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Increasing File Handle Limit on macOS

When using RcloneView to process a large number of files (e.g., syncing or copying hundreds of files simultaneously), you may encounter the following error:

Too many open files

This occurs because macOS imposes a limit on the number of file descriptors (file handles) a process can open. By default, this value is often set to 256 or 1024, which may be insufficient for heavy operations.

🔍 How to Check Current Limits​

Terminal Command:​

ulimit -n             # Current shell session soft limit
launchctl limit maxfiles  # System-wide soft and hard limits
  • Soft Limit: 524288
  • Hard Limit: 524288

This configuration supports parallel jobs, mounting remotes, and large sync operations without hitting file descriptor limits.

📘 Step-by-Step: Permanent Limit Increase​

1. Create a LaunchDaemon plist file​

Open Terminal and run:

sudo nano /Library/LaunchDaemons/limit.maxfiles.plist

Paste the following content:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
   <key>Label</key>
   <string>limit.maxfiles</string>
   <key>ProgramArguments</key>
   <array>
       <string>launchctl</string>
       <string>limit</string>
       <string>maxfiles</string>
       <string>524288</string>
       <string>524288</string>
   </array>
   <key>RunAtLoad</key>
   <true/>
</dict>
</plist>

2. Set proper permissions​

sudo chmod 644 /Library/LaunchDaemons/limit.maxfiles.plist

3. Reboot your Mac​

sudo reboot

4. Confirm the new limits​

launchctl limit maxfiles

📎 Reference Resources​

For any issues, contact support at rcloneview@bdrive.com.