Can't run app because of permission in macOS v11 (Big Sur)

Question

I installed macOS v11 (Big Sur) yesterday and since then I am not able to run some old application. This is the message I get:

You do not have permission to open the application

I think this application is from an unknown developer.

I tried different methods that were working in macOS v10.15 (Catalina) like:

spctl --master-disable

Or I tried also to disable SIP and AMFI.

I've also tried:

sudo xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine /Applications/my_app.app

If I run the application from the terminal, this is the text version of the error I get:

The application cannot be opened for an unexpected reason, error=Error Domain=NSOSStatusErrorDomain Code=-10826 "kLSNoLaunchPermissionErr: User doesn't have permission to launch the app (managed networks)" UserInfo={_LSFunction=_LSLaunchWithRunningboard, _LSLine=2508, NSUnderlyingError=0x7fcb24c13ec0 {Error Domain=RBSRequestErrorDomain Code=5 "Launched process exited during launch." UserInfo={NSLocalizedFailureReason=Launched process exited during launch.}}}

Also tried to disable encryption and run:

csrutil authenticated-root disable

This is the error window:

please share some of the applications you're trying to run without success... — DeejonZ, Nov 23 '20 at 12:09
if you downloaded by browser your big sur sent for quarantine, for disable run: `sudo xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /path/to/app` and then open your app normally, I hope this solve your problem — Damon Abdiel, Dec 31 '20 at 16:37
For all the solutions using `codesign`, check @eskimo's answer here: [You do not have permission to open the application “Eclipse”.](https://developer.apple.com/forums/thread/684509?answerId=682326022#682326022) — Ricardo, Jan 24 '22 at 22:30
It appears, If you are logged in as a guest user, Download and open an app. — Anurag Sharma, Feb 01 '22 at 12:51

score 197 · Answer 1 · edited Sep 05 '21 at 20:20

197

I had this problem with the error "Termination Reason: Namespace CODESIGNING, Code 0x1" and I managed to open the application after I signed it again on that machine, with the command:

codesign --force --deep --sign - /Applications/AppName.app

No other solution worked for me.

edited Sep 05 '21 at 20:20

Peter Mortensen

30,738
21
105
131

answered Nov 24 '20 at 11:14

AlinNereid

1,979
2
3
2

15

This is the only thing that worked for me. All the other answers assume it's actually a permissions thing but it's an issue with Big Sur not allowing unsigned applications from being run (even with that option turned on in system preferences). – hsnee Dec 05 '20 at 23:43
3

This should be the accepted answer. It's the only thing that worked for me, too. – cstrouse Dec 09 '20 at 09:29
This worked for me with a Catalyst app (debug) built using Xcode. The `upx` method didn't work. – The_Lucifer Dec 17 '20 at 18:15
This solution doesn't work for me, only the upx method did. – DeejonZ Jan 02 '21 at 10:34
This worked for me, since it was due to something wrong with the signing. From syslog: `(application.tw.com.sparkring.ImageScan.76131053.76131065[38693]): Binary is improperly signed`. At the same time, need to be sure the app came from a good source, to avoid becoming a malware vector. – Andre M Jan 26 '21 at 11:48
1

This worked for me too. But I want to share my unsigned .app file with others then what need to do in that case. Anyone can suggest something regarding this. Thanks @AlinNereid. – Ravindra Kumar Sonkar Mar 05 '21 at 11:43
I wanted to test my own macOS app (created on a non-silicon mac with macOS 10.15) on my wifes macbook pro with macOS Big Sur and got the error. This solution worked immediately for me. – qpwr Apr 01 '21 at 12:40
Yeah, in my case the termination reason was the same namespace CODESIGNING and this fixed my issue – Rohith V Jul 12 '21 at 11:24
Thanks a lot This is the only scenario that worked for me with Spring Tool Suite 4 nightly build for M1. – Mike Sep 26 '21 at 05:53
1

Phew! After trying every workaround posted on the internet, this one finally worked. Please Apple, don't break working apps. – chhantyal Sep 29 '21 at 08:35
Thanks for this! In my case I needed to prepend this with `sudo` having installed an app with nix that required signing. – ldeck Oct 06 '21 at 00:19
This also worked for me while installing Papyrus on macOS Big Sur. No need for any chmod 755. – Alper Kocatas Oct 17 '21 at 19:13
This worked for me as well. All the other with permissions didn't. Big Sur 11.6 – bogdan.rusu Oct 29 '21 at 12:33
7

This should be the accepted answer. It worked for me on DBeaver app – Bharath Ram Nov 09 '21 at 05:28
works like charm. macOS BigSur, app= DBeaver – Maor Barazani Jan 03 '22 at 21:37
I didn't have the same error message but this still worked for me. – Clafouti Feb 16 '22 at 16:38

Steven · Answer 2 · 2020-12-12T20:02:10.137

58

It seems to be a permissions issue on one of the files deep in the .app that you moved to the applications directory.

Open Terminal or iTerm and type "chmod -R 755 " and drag the .app into the window, which will bring the full path into Terminal or iTerm.

