Hey there, I’ve dealt with this exact path problem in Neo4j Desktop on Mac before—let’s get your CSV imported smoothly.

Why You’re Seeing This Error #

Neo4j Desktop has strict default file access rules: it only lets you read files from its dedicated import directory by default. When you tried to point directly to your Desktop path, Neo4j couldn’t access it due to permission restrictions and path mapping quirks.

Solution 1: Move Your CSV to Neo4j’s Import Folder (Simplest Fix) #

This is the quickest way without messing with config files:

• Open Neo4j Desktop, select your active database, then click the three-dot menu (...) in the top-right corner.
• Choose Open Folder > Import—this will launch Finder directly to the correct import directory.
• Copy your ontology.csv file from your Desktop into this Import folder.
• Now run this simplified Cypher query:

  LOAD CSV FROM "file:///ontology.csv" AS line RETURN count(*);
  

Neo4j will automatically look in its import directory when you use the relative path like this.

Solution 2: Modify Neo4j Config to Allow Desktop Path Access #

If you don’t want to move your file, you can update Neo4j’s security settings to whitelist your Desktop:

• In Neo4j Desktop, go to your database’s three-dot menu and select Settings.
• Find the line starting with dbms.security.import_file_filter. By default, it only allows the import directory. Update it to include your Desktop path:

  dbms.security.import_file_filter=file:///Users/nj/Desktop/.*,file:///import/.*
  

• Make sure the line dbms.security.allow_csv_import_from_file_urls is set to true (it usually is by default).
• Save the config file, then restart your Neo4j database.
• Now your original query should work without changes.

Quick Note #

Avoid using full paths with spaces (luckily your Desktop path doesn’t have any, but Neo4j’s own application support folder does—another reason the first solution is safer).

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者jan