How to Disable ‘Change File Extension’ Warning on Mac

Many a time, when you’re trying to mess around with files on your Mac, you might want to change the file type or the extension of some files, right? For the most part, changing file extensions in macOS is easy. However, macOS does pop up a warning dialog box every time you change the file type in Finder, and that can be annoying. So, here is how to disable the ‘Change File Extension’ warning on Mac.

Disable Change File Extension Warning on Mac

The pesky warning dialog box that we are dealing with here is there for a good reason. It helps prevent users from accidentally changing file types on their macOS devices and rendering files useless. However, if you are reading this, you know what you’re doing, and this warning is just slowing you down. So here’s how to disable it.

• Click on Finder from the Dock. Then, click on ‘Finder’ in the menu bar at the top and go to ‘Preferences.’ Alternatively, you can press “command+comma” to open preferences.

• Click on the ‘Advanced’ tab.

• Here, disable the checkbox next to ‘Show warning before changing an extension.’

Once you’ve done that, you can close the preferences dialog box. Now, your Mac will no longer warn you when you try to change the file extension for any file. So you can go about messing with and renaming any number of files that you want without ever seeing the ‘change file extension’ warning dialog box.

Easily Change File Extensions on Mac

Well, that’s all you need to do to get rid of the annoying warning box on your Mac. As I mentioned before, the warning is there for a reason, and in general, it’s best to let it stay turned on. However, if you’re like me and often change file extensions in macOS, it might be a good idea to disable the warning box to speed up your workflow.

So, do you change file types on Mac often? If so, have you disabled the warning box, or do you prefer to leave it on? Let us know in the comments below. Also, while you are it, check out how to access hidden Mac settings, force apps to run with Rosetta in M1 Mac, and other detailed guides.