Wondering how you can allow apps to be downloaded and opened from anywhere on macOS Ventura? You may have noticed that the ability to select “Allow apps downloaded from anywhere” has been removed by default in macOS Ventura and other modern versions of macOS. That doesn’t mean it’s impossible to download and open apps from elsewhere, though, and advanced users can enable this feature in system settings if they need it on their Mac.
Note that the changes to Gatekeeper have security and privacy ramifications, and are only suitable for advanced users who know what they are doing and why they are doing it. The average Mac user shouldn’t make any changes to Gatekeeper or system and application security management.
How to Allow Apps From Anywhere on MacOS Ventura
Here’s how you can re-enable the “Everywhere” option in the Security Preferences panel on macOS:
- Exit out of System Settings if currently open
- Open the Terminal app, from Spotlight with command+spacebar by typing Terminal and hitting return, or through the Utilities folder
- Enter exactly the following command syntax:
- Hit return and authenticate with an admin password, the password won’t show up on the screen as you type, which is typical for Terminal
- In the Apple menu, navigate to “System Settings”
- Now go to “Privacy and Security” and scroll down to find the “Security” section of the preference panel
- The “Everywhere” option will now be selected and available under the “Allow apps downloaded from” selections
- You can keep this option enabled or toggle the other options, the “Everywhere” option for apps will remain enabled and available in the system settings until it is disabled again via the command line.
sudo spctl --master-disable
You can now download, open, and launch apps from anywhere on the Mac, which may be desirable for advanced users, developers, and other tinkerers, but it poses security risks, so it’s highly recommended not to not enable for the average Mac user. Indeed, an unidentified and unscrupulous developer could use malware, malware, Trojans or other nefarious activities in an application, and the default assumption should be to not trust software. random from unreliable sources.
Bypass Gatekeeper in one click
Another option that doesn’t involve the use of Terminal and can be used on an ad hoc basis is the simple Gatekeeper bypass trick:
- Right-click or control-click any app you want to open from Unidentified Developer
- Choose “Open”
- Confirm that you want to open this app even if it is from an unidentified developer
This approach has no impact on other applications and is available for each application. It doesn’t impact privacy and security settings on the Mac, or the “Everywhere” option to download or open apps from anywhere.
How to Hide “Anywhere” from “Allow Apps Downloaded From” Security Options on MacOS Ventura
If you want to return to the default setting or hide the “Everywhere” option in the system settings. Simply go back to the terminal and enter the following command:
sudo spctl --master-enable
Press Back, authenticate again with the administrator password and you will be back to the default option of no longer having “Everywhere” as an option to select in the Security screen.
Let us know in the comments if you have any questions or thoughts regarding security settings and Gatekeeper in macOS Ventura 13.0 and later!
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