It will look like this:

chmod -R 755 Path\ to\ app\ file.app

Press return

Then, you can open the app file normally, but it will fail because gatekeeper won't be able to verify the file. From there, go into your "Security and Privacy" in "System Preferences" and then click to allow the app to open.

edited Dec 12 '20 at 20:02

answered Nov 18 '20 at 05:40

Steven

854
6
7

`chmod: -R: No such file or directory` when i try directly on the .app file – iamse7en Nov 21 '20 at 23:55
1

Given example is a bit invalid. Correct is `chmod -R 755` – D.A.H Nov 29 '20 at 12:47
This worked for me (well, chmod `-R 755 Path\to\app\file.app`). – Webreaper Dec 11 '20 at 19:36
This worked for me with a Samsung printer Wireless Setup app. Thank-you! – SylvanK May 05 '21 at 17:37
This worked for me with a game made in nodewebkit (nwjs) – Alex Boschmans May 21 '21 at 11:22
1

Somewhat to my surprise, this worked for the Canon IJScan16f scanner driver for a Pixma MG 3051 printer/scanner. (Small. variation: I used `sudo chmod -R a+x /System/Volumes/Data/Library/Image\ Capture/Devices/Canon\ IJScanner16f.app`) – tripleee Aug 07 '21 at 11:22
[chmod 755](https://chmodcommand.com/chmod-755/) = (my emphasis) "sets permissions so that, User / owner can read, can write and can execute. Group can read, can't write and can execute. Others can read, can't write and ***can execute."*** – Peter Mortensen Nov 07 '21 at 15:42
Can you address the security implications of the use of 755 in your answer? (But ***without*** "Edit:", "Update:", or similar - the answer should appear as if it was written today.) – Peter Mortensen Nov 07 '21 at 15:44
Careful with that command, it'll make all files within the app executable. #securityFlags – donmontalvo Nov 15 '21 at 22:49

score 47 · Accepted Answer · edited Sep 05 '21 at 20:19

47

The problem in my case it was related to a Big Sur problem where UPX compressed binaries are not recognised properly, so they were not executed with a permission error.

There is some more information here: UPX compressed application fails to start on latest macOS release: Big Sur 11.01 #424

So the solution is to unpack the binary with UPX and run it normally.

Install upx with Homebrew (executable brew):

brew install upx

Now run this command:

sudo upx -d /Applications/my_app.app/Contents/MacOS/my_app

(Please note you have to specify the full binary path.)

You should use the path of your binary instead of "/Applications/my_app.app/Contents/MacOS/my_app"

Then run the application normally.

edited Sep 05 '21 at 20:19

Peter Mortensen

30,738
21
105
131

answered Nov 18 '20 at 15:12

DeejonZ

2,451
2
17
19

62

not working for me. `NotPackedException: not packed by UPX` – iamse7en Nov 21 '20 at 23:51
3

I don't fully understand what this script does, but it worked in my case. It would be good to understand more. – DeejonZ Nov 23 '20 at 08:20
@iamse7en I got the same exception, but then when trying to run the app, it suddenly did work! so ignore the exception I guess – yairchu Dec 08 '20 at 00:13
@lamse7en you need to give the binary path, not just the .app package – gagarine Dec 23 '20 at 23:18
@gagarine the hint to give the path of the executable made it work! – Madamadam Dec 25 '20 at 11:45
2

This didn't work for me. It says Unpacked 0 files. – dheeraj reddy Jan 16 '21 at 20:57
This doesn't work for M1 Macs, as there is no upx Homebrew bottle. The chmod 755 solution worked. – tomh Feb 13 '21 at 14:59
Doesn't work for Steam. Also chmod 755 doesn't work either. – nope2023 Feb 23 '21 at 20:18
2

How do you know if this app’s binary has been compressed with UPX? – Marcie Oct 17 '21 at 01:48

score 26 · Answer 4 · edited Nov 07 '21 at 15:37

26

I found a solution:

You need to resign the app, (install Xcode tools, if necessary):

xcode-select --install

sudo codesign --force --deep --sign - /Applications/YourAppName.app

Move the app to quarantine:

sudo xattr -d -r com.apple.quarantine /Applications/YourAppName.app

Go to /Applications/YourAppName.app/Contents/MacOs and make the file inside executable:
```
sudo chmod +x Script_name
```

That worked for me and the app launched.

edited Nov 07 '21 at 15:37

Peter Mortensen

30,738
21
105
131

answered Oct 18 '21 at 10:18

Indigo0087

561
6
5

1

sudo codesign --force --deep --sign - /Applications/YourAppName.app Only this line worked for me – Victor.Uduak Mar 21 '22 at 08:33
this worked for me, too. I was trying to copy an app to a ramdisk, and wasnt able to start it. – Erik Pöhler Jun 27 '22 at 16:11

score 9 · Answer 5 · edited Sep 05 '21 at 20:23

This answer will only apply to a specific set of applications

I had this issue with a universal binary (Terminal) that I duplicated and explicitly set in the info "Open using Rosetta" to run x86 tools like Homebrew. After updating to 11.0.1 from 11.0.0, the x86 version of the terminal stopped working with the above error.

