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Mac App Is Damaged and Cannot Be Opened

Warningapplication

Overview

Mac "App is damaged and can't be opened" message appears when macOS cannot verify the app's code signature or the download was corrupted.

Key Details

  • Gatekeeper prevents the app from opening
  • Common with apps downloaded from the internet
  • App may not be signed or notarized by Apple
  • Download may have been incomplete or corrupted

Common Causes

  • App is not code-signed or notarized
  • Download was corrupted during transfer
  • Gatekeeper security settings blocking the app
  • Extended attributes flagging the file as quarantined

Steps

  1. 1Re-download the app from the official source
  2. 2Remove quarantine: xattr -cr /Applications/AppName.app
  3. 3Allow in System Settings > Privacy & Security
  4. 4Right-click the app and select Open to bypass Gatekeeper

Tags

macmacosapplicationapp damagedfixtroubleshooting

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Frequently Asked Questions

Usually not — macOS just cannot verify its authenticity.