Tidy My Mac
Guide · Updated November 3, 2026
“Apple could not verify” an app is free of malware: what it means
When macOS says it could not verify that an app is free of malware, it means Apple never checked that app, not that it found malware. Here is how to tell whether the app is safe to open, how to open it if it is, and the similar warnings you should never click past.
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The short answer: the app isn't notarized, so Gatekeeper blocked it. If you downloaded it from its developer's own site and you trust them, open it with System Settings › Privacy & Security › Open Anyway. If it is a cracked or pirated app, came from a link in an ad, an email or a chat, or its installer tells you to paste a command into Terminal, don't open it: click Move to Trash.
What the message means
On macOS 15 Sequoia and later the window is titled “App” Not Opened and says Apple could not verify “App” is free of malware that may harm your Mac or compromise your privacy. Older versions of macOS said macOS cannot verify that this app is free from malware, or that the app can't be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software. They all mean the same thing.
Before an app from outside the App Store is released, its developer can send it to Apple to be scanned for malware, which is called notarization. When you first open an app you downloaded, Gatekeeper checks for that. An app that was never notarized gets this warning, whether it is malware or a free tool by a developer who didn't pay for Apple's developer program. See how app signatures and notarization work.
Warnings you should not click past
Some Gatekeeper messages look alike but mean something worse. Never open the app anyway after these:
| The message says | What it means |
|---|---|
| “App” will damage your computer | XProtect recognised known malware. Move it to the Trash, then empty the Trash. |
| “App” is damaged and can't be opened | The app was changed after it was signed, or its signature is broken. Download it again from its developer. Web pages that tell you to fix this with a Terminal command are most often handing out cracked apps or malware. |
| Could not verify, for a file that should be a document | A PDF, invoice or video that turns out to be an app is a trap. Delete it. |
How to tell if the app is safe
- Where did it come from? An app downloaded from its developer's own website, or a project's official GitHub page, is a different case from one found through an ad, a search result for a free version of a paid app, or a link someone sent you.
- Does the installer ask you to do something unusual? A disk image whose window tells you to right-click the app, drag it into Terminal, or paste a command is the most common way Mac password stealers get past Gatekeeper today. Real apps don't install like that.
- Who signed it? In Terminal,
codesign -dvvfollowed by a space and the app dragged into the window shows the developer's name and Team ID, or says the app isn't signed at all. A known developer's app that suddenly isn't signed is suspicious. - Scan it. Run an antivirus scan on the app or the downloaded file before you open it.
How to open the app anyway
Only for an app you trust. Since macOS 15 Sequoia, right-clicking the app and choosing Open no longer gets past the warning; use System Settings instead:
- Try to open the app once, and click Done in the warning.
- Open System Settings › Privacy & Security and scroll down to Security. You'll see “App” was blocked to protect your Mac.
- Click Open Anyway, then Open Anyway again in the window that follows, and confirm with your password or Touch ID.
The button appears for about an hour after you tried to open the app; if it isn't there, open the app again first. macOS remembers your choice, so the app opens normally from then on. Leave Gatekeeper itself on: commands that turn it off for every app also turn off the check that stops the next fake installer.
If you already opened it
If you opened an app you now doubt, and especially if it asked for your Mac password, quit it and follow how to remove malware from a Mac. A password stealer does its work in the first minute, so change your important passwords from another device even if a scan finds nothing.
Check your apps with Tidy My Mac
- App Signatures checks every app on your Mac at once and lists the ones that are unsigned, not notarized, or changed since they were signed, including apps that never went through Gatekeeper.
- Antivirus scans new downloads as they arrive, and any app you are unsure about from its row in App Signatures.
- Security Settings warns you if Gatekeeper or System Integrity Protection has been turned off.
Questions about the “could not verify” warning
No. It means Apple never checked the app, because its developer didn't notarize it. Many safe free and open-source apps get this warning. When macOS recognises malware, it says the app will damage your computer instead.
Apple removed that shortcut in macOS 15 Sequoia, because malware installers kept telling people to use it. Use Open Anyway in System Settings › Privacy & Security instead.
Click Open Anyway once for that app and macOS remembers it. Turning off Gatekeeper for every app is possible with Terminal commands, but it leaves your Mac open to the next fake installer, so we don't recommend it.
Only if you are sure of the app. Removing the quarantine mark skips Gatekeeper's check entirely, which is exactly why cracked apps and malware instructions ask for it. Open Anyway is the safer way.
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