I simply had to delete the duplicate, created another duplicate of the terminal and enabled Rosetta again.

score 8 · Answer 6 · edited Sep 05 '21 at 20:27

8

First figure out that your application signature is valid:

From Apple's official website:

All apps in the App Store are signed by Apple to ensure they have not been misused or tampered with. Apple signs any app that comes with Apple devices.

To check this out, you can type the following in your terminal (the path of Folx.app is just for an example and you should replace it with your desired app):

pkgutil --check-signature /Applications/Folx.app

if you get an "invalid signature" responce, something like this:

Then your app maybe was installed in some hacky way! And now your easiest approach is to uninstall the app and reinstall it again.

Otherwise, you will have plenty of hard time to enjoy () with that app, Xcode, and signature stuff...

edited Sep 05 '21 at 20:27

Peter Mortensen

30,738
21
105
131

answered Dec 19 '20 at 17:38

TechDogLover OR kiaNasirzadeh

4,566
27
33

I can run my app with the upx command: but I tried to run your command before and after upx and I always see: "Status: no signature" even if the app is running fine after upx. So this command is not helping to understand the issue. – DeejonZ Jan 02 '21 at 10:38
This didn't change even after I got it working with a self-signed signature. – phyatt Jun 28 '21 at 03:46

score 4 · Answer 7 · answered Nov 20 '20 at 03:57

4

You have to run SUDO xattr -d com.apple.quarantine <app>. It's important that you don't forget sudo or it won't work.

answered Nov 20 '20 at 03:57

John James

83
6

Still didn't work for me, no change. Trying to run https://github.com/pixelomer/AltDeploy/releases – iamse7en Nov 22 '20 at 00:07
This worked for me (I had also run chmod as well as upx, but it wasn't working until this command; unclear whether those had impacts) – mikhuang Dec 13 '20 at 21:50
This keeps on coming up, but it has never worked for me for any similar problem. Just `xattr filename` will reveal whether this attribute is set and can be deleted; for me, this was never true. – tripleee Aug 07 '21 at 11:24

score 2 · Answer 8 · edited Sep 05 '21 at 20:29

2

This is the only solution that worked in my case.

Download macOS-GateKeeper-Helper.

Open GateKeeper_Helper.command by double-clicking on it (if it says untrusted developer, go ahead and run it from Settings - Security & Privacy - General - Open Anyway)
Select Option 4 (Remove app from GateKeeper quarantine)
Drag and drop the app file from the Applications folder, hit the Return key, and enter your password
You will see a message like “App removed from quarantine”. That’s it. Try to open the app as usual.

edited Sep 05 '21 at 20:29

Peter Mortensen

30,738
21
105
131

answered Dec 20 '20 at 14:34

Dave

69
7

Amazing! I tried several things for some Synergy binaries and the self signing in this script worked. – phyatt Jun 28 '21 at 03:32
This worked for me, removed from quarantine and self signed – Santhosha Aug 25 '21 at 17:26
4

Why would we trust this application? – Peter Mortensen Sep 05 '21 at 20:30

RyanBDevilled · Answer 9 · 2021-09-06T21:19:24.417

0

I encountered this issue when sending to a colleague for testing a Mac app that I developed. He tried some of the suggestions on this forum, but they didn't seem to work (and we're both on Intel, so the Rosetta tips didn't apply).

What ultimately worked for me was creating a blank disk image, and then adding the .app file to the image and then sending him the disk image. It seems like the problem comes up when the .app file is compressed, and adding the file to a disk image first seems to help prevent the issue.

edited Sep 06 '21 at 21:19

answered Jan 04 '21 at 14:33

RyanBDevilled

201
1
2
7

What do you mean by *"resting a Mac app"*? Can you elaborate? – Peter Mortensen Sep 05 '21 at 20:31
Sorry, that was a typo. I meant “testing.” – RyanBDevilled Sep 06 '21 at 21:19

score 0 · Answer 10 · edited Sep 05 '21 at 20:31

0

If you are uploading an Xcode app to GitHub releases, make sure to compress it first on your computer, don't let GitHub compress it.

edited Sep 05 '21 at 20:31

Peter Mortensen

30,738
21
105
131

answered Apr 01 '21 at 21:58

Ethan SK

736
8
12

score 0 · Answer 11 · edited Sep 05 '21 at 20:33

0

For my team, this turned out to be a problem with Git adding CRLF to the Entitlements.plist file.

Once I fixed the .gitattributes file to only use LF with p-list files, I built a new app and had it codesigned and it worked--no aborts. I also had to make sure Jenkins wiped the workspace since it didn't seem to fix the file at first.

edited Sep 05 '21 at 20:33

Peter Mortensen

30,738
21
105
131

answered Apr 02 '21 at 21:38

mw2785

37
1
5

I had to do sudo su in order to make all files writeable. But why are they badly set up so the usual uninstall does not work. I am using Ventura – James Rome Feb 17 '23 at 17:04

Can't run app because of permission in macOS v11 (Big Sur)

11 Answers11

Linked