Frequently Asked Question
Application is damaged, etc
Last Updated 5 years ago
OSX Has a service called "Gatekeeper" which checks the integrity of application packages and will refuse to open if it detects an issue. Unfortunately some legacy app's fail integrity for some reason and Gatekeeper stops you from using them.
But of course there is a way to solve this. First of all find the path of the application that won't open. Then use the following command to remove the gatekeeper check replacing MyLegacyApp.app with the name of your app.
sudo xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine /Applications/MyLegacyApp.app
You will be asked for the root password, and this command should complete without any output. If it does give output then you've done it wrong, re-check the path and name of your app.
IF and this is really not recommended, you wish to disable GateKeeper then you can with the following command:
sudo spctl --master-disable
Gatekeeper can be useful especially if you download a lot of products from the internet, disabling it is risky so ensure you have a fully functional antivirus package installed. (Like GEN BSS).
But of course there is a way to solve this. First of all find the path of the application that won't open. Then use the following command to remove the gatekeeper check replacing MyLegacyApp.app with the name of your app.
sudo xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine /Applications/MyLegacyApp.app
You will be asked for the root password, and this command should complete without any output. If it does give output then you've done it wrong, re-check the path and name of your app.
IF and this is really not recommended, you wish to disable GateKeeper then you can with the following command:
sudo spctl --master-disable
Gatekeeper can be useful especially if you download a lot of products from the internet, disabling it is risky so ensure you have a fully functional antivirus package installed. (Like GEN BSS).