<p>As mentioned by Andrew, this is due to macOS' enforcement of notarization requirements.</p>
<p>This can be bypassed by right clicking on the application, then selecting <code>Open</code> - A dialog will popup warning you that it is not verified, but this one will have an <code>Open</code> button.</p>
<p>Once you open the application through the above process once, a regular double click will work on it in the future.</p>
<p>You may need to go through this process again if you update to a newer version of Bitcoin Core.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-09-01T10:52:43.783Z
Thanks both!  Yes, I googled around some more after posting, and found it, but thank you for getting back to me and confirming.
user3174133
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-09-01T08:56:35.837Z
2020-09-01T08:56:35.837Z
Raghav Sood
<p>To add to Raghav's answer above, Cobra recently posted this question on <a href="https://twitter.com/CobraBitcoin/status/1312072503012077569?s=20" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Twitter</a> with a screenshot of what you see when you download Bitcoin Core on MacOS for the first time.</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/oYjGE.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/oYjGE.jpg" alt="Cobra Twitter" /></a></p>
<p>He outlines what would need to be done for Bitcoin Core developers to address this:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>The fix is trivial, just sign the application with an Apple developer account certificate, and notarize it, and it will run immediately for users, without showing this warning.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>But Andrew Chow explained on <a href="https://twitter.com/achow101/status/1312111758320959489?s=20" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Twitter</a> why Bitcoin Core developers have not done this:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>a notarized app will phone home to Apple's servers to verify that the notarization is valid. This privacy concern is what stopped the attempt to notarize Core, otherwise it would have been done a while ago. Many devs are not comfortable with that invasion of privacy.</p>
</blockquote>
<blockquote>
<p>Does a user trusting apple mean that they are opting into apple being the final arbiter of what they can run on their machine? Because AFAIU, that's what app notarization does. Apple can revoke notarizations thereby preventing an app from being installed.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Cobra argues that</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Core makes requests to DNS seeds, which leaks the user's privacy to random Core developers, but somehow, the user shouldn't trust Apple, their own OS provider?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>and</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Apple's walled garden is a major selling point, many people like applications being vetted and pre-approved.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>That summarizes the arguments for and against the Bitcoin Core developers addressing this user experience problem on MacOS. I would expect this to continue to be a user experience problem for the foreseeable future.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-02-22T02:59:48.177Z
Andrew Chow himself reiterated his explanation with a [comment](https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/98797/when-i-try-to-download-bitcoin-core-on-macos-it-says-apple-cannot-check-it-for#comment111914_98797) to the original question :)
Matt Popovich
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-04T14:15:40.243Z
2020-10-04T14:15:40.243Z
Michael Folkson
<p>When you see that dialog,</p>
<ol>
<li>Press Done</li>
<li>Open System Settings -&gt; Privacy &amp; Security</li>
<li>Scroll down and search for &quot;Bitcoin Core&quot; was blocked to protect your Mac</li>
<li>Press &quot;Open Anyway&quot; button, when a dialog is shown up, press &quot;Open Anyway&quot; button from the dialog. Then enter your mac's password.</li>
<li>Now try to open the app again.</li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-12-14T16:36:42.190Z
2024-12-14T16:36:42.190Z
Ye Yint Ko Ko
<p>Brand new Mac Mini, latest macOS Catalina (10.15.6 (19G2021)), followed instructions on bitcoin.org download page.  Double click Bitcoin Core.app, and I get:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Bitcoin Core.app” can’t be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software.</p>
<p>This software needs to be updated. Contact the developer for more information.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Any suggestions?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-09-01T06:19:55.280Z
This error is due to macOS requiring apps to be "notarized" by Apple. Bitcoin Core doesn't do this (yet) for privacy reasons (it causes macOS to phone home to Apple servers). I'm not sure how to bypass this error, but Apple claims it can be ignored. So the solution will be a general "app notarization bypass" kind of thing that you can try to search for.
Ava Chow
<bitcoin-core><mac><installation><bitcoincore-gui>
When I try to download Bitcoin Core on MacOS it says "Apple cannot check it for malicious software"? Is it safe to download?
user3174133
# When I try to download Bitcoin Core on MacOS it says "Apple cannot check it for malicious software"? Is it safe to download?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-08-31)

Brand new Mac Mini, latest macOS Catalina (10.15.6 (19G2021)), followed instructions on bitcoin.org download page. Double click Bitcoin Core.app, and I get:

> “Bitcoin Core.app” can’t be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software.
>
> This software needs to be updated. Contact the developer for more information.

Any suggestions?

**Tags:** bitcoin-core, mac, installation, bitcoincore-gui

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: This error is due to macOS requiring apps to be "notarized" by Apple. Bitcoin Core doesn't do this (yet) for privacy reasons (it causes macOS to phone home to Apple servers). I'm not sure how to bypass this error, but Apple claims it can be ignored. So the solution will be a general "app notarization bypass" kind of thing that you can try to search for.  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2020-09-01. Score: 9

As mentioned by Andrew, this is due to macOS' enforcement of notarization requirements.

This can be bypassed by right clicking on the application, then selecting `Open` - A dialog will popup warning you that it is not verified, but this one will have an `Open` button.

Once you open the application through the above process once, a regular double click will work on it in the future.

You may need to go through this process again if you update to a newer version of Bitcoin Core.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks both!  Yes, I googled around some more after posting, and found it, but thank you for getting back to me and confirming.  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2020-10-04. Score: 1

To add to username_2's answer above, Cobra recently posted this question on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/CobraBitcoin/status/1312072503012077569?s=20) with a screenshot of what you see when you download Bitcoin Core on MacOS for the first time.

[![Cobra Twitter](https://i.sstatic.net/oYjGE.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/oYjGE.jpg)

He outlines what would need to be done for Bitcoin Core developers to address this:

> The fix is trivial, just sign the application with an Apple developer account certificate, and notarize it, and it will run immediately for users, without showing this warning.

But Andrew username_1 explained on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/achow101/status/1312111758320959489?s=20) why Bitcoin Core developers have not done this:

> a notarized app will phone home to Apple's servers to verify that the notarization is valid. This privacy concern is what stopped the attempt to notarize Core, otherwise it would have been done a while ago. Many devs are not comfortable with that invasion of privacy.

> Does a user trusting apple mean that they are opting into apple being the final arbiter of what they can run on their machine? Because AFAIU, that's what app notarization does. Apple can revoke notarizations thereby preventing an app from being installed.

Cobra argues that

> Core makes requests to DNS seeds, which leaks the user's privacy to random Core developers, but somehow, the user shouldn't trust Apple, their own OS provider?

and

> Apple's walled garden is a major selling point, many people like applications being vetted and pre-approved.

That summarizes the arguments for and against the Bitcoin Core developers addressing this user experience problem on MacOS. I would expect this to continue to be a user experience problem for the foreseeable future.

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: Andrew username_1 himself reiterated his explanation with a [comment](https://bitcoin.stackexchange.com/questions/98797/when-i-try-to-download-bitcoin-core-on-macos-it-says-apple-cannot-check-it-for#comment111914_98797) to the original question :)  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2024-12-14. Score: 0

When you see that dialog,

1. Press Done
2. Open System Settings -> Privacy & Security
3. Scroll down and search for "Bitcoin Core" was blocked to protect your Mac
4. Press "Open Anyway" button, when a dialog is shown up, press "Open Anyway" button from the dialog. Then enter your mac's password.
5. Now try to open the app again.


---

