How to run an app from an unidentified (unverified) developer on macOS

macOS, like Windows, is not limited to installing applications solely from the App Store (Windows Store in Windows). While the App Store is the primary source for finding programs for our computer, some software is only available for download directly from their developers’ websites (or from GitHub), in the traditional format of a .dmg (or .pkg) file.

Similarly to how it’s already implemented in Windows, macOS checks applications downloaded outside the App Store for their origin and whether they are signed with a valid digital signature.

Some developers, due to limited budgets, do not place their applications in the App Store, or do not want to deal with digital signatures approved by Apple, as everything costs money. For a developer of a free application, even $99 a year is a significant amount, especially when creating it as a hobby, and not as a means of living.

When you download an application, open the .dmg file, and drag the prepared file to your Applications folder, you encounter a problem when you first try to run it. For security reasons, macOS will prevent you from running it. While this is a good solution, if you know where the program came from (a trusted source), you still want to run it, but you can’t.

First things first

First, we need to enable the ability to run applications from identified developers. Yes, you read that right - identified.

As I mentioned above, applications can be, but don’t have to be, signed with a trusted certificate. It’s best to enable this option first, and then, if we still have problems, move on to the next step.

To enable the installation of applications from identified developers, go to System Preferences > Privacy & Security.

There, after unlocking the ability to make changes (the padlock in the lower left corner in older versions of macOS), change Allow applications from to App Store & Known Developers.

Secondly

For macOS Sequoia, this approach won’t work — read more.

When the system still claims that the application you downloaded is from an unidentified developer (or unverified, in macOS Monterey), and system settings only allow running applications from the App Store and identified developers, all is not lost, although we need to do a few more clicks.

You need to open your Applications folder.

• In the new Finder window, select the Applications folder from the left menu (this is where you moved the application from the .dmg file).
• Find your program (in this example, Epichrome) and right-click on it (of course, you need to have the right-click enabled in the system - System Preferences > Trackpad > Click & Tap).

• Select the Open option.
  • When you clicked on our application normally, you didn’t have any other button besides Cancel, this time you also have an Open button.

• And that’s it. Your application should open.
  • And the best thing about all this is that you only need to do the above steps once, because later, a normal click on the application will open it without any unnecessary messages or warnings.

macOS Big Sur

November 14, 2020

In macOS Big Sur, application checking is done even before opening the .dmg file. If your system cannot verify the author of the application or scan it for malware at this stage, the attempt to open it will fail.

Here again, right-click on our .dmg file and select the Open option, then you will see a similar warning with an additional button to open our file.

After launching our .dmg file and dragging it to the Applications folder, when trying to open it, we will encounter another warning. From the available options, we can move the application to the trash or cancel the launch.

Similarly to before, if you open your Applications folder in a new Finder window and right-click on your program, then select Open, you will have an additional option that allows you to run the program.

Of course, you do this at your own risk, as these types of security measures were introduced to protect users from potentially harmful software. However, if you are sure of the program’s origin, you can simply click the Open button and you’re done.

macOS Monterey

March 3, 2022

In addition to the above, similar steps in macOS Monterey, if your application has been blocked due to the inability to verify its creator, from the Privacy & Security settings you should have a prompt asking if you want to allow the application to open anyway (Open Anyway).

After an additional warning, we confirm that yes, we want to run our application (Open).

And so our application should run without any problems now and on subsequent launches.

macOS Sequoia

October 22, 2024

The next version of macOS, Sequoia, has finally removed the ability to right-click to run an unverified application from an unidentified developer.

Unverified developer in macOS Sequoia

The only option you will have when trying to run it is to confirm (Done) or move it to the trash (Move to Bin).

Privacy & Security — macOS Sequoia

Again, you need to go to the Privacy & Security section in system settings where you can click the Open Anyway button to open without checking if the application is free from malware.

Then you will receive another dialog where you select Open Anyway again to open your application.

If you have TouchID set up, you will need to confirm your action with a fingerprint, or if you don’t have one, with a password.

In this way, you can bypass system security and run your application.

Best regards.