restart your Mac. SIP is now fully restored, but any files you placed in restricted directories while it was disabled will generally remain intact.