How to Completely Disable Gatekeeper

You probably know Gatekeeper from the warnings it gives when you try to install an app: “Can’t be opened because it’s from an unidentified developer” or Completely Disable Gatekeeper

You can set Gatekeeper to let apps be downloaded from the Mac App Store, the Mac App Store and identified developers, or anywhere by going to System Preferences > Security & Privacy. If you choose the “Anywhere” option, you’ll be warned that it will make your Mac less safe and that this setting will be reset if it hasn’t been used for 30 days.

If you trust all software on the Internet, which is not a good idea, or if you know enough about computers to avoid malware and other bad code, you can turn off Gatekeeper and leave it off permanently. All you have to do is type a quick command in Terminal.

Disable Gatekeeper With Terminal

Run a command in Terminal to bring back the old setting that lets you completely turn off Gatekeeper. Terminal is the command line interface for macOS, and it’s easy to use once you know how it works.

1. Launch Terminal from Applications > Utilities.
2. Enter the following command:sudo spctl –master-disable
3. Hit Enter and type your admin password.
4. Hit Enter again.

Now, you should be able to choose Anywhere in System Preferences > Security & Privacy > General > Allow apps downloaded from. From here, you can change the setting to make Gatekeeper security more or less strict at any time. But please remember that there are risks to going around any of macOS’s built-in safety measures.

Check Gatekeeper Status With Terminal

1. Launch Terminal from Applications > Utilities.
2. Enter the following command:spctl –status
3. Press Enter.

FAQ

How do I disable and enable Gatekeeper on Mac?

1. Select Apple > System Preferences and under the Personal section, select Security and Privacy.
2. In the Security and Privacy pane, click Lock on the bottom-left and enter your Mac OS X username and password (local user account).

How do I get rid of administrator block on Mac?

Click the System Preferences icon in the Dock or choose System Preferences from the Apple menu to open it. Open the Users and Groups preferences pane in the System Preferences window. Click the lock icon in the lower left corner, and then type in your administrator password. Click the button labelled Unlock.

How do I bypass administrator restrictions on Mac?

1. Hold ⌘ + R on startup.
2. Open Terminal from the Utilities menu.
3. Type resetpassword and follow the instructions.