How to Disable Gatekeeper on macOS Sierra

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I’ve been using Mac for quite a long while, and I must say that I like it, despite the direction the UNIX-based platform is going and the insane price a certain manufacturer is asking for their laptops. In fact, I’m planning to keep my 2012 MacBook Pro until its death, at which point I may or may not have enough money to afford another one. Anyway, today’s not about my Mac, today’s all about OSX’s (now macOS) security feature, Gatekeeper.

If you’re a frequent Mac user like me, I’m pretty sure you know about this feature already. Yes, Gatekeeper is Apple’s solution to make its OS secure. Its purpose is to stop malware from ever entering your Mac, usually by installing malicious apps from unknown sources. Though it sounds good, I found out that the security is kind of… annoying, especially on Sierra, the Mac’s latest iteration, especially if you like to install various apps from outside the walls of App Store. Now, instead of getting a warning, macOS will tell you that the app is broken and should be moved to the trash. Evil, isn’t it?

Wow, wow… Easy with the trash can, Dude!

On previous macOS, you can easily allow all apps to be installed into your machine through System Preferences. Unfortunately, Apple slashed this feature, which is understandable considering security risks it can pose to unsuspecting users. Fortunately, there’s still a way to do this, though it’s not as user friendly as going to Security Preferences. Head after the break and I’ll break everything down.

There used to be a third option in the “Allow apps downloaded from:” category, but it’s not there now. Don’t worry, there’s still a way to re-enable that third option.

Admin User is Required

Yes, it is. As this is something that might pose a security risk to your machine, Admin rights (or SuperUser or root in UNIX terminology) is certainly required. Now, that we’re settled, let’s open up terminal and type the following command:

sudo spctl –master-disable

Just like other administrative commands on UNIX, you’re going to need to type your password before the command is executed. Now close your System Preferences window and re-open it. Go to Security & Privacy and you’ll see that the third option has returned. You can select this to disable Gatekeeper, just like in the previous versions of macOS.

Well, the third option is back!

Since turning Gatekeeper off poses quite a security risk, you might want to re-enable it as soon as you’ve finished your business. To re-enable Gatekeeper, simple–you just need to type the following command in your Terminal:

sudo spctl –master-enable

Again, you might need to type your password. And yes, you’ll have to restart your System Preferences and you should see that the third option is no longer there.

Okay, I guess that’s all, Folks. I hope this proves useful to you, as quite a number of open source Mac apps out there are considered as “broken” by the macOS. Once again, I’ll remind you that this may pose a security risk, and I hope you know what you’re doing. Finally, as usual, thanks for visiting and I’m looking forward to your next visit. Have a nice day! 😀

Taken from terra-novae.blogspot.com