Guide: How to Disable/Enable Gatekeeper in macOS
First introduced in OS X Mountain Lion, Gatekeeper is Mac security feature that helps protect your Mac from malware and other malicious software. Gatekeeper checks that the application is safe to run by comparing it to the list of apps that Apple has vetted and approved for the Apple Mac Store and / or approved by Apple, even if it is not offered through the app store. These are the three Gatekeeper options:
App Store App Store and identified developers Everywhere
However, in macOS Sierra, Apple made some significant changes to Gatekeeper that seemingly limit the choices of experienced users who want to download and use the software outside of the list of apps officially approved by Apple. While these changes are likely to further enhance the security that Macs are known for, they do place restrictions on what you can do with your Mac. But don’t worry, the Gatekeeper settings can still be changed in macOS Sierra to give you access to software that has not been officially approved by Apple. However, keep in mind that users who disable Gatekeeper protection do so at their own risk as you must be an experienced Mac user to avoid malware and other malicious software. Macs are largely known for being much more secure than Windows computers, but that’s not necessarily the case if you remove your Mac’s built-in security features. With that being said, if you want to turn off Gatekeeper, we’ve got you covered. Let’s take a look at how to turn this off feature in Sierra, so you can use a wider variety of applications.
Adjust the Gatekeeper settings
Traditionally, Gatekeeper offered three settings to increase security: everywhere, App Store and identified developers, and App Store only. The first choice, as the name describes, allowed users to launch applications from any source, effectively disabling the Gatekeeper feature. The second choice allowed users to run apps from the Mac App Store and also from software developers who have registered with Apple and securely sign their applications. Finally, the most secure setting restricts users from running apps obtained only from the Mac App Store. While the safe options were good ideas for less experienced Mac users, experienced users found Gatekeeper too restrictive and usually tried to disable it by setting it to “Everywhere.“ However, in macOS Sierra, the “Anywhere” option has disappeared, leaving “App Store” and “App Store and identified developers” as the only two options.
Disable Gatekeeper in macOS Sierra from Terminal with a command
The Gatekeeper settings can be found in System Preferences> Security & Privacy> General. The Gatekeeper options are located under “All apps downloaded from:” with the “Anywhere” selection missing. Because the “Anywhere” option was missing, many Mac users believed that Apple had completely eliminated the “Anywhere” option. Fortunately, Apple didn’t disable the ability to change the Gatekeeper setting to ‘Anywhere’, it just started requiring users to do it from the terminal with a command, which was a way for Apple to ensure that only macOS power users would likely change the Gatekeeper setting to “Anywhere”. For the most part, only MacOS users know how to use the terminal. To disable Gatekeeper (ie set it to “Anywhere”) from the command line, open a new Terminal window and enter the following command: $ sudo spctl –master-disable Since you are using “sudo”, you will be prompted for your Mac’s root password (admin). Enter your root password and the command will change the Gatekeeper setting to “Anywhere.”. To confirm that the Gatekeeper setting has been changed to “Anywhere”, you can start System Preferences and check the Gatekeeper setting “Allow apps to download from”. You will now see that “Anywhere” is the Gatekeeper setting. Click the padlock in the lower left corner to enter your password and make changes, then select “Anywhere” from the list of Gatekeeper options. Security feature will no longer bother you with apps from unidentified developers. You will also notice that since you ran the command to change Gatekeeper’s “Allow apps downloaded from” option to Anywhere, that option will now be displayed in the interface, as shown in the screenshot below.
Temporarily bypass gatekeeper
Despite its potentially frustrating limitations, Gatekeeper is indeed an important safeguard feature which can help you avoid accidentally launching malicious applications. If you prefer to leave Gatekeeper enabled, but still need to run an app from an unknown developer every now and then, you can temporarily bypass Gatekeeper by opening the app from the right-click context menu. To illustrate, when you try to open an app from an unknown developer with Gatekeeper enabled, you receive the following warning that the app cannot be started: To temporarily bypass Gatekeeper, right click (or Control-click) the app’s icon and select Open. You will still receive a warning message, but this time it is just a warning. Clicking Open the app will start again.
Restore Sierra Gatekeeper settings to default
If you enabled the “Anywhere” option using the Terminal command above and want to reverse it later, you can go back to Terminal and run this command: $ sudo spctl – enable master This command reverses the spctl –master-disable command you ran to set Gatekeeper’s ‘Allow app downloads from’ setting to ‘Anywhere’.
Final Thoughts
Gatekeeper is a very strong security feature that is designed to protect your Mac from malware and otherwise harmful software. However, while it offers great protection, it can be very limiting for power users. Fortunately, there is a way to get around this. By following the instructions in this article, you can easily disable Gatekeeper and unleash the power of your Mac. If you found this article helpful, you may want to check it out How to Run Mac Software Update from the terminal. Be sure to check out our piece on How to Install MacOS / OSX on a Chromebook. Have you previously set the Gatekeepers “Download apps from” setting to “Anywhere”? How did you do it? Leave a comment below.
How to Disable/Enable Gatekeeper in macOS: benefits
Faq
Final note
I hope you like the guide How to Disable/Enable Gatekeeper in macOS. In case if you have any query regards this article you may ask us. Also, please share your love by sharing this article with your friends. For our visitors: If you have any queries regards the How to Disable/Enable Gatekeeper in macOS, then please ask us through the comment section below or directly contact us. Education: This guide or tutorial is just for educational purposes. Misinformation: If you want to correct any misinformation about the guide “How to Disable/Enable Gatekeeper in macOS”, then kindly contact us. Want to add an alternate method: If anyone wants to add more methods to the guide How to Disable/Enable Gatekeeper in macOS, then kindly contact us. Our Contact: Kindly use our contact page regards any help. You may also use our social and accounts by following us on Whatsapp, Facebook, and Twitter for your questions. We always love to help you. We answer your questions within 24-48 hours (Weekend off). Channel: If you want the latest software updates and discussion about any software in your pocket, then here is our Telegram channel.
