macOS includes a strict security feature called Gatekeeper. Whenever you download a new application from the internet and try to open it for the very first time, your Mac will pause and display a warning box stating: “App Name is an app downloaded from the Internet. Are you sure you want to open it?” While this is an excellent security measure to prevent accidental malware execution, it can become incredibly annoying if you are a developer constantly downloading and testing your own unsigned software.
How to Bypass the Warning (Per-App)
If you only want to bypass the warning for one specific app without lowering your Mac’s overall security, you can use a quick keyboard shortcut.
- Open Finder and navigate to the application you just downloaded.
- Instead of double-clicking the app, press and hold the Control key on your keyboard.
- While holding the Control key, click the application icon once.
- Select Open from the context menu.
- The warning box will appear, but this time, it will include an Open button that allows you to bypass Gatekeeper entirely. (You will only need to do this once per app).
How to Remove the Quarantine Attribute (Advanced)
If you are a developer and want to strip the warning from a file entirely using the terminal, you can remove the Apple quarantine extended attribute.
- Open the Terminal app.
- Run the following command, replacing the path with the location of your app:
xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /Applications/YourApp.app
The app will now open instantly without any warning popups.