How To Allow Your Mac To Download EXCLUSIVE From Unidentified Developer

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Julieta Bassette

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Jan 25, 2024, 8:44:24 AM1/25/24

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Summary: Are you getting "App cannot be opened because it is from an unidentified developer." when opening or installing an app? Here, we will tell you why the error occurs and how to use apps from unidentified developers on Mac.

When double-clicking to launch an app that's not downloaded from a verified developer or the App Store, you will receive the warning, "App cannot be opened because it is from an unidentified developer." That's because macOS is set to stop apps from unidentified developers from launching by default.

how to allow your mac to download from unidentified developer

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A common way that malware gets into your device is by disguising itself as a real app or injecting itself into a trusted application. While we're constantly reminded not to download apps from suspicious websites, Apple has taken a further step to reduce the likelihood of a Mac being infected by malicious programs and ensure you aren't tricked into running software you don't expect.

The feature is called Gatekeeper, which checks whether an app is written by a verified developer or has malware. If the app is from an unidentified developer, it will warn you with the message "App cannot be opened because it is from an unidentified developer." Even if it is from an identified developer, Gatekeeper will still ask you to confirm if you want to open the app.

Getting the warning doesn't necessarily mean the app is harmful or you can't open apps from unidentified developers on Mac. If you're certain the app is from a reliable source, you just need to bypass Gatekeeper or disable it entirely to launch the app. Try the following solutions if your MacBook cannot open apps from unidentified developers.

The easiest way to allow an app from an unidentified developer to run on Mac is to control-click the app and click Open. Through the shortcut menu, you can override your security settings and open the app as usual.

If you notice Open Anyway not working on Mac, try clean reinstalling macOS or other solutions in this post to fix the error, "App cannot be opened because it is from an unidentified developer."

We've discussed how to open apps from unidentified developers on Mac by granting exceptions to the blocked app in the first three solutions. If you still can't use the app, you can modify the Security & Privacy setting to allow apps downloaded from anywhere. This way, you can allow all apps from unidentified developers to launch.

Luckily it is possible to open and run these apps and we will show you how. But before you do so be warned: do this only if you are satisfied that the developer and software (and the means of distribution, since innocent apps can be hijacked by guilty parties) are legit. We discuss the safety of unidentified apps later in this article.

By default macOS allows you to open apps from the official Mac App Store only. If you have this still set as your default you will be seeing the warning when you try to open an app for the first time.

As you can see above, the Security & Privacy section of System Preferences presents you with two settings for the types of apps you allow to run: ones from the App Store, or ones from the App Store or identified developers.

I am used to Windows but recently started using a restricted(can't run apps from unidentified developers) OS X machine and want to make it full featured without having to reformat, reset/recreate admin, etc.

I have MagicPrefs installed by just putting the file in a Programs folder under my user account and it just runs but gedit has a unidentified developer error and even a right click open requires admin privileges (I can not turn off gatekeeper from System Preferences)

If this 'transplant' method does work, it is not because it tricks Gatekeeper; rather because it prevents Gatekeeper from ever being invoked. Regardless of whether an app bundle is signed, the Gatekeeper system will only check apps that are 'quarantined'. This means an extended attribute flag has been added to the file which indicates it was downloaded from the internet or else-wise from an unknown source. Safari and Mail will add this flag to downloaded files, but there is no requirement that all apps must behave this way. You can see this flag by running the command ls -l@ on the directory containing your app bundle:

or you could indirectly remove the quarantine flag by launching/allowing the app on another Mac (which does not have Gatekeeper restrictions in effect, or where you have an admin account which allows you to override it), then copying it to the restricted machine via a method that does not recreate the flag (apps copied from a SMB share, for example, will not be quarantined).

Take an application you normally run, like one from the app store or the internet. Make sure you have permission to change it. For this, I recommend downloading a simple internet application like Keka, and dragging it to your desktop.

Duplicate the application by right clicking on it and selecting Open Package Contents. Drag out the contents of the application and fill the empty app shell with the content of the application from a unidentified developer.

