“App is Damaged Can’t Be Opened” or 'App is damaged and can't be opened. You should move it the the Trash.' Error messages in Mac OS Sierra and High Sierra a. Over the past couple of days, some users may have noticed a problem with the Mac App Store – they say that the downloaded application is damaged and must be downloaded again from the Apple software store. As many developers have noticed, this is the fault of the Cupertino company itself, which did not renew the Mac App Store certificate. None of these are major threats to a MacBook or Mac, just a minor DRM issue in the App Store with some versions of Mac OS X. Due to the app signature issues that arisen across some app distribution through App Store, users are getting the ‘App is damaged and can’t be opened. If you're seeing 'damaged' apps on your Mac, you're not alone. A huge digital rights management blunder in Apple's Mac App Store on Wednesday, November 11th has rendered some apps unusable. When opening certain apps, the following message could be displayed: 'App Name' is damaged and can't be opened. “App is Damaged Can’t Be Opened” or 'App is damaged and can't be opened. You should move it the the Trash.' Error messages in Mac OS Sierra and High Sierra a.
To get the latest features and maintain the security, stability, compatibility, and performance of your Mac, it's important to keep your software up to date. Apple recommends that you always use the latest macOS that is compatible with your Mac.
Learn how to upgrade to macOS Big Sur, the latest version of macOS.
Check compatibility
If a macOS installer can't be used on your Mac, the installer will let you know. For example, it might say that your Mac doesn't have enough free storage space for the installation, or that the installer is too old to be opened on this version of macOS.
If you want to check compatibility before downloading the installer, learn about the minimum requirements for macOS Catalina, Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, or Yosemite. You can also check compatible operating systems on the product-ID page for MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, MacBook, iMac, Mac mini, or Mac Pro.
Make a backup
Before installing, it’s a good idea to back up your Mac. Time Machine makes it simple, and other backup methods are also available. Learn how to back up your Mac.
Download macOS
It takes time to download and install macOS, so make sure that you're plugged into AC power and have a reliable internet connection.
These installers from the App Store open automatically after you download them:
- macOS Catalina 10.15 can upgrade Mojave, High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks
- macOS Mojave 10.14 can upgrade High Sierra, Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion
- macOS High Sierra 10.13 can upgrade Sierra, El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion, Lion
Your web browser downloads the following older installers as a disk image named InstallOS.dmg or InstallMacOSX.dmg. Open the disk image, then open the .pkg installer inside the disk image. It installs an app named Install [Version Name]. Open that app from your Applications folder to begin installing the operating system.
- macOS Sierra 10.12 can upgrade El Capitan, Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion, or Lion
- OS X El Capitan 10.11 can upgrade Yosemite, Mavericks, Mountain Lion, Lion, or Snow Leopard
- OS X Yosemite 10.10can upgrade Mavericks, Mountain Lion, Lion, or Snow Leopard
Install macOS
Follow the onscreen instructions in the installer. It might be easiest to begin installation in the evening so that it can complete overnight, if needed.
If the installer asks for permission to install a helper tool, enter the administrator name and password that you use to log in to your Mac, then click Add Helper.
Please allow installation to complete without putting your Mac to sleep or closing its lid. Your Mac might restart, show a progress bar, or show a blank screen several times as it installs both macOS and related updates to your Mac firmware.
Learn more
You might also be able to use use macOS Recovery to reinstall the macOS you're using now, upgrade to the latest compatible macOS, or install the macOS that came with your Mac.
For some odd reason, the apps that are downloaded and installed from the Mac store are not opening for some users, even if you've used those apps before. In fact, when a user tries to open the app that is affected by this bug will receive an error something like 'App is damaged and can't be opened.' To make the matters worse, the system suggests deleting the app and reinstalling it again. Generally, this action won't fix the error. The reason for this simple, the security certificate might be expired. So, if you are someone who is affected by this bug then here is how you can fix it.
Fix: App is Damaged and Can't be Opened Error
There are three ways to fix the app is damaged error on Mac. So, follow one after the other and see what fixes the error for you.
Mac Os High Sierra App Damaged
1. Reboot your Mac
Often times, rebooting the Mac easily solves the issue. So, save all your work, close the applications and reboot your system. Once you are done rebooting, try to launch the application.
If you are still receiving the error, try to reinstall it. For me, reinstalling the affected app after rebooting worked. If this didn't work, then follow the below methods.
2. Re-authenticate your Mac
If the above simple method doesn't work then reauthenticating your Mac with your Apple ID might solve the issue. So, head over to the App Store, sign-out, reboot and then and sign in again. This action will re-authenticate your Mac.
From this point forward, you shouldn't receive the above error message. If you are still receiving the error, try to reinstall the app after signing with your Apple ID.
3. Kill the Effected Process
If nothing else works, then killing the affected processes after re-authenticating your Mac might solve the issue. To do that, search for the terminal using either Launchpad or Spotlight and then launch it.
Mac Os App Damaged Cannot Be Opened
Once the terminal has been opened, copy the below command and execute it. As soon as you execute the command, the terminal will kill two processes.
That's it, just reboot your system and you should have solved the problem.
Mac Os Must Have Apps
Hopefully that helps and do comment below sharing your thoughts and experiences about using the above methods to fix 'App is damaged and can't be fixed error.'