Application can’t be opened issue on on the Mac

  • Created:
  • / Author: Amelia

If you got this error message: “… can’t be opened because the identity of the developer cannot be confirmed.“, that means your Mac is blocking this application from opening.

cannot_open_identity_developer_cannot_be_confirmed

There are 2 ways to unblock the application:

Opening via the Context Menu

Right-click (or CTRL-click) the application icon and choose Open from the context menu:

open_from_context_menu

A warning message like the one below will appear. Click Open to confirm that you wish to run the application.

allow_open_via_context_menu

Change System Preferences

You can modify the Mac’s Security & Privacy settings in the System Preferences in order to allow any downloaded application to run.

Open the System Preferences window from the Apple menu (top left corner of your screen):

Apple menu > System Preferences…

apple_menu_system_preferences

Click Security & Privacy icon and select the General tab as shown below:

security_and_privacy

Click the lock symbol (bottom left corner) to enable changes.

In the section Allow applications downloaded from, select Anywhere.

A warning message appears. Click the button Allow From Anywhere to confirm the new configuration.

You can now run the application.

Important Note: Allowing any application to run has a potential security risk. Find out more about Gatekeeper here on the Apple support pages to learn more about the security feature.

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