How to solve the problem that Mac cannot open unverified applications

Problem Description

When downloading an APP or PKG installer from the Internet on a Mac, a prompt may appear indicating that it cannot be opened:

"Unable to open XXX because it is from an unidentified developer" 
"Unable to open XXX because it cannot be checked for malware"

This is because your Mac’s security mechanism prevents you from opening programs that come from unknown sources or that may contain viruses.

Workaround

Simple solution

1. Go to the folder where the program is located in Finder
2. Right-click the program file that cannot be opened
3. Select “Open” from the right-click menu

This can temporarily bypass security restrictions and open it, but it requires manual operation each time.

Advanced solutions

Completely disable the Gatekeeper security check mechanism:

1. Open Terminal
2. Enter the command to disable security checkssudo spctl --master-disable
3. Enter the current user password and press Enter to execute
4. Restart your Mac to take effect

From now on, all downloaded APP and PKG installation programs can be opened directly without security checks.

Note: Disabling Gatekeeper reduces your Mac’s security and poses potential risks. Please only use it when necessary. You can re-enable Gatekeeper after the operation is completed.

In summary, through simple or advanced solutions, you can easily solve the problem of Mac being unable to open unverified applications and improve work efficiency.

Detailed explanation of the sudo spctl –master-disable command:

sudo – execute commands with administrator privileges

spctl – manage the security policy of your system

–master-disable – disables all security restrictions of Gatekeeper

Gatekeeper is a security feature of Mac OS that verifies the origin and integrity of applications and prevents unauthorized or potentially malicious software from running.

Use the sudo spctl –master-disable command to completely disable Gatekeeper’s security checks, allowing it to open any unverified applications.

Disabling Gatekeeper will reduce system security and pose potential risks, so it should be used with caution.

This command requires the current user’s administrator password to run. No information will be displayed when entering the password.

After successful execution, you need to restart the computer to take effect.

If you want to re-enable Gatekeeper, you can use the command:

sudo spctl –master-enable

In summary, sudo spctl –master-disable is a powerful but dangerous command that can completely disable Mac’s application verification mechanism. It should only be used when necessary and the security feature should be re-enabled after use.