An easier way to open a document from an unidentified developer, if you know it's safe, is to control-click on the file icon and then select "Open." You will then be given the option of opening it regardless of its unidentified source.

The next time you open System Preferences, the "Anywhere" option will not only be listed but also selected, allowing you to install apps from any source whatsoever. If this unfettered access begins to worry you, you can reverse course and hide the "Anywhere" option with this Terminal command:

There are two ways to allow apps from unidentified developers on your Mac. The first is to change your security preferences in System Preferences, while the second is to use a shortcut menu in the Finder app.

We have Jamf configured on 99% of Macs so Gatekeeper will only allow apps from "App Store" and "App Store and identified developers".
When we get an app from an unidentified developer and it's not signed we install it in the applications folder on a Mac that has Gatekeeper set to allow apps from "Anywhere" (the 1%). Click it to open, gatekeeper asks if we want to allow it and we click yes.
Once installed we then make a pkg of that app, (we don't sign it) upload to Jamf, create a policy and the 99% who couldn't install it previously now can.
My question is how does that work? Whats happened to the app to allow that to work? Thanks.

@user-MygFNHEclO So basically you need a build Mac with the lower Security prefs "allow from anywhere," install the un-signed app, launch it, grant any approvals manually, then re-package/deploy with policy and the endpoints won't complain? Does this process require before and after snapshots to capture any filesystem changes outside the app or is the quarantine bit set to on/off inside the app bundle itself?

This process of clicking waiting for download, hitting ok in pop up, opening settings, and hitting open anyways, takes about 30 seconds on average and wouldn't be a big issue if it weren't for the fact that I have to do it for each question and that I have 2 or three of these homework a week, each being 20-30 questions meaning I wastes 20 to 45 minutes a week just opening up my homework. and that is assuming I get all of my questions correct on my first of 4 possible attempts, as after each attempt I have to close and reopen the program wasting more time. in settings there is only options for opening apps from the App Store and an option for apps from the App Store and identified developers, so was wondering if there was a way to always allow the developer or any developer for that matter.

In macOS 13 Ventura, as soon as mac apps gets installed from packages, it shows two alerts (Login Items Added) one as "Unknown Developer" and other as with proper developer name. On click of alerts, it opens System Preferences and navigates to General -> Login Items. It lists our apps under "Allow in the Background", one with "unidentified developer" and other with proper developer name. We followed all steps required with all apps. So why one app showing as "unidentified developer" and other with proper developer name?Also app with correct developer name, missing with its app icon.

Your Mac is normally initially set up to only allow Applications found on the App Store to install on your computer as a Security Measure.
Otherwise, it will consider the application to come from an Unidentified Developer and block installation.

In case you're dealing with a CLI program that's already in your path but you have trouble figuring out what to pass to xattr for unidentified_thirdparty.app, you can swap it out for the path to the CLI. In my case, I had duckdb in my path, so I executed:

There is a trick on macOS: after unpacking Fiji and dragging it to /Applications, right-click the icon and choose Open. It should pop a dialog warning you that the program is from an unidentified developer, but allow you to click the Open button to launch it anyway. Once you do that once, it should work to simply double-click after that.

When you install Mac-apps, accessories and installation packages, which are not from the App store, then macOS developer-id-signature and notary status checks to confirm that, the software is from an identified developer, and that it has not changed. With macOS Mojave and Catalina, the developer will be able to get their apps notary certified by Apple, which will be an indicator that the app where uploaded to Apple and has passed the security check, before being distributed.

Essentially, Gatekeeper helps verify apps or files for legitimacy to help apps run securely while also protecting your data. While there is a way to bypass this, keep in mind that you should only open third-party apps from unidentified developers if you are absolutely sure you can trust the source.

You can also open unidentified apps using System Preferences. When you get the unidentified warning, close the dialog box. You can then navigate to System Settings > Privacy & Security and click the Open Anyway button to open the app. You will only see this button if you try to open an app from an unidentified developer.