Note: This article was written for people using the Sierra Public Beta. When Apple released the final version of Sierra, it reverted the settings back to the way it works in El Capitan.
First, how it works in El Capitan
To understand the changes, let’s look at what was offered before Sierra. Previously (or currently, if you’re not running Sierra), in El Capitan. the setting looked like this.
In El Capitan, you have the option to allow apps that you downloaded from the internet, without any intervention from the operating system.
“Allow apps downloaded from” has three settings:
- Mac App Store: The Mac will only run apps downloaded from the Mac App Store.
- Mac App Store and identified developers: When you try to open a new app and it’s not on the list of identified developers that’s saved within the operating system, the Mac tells you it can’t open it. To open the app, you have to go to System Preferences > Security & Privacy, and click the Open Anyway button that appears in the General tab.
- Anywhere: You’ll see a notification that says the new app you want to open was downloaded from the internet, and you need to confirm that you want to open it.
How to Allow Apps from Anywhere in Gatekeeper for macOS Sierra
- Quit out of System Preferences
- Open the Terminal app from the /Applications/Utilities/ folder and then enter the following command syntax:
sudo spctl --master-disable
- Hit return and authenticate with an admin password
- Relaunch System Preferences and go to “Security & Privacy” and the “General” tab
- You will now see the “Anywhere” option under ‘Allow apps downloaded from:’ Gatekeeper options
You’ll now be able to open and launch apps from anywhere under macOS Sierra, but be forewarned this turns off Gatekeeper and is not recommended for the vast majority of Mac users. Allowing apps from anywhere including unidentified developers can potentially leave a Mac vulnerable to certain malware and junkware and should be avoided by all Mac users with the exception of those with genuinely advanced abilities.
