What is Gatekeeper for Mac?

Gatekeeper is a security feature that helps protect your Mac from malware and prevents unauthorised applications (apps) from being downloaded and installed on your device.

All apps available from the Mac App Store have been reviewed and approved by Apple. However, some developers have not yet released signed versions of their apps and installers. You will, therefore, need to temporarily disable Gatekeeper to download and install these apps. This should only be done to install and initially launch the application. Be aware, that by disabling Gatekeeper, you may leave yourself vulnerable to malicious applications, so only do so if you are sure that the app is safe to install. In some cases you will need to disable Gatekeeper to comply with installation instructions on the ICTS website - this will be for applications we have tested and know to be safe.

After installation you need to reconfigure Gatekeeper so that it only allows apps from Mac App Store and identified developers to be used on your Mac.

How do I temporarily disable Gatekeeper settings to allow unidentified applications to be downloaded onto my Mac?
  1. Select Apple > System Preferences.
  2. Under the Personal section, select Security and Privacy.
  3. In the Security and Privacy pane, click Lock on the bottom-left.
  4. In the authentication pane, enter your Mac OS X username and password (local user account) and click Unlock.
    • Select the radio button next to Anywhere, under the Allow applications downloaded from section.
  5. Click Allow from Anywhere in the warning dialog box.
  6. You can now install the application for your Mac without it being blocked.
     
How do I reconfigure your Gatekeeper only allow applications from identified developers?
  1. Select Apple > System Preferences.
    • Under the Personal section, select Security and Privacy.
  2. In the Security and Privacy pane, click Lock on the bottom-left.
  3. In the authentication pane, enter your Mac OS X username and password (local user account) and click Unlock.
  4. Select the radio button next to Mac App Store and identified developers, under the Allow applications downloaded from section.
  5. Exit and close the Security and Privacy dialog box.