Help: Mac Finder constantly asks for password when I add/remove tags

Question

When I try to add or remove a tag from apps in my Applications folder, it constantly asks for my password to complete the action. This is in reference to apps that I have downloaded – for all apps that came preinstalled, I do not even have the ability to add a tag at all. The strange part is that while Finder almost always asks for my password to alter tags, occasionally it doesn't, and there doesn't seem to be any logic to these instances— it appears random, as far as I can tell. I just want to be able to tag files/apps without constantly having to enter my password. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

(I'm on a 2017 Macbook Pro 13" running Monterey. I recently had the harddrive wiped by apple when they installed a new battery into this MBPro.)

Answer 1

When adding or changing tags, you need to have write permissions on the app. What I have found:

• For apps downloaded from the App Store, you do not have write permissions. So you will be asked for an administrator password.
• For many (most?) other apps you will have write permissions. I think this is true for apps that you installed by a simple copy or move to /Applications.
• For other apps with more complex installations may well not have permissions and so need an administrator password.
• For apps which are installed as part of macOS (Mail, Music, News, etc.) you will not be allowed to add tags, even with administrator privileges, because they are located in the read only system volume.

This is the correct behaviour and is consistently applied - just depending on permissions or read-only volume.

Before someone asks "Why tag applications?":

I make much use of tags on applications. I do this to classify apps (e.g. photo apps) and have custom searches to find all apps in each classification. Multiple tags allows apps to have more than one classification. Like this:

But, I have found an annoyance (which I don't understand) regarding tags on applications. When using Finder's Column View:

• Select an app with tags and for which I do not have write permissions;
• Select another app;
• This brings up the administrator password request even though I am not changing any tags.