If a Mac application does not open on Mac, it is annoying. There are several reasons that an application may not start in MacOS. In this article I provide more information about why a Mac app won't start, but also what you can do about it.
That a Mac app not opening may be due to a problem with macOS, an incompatibility issue or even a security issue with Gatekeeper or XProtect. Let's try it solve problem to the application to start.
Mac application will not open
Gatekeeper blocks application
If you get a notification “comes from an unknown developer and cannot be opened.” then you have to deal with the built-in security in MacOS called Gatekeeper.
Gatekeeper protects MacOS from applications unknown to MacOS and not authenticated by Apple. If applications are not signed with a certificate from Apple this error message is displayed. Gatekeeper blocks unknown applications on your Mac.
To bypass Gatekeeper protection and still open the blocked application, go to the top left corner. Click on it Apple icon (). Click System Preferences from the menu.
In the System Preferences, open the Security & Privacy settings.
Click on the General tab. At the bottom you will see a message from Gatekeeper that the application has been blocked because the application comes from a developer whose identity is unknown.
Click Open Anyway to open the app.
You will receive the following message again.
macOS cannot verify the developer of “the application”. Are you sure you want to open it?
When you open this app, you are ignoring system security. This could expose your computer and your personal information to malware that could harm your Mac or compromise your privacy.
Click Open Anyway again. You have now given MacOS permission to open the application. You will no longer receive notifications from this application.
Application permission issues
Sometimes you get a vague error message that simply says, “The application (app name) cannot be opened”. This error appears to be related to a permissions issue with some apps and macOS Catalina and macOS BigSur.
To solve these problems, I recommend that you use CleanMyMac X. In CleanMyMac Apple are recommended.
Read more in the CleanMyMac.
XProtect
If you get an error message that an application will “harm your computer” with an option to move it directly to the Trash, your Mac has blocked potential malware. Unfortunately, there's nothing you can do to get around this.
MacOS has a built-in anti-malware feature called XProtect, which Apple continuously updates with rules for identifying malicious software. If a program you try to run triggers these set rules, macOS will block the application and not run the app.
I hope this has helped you and that you have also learned something about the built-in protection in MacOS called Gatekeeper and XProtect.
Thank you for reading!
I keep getting the message:
The app cannot be opened – 10673.
therefore cannot open links from mails ets
I have a MacBook, how can I open this?
Can anyone tell me?
fri gr Ina Prins
Hallo,
this is a known issue since Monterey 12.2. Something is going wrong between macOS and the Google Chrome or Firefox browser. So far there is no direct solution, but there is an intermediate solution and that is setting the Safari browser as the default browser.
Click on it Apple icon in the top left corner. Click System Preferences in the menu. Then click General and change the default browser to Safari. Restart your Mac.
Also check if you have the latest updates for macOS, Google Chrome/Firefox installed.
Here you can read information about people with the same problem:
https://discussions.apple.com/search?q=10673
Greetings, Stefan
Hello Stefan,
I have been playing Stepbridge on my MacBook for a year without any problems. Until yesterday... After starting the first game, the normal image suddenly disappears and a kind of bidding box appears across the entire screen width that cannot be removed with any command. In the background see I still have a few mm of the desired image. Can you please solve this problem? Thank you in advance.
AnnaLiliane
Hello An, I have no experience with StepBridge, but could you add a screenshot to a response to my message? You can add this screenshot by clicking on the image icon at the bottom right in the text field where you asked your question. At the bottom of the article in the comments field. If it doesn't work, I will try to help you in another way. I'm curious what you see because I can't reproduce it. Greetings, Stefan
Hello Stefan, thank you for your quick response. We have an additional problem here: this occurs at the start of a bridge session, resulting in a stoppage of play, which leads to sanctions, such as temporary suspension as a member. To avoid this, I first check the Uninstall the current Stepbridge version and reinstall it. Maybe that will help.
Thank you anyway. Kind regards, AnnaLiliane
Hello, if I can help with anything I would be happy to do so. Good luck! Greetings, Stefan
Hello Stefan, thank you for your interesting article. I also have a specific app (Stepbridge) that won't start, but I don't get any notifications either. When I click on it in Finder, the logo lights up a bit and nothing else happens. Restart computer, reinstall app, doesn't help... Thank you in advance for your thoughts!
Hello Peter, thank you for your message. You can try the following. Open finder. In the top menu, click Go, then press the Option (⌥) button. You will now see a new menu item called “Library” in the menu. Open the Library. Open the “Preferences” folder. In this folder you will see two files, nl.stepbridge.plist in "StepBridge Preferences" Delete both files and reinstall Stepbridge. This has deleted the StepBridge configuration files.
I hope this worked. Greetings Stefan
Hello Stefan, thank you very much for your answer. Yesterday afternoon the app suddenly worked again, but this morning I got the same problem again.
I just did what you described, which worked fine, but unfortunately did not produce the desired result. After deleting both files from the library via Finder, I deleted stepbridge and then reinstalled it. The Stepbridge logo is now at the bottom of the bar, but when I click on it it lights up for a moment and nothing else happens...
Do you have another idea?
Hmm not really. You can try the following again. It seems as if StepBridge opens, but disappears into the background so that the login window is not visible. I've had this before with other Mac apps.
1. Open StepBridge first.
2. Press CMD + Spacebar in the Spotlight window type: Terminal.
3. In the Terminal window type: ps -ax | grep StepBridge (note capital letters in StepBridge, use exact command). You will then see a result with an ID.
example:
6149 ?? 0:04.49 /Applications/StepBridge.app/Contents/MacOS/StepBridge
You need the first 4-digit number. This is the ID.
4. In the Terminal window then type: kill THEIDNUMBER,
for example Kill 6149.
5. Open StepBridge again.
Does it work now? Greetings Stefan
Hi Stefan,
thank you for your detailed suggestion again. I did it with this result:
only after a restart without opening Stepbridge
MacBook-Air-van-Peter:~ peterklops$ ps -ax | grep StepBridge
321 ?? 0:00.17 /Applications/StepBridge.app/Contents/MacOS/StepBridge -psn_0_53261
606 ttys000 0:00.00 grep StepBridge
then after “opening” StepBridge
MacBook-Air-van-Peter:~ peterklops$ ps -ax | grep StepBridge
671 ttys000 0:00.00 grep StepBridge
MacBook-Air-van-Peter:~ peterklops$ kill 671
-bash: kill: (671) – No such process
MacBook-Air-van-Peter:~ peterklops$
The app still doesn't open.
I had previously checked via Cmd Option Escape whether Stepbridge was running, but it did not appear there either...
And what if you have installed a program that simply does not open without further notification?
I downloaded and installed the Mac OS X application from stack (storage) without any problem. When I go to programs in Finder, it is also listed neatly, but I simply cannot open it.
When opened, the icon becomes larger for a moment and at the same time does a fade-out and nothing else, the program is nowhere to be seen.
The only thing I can think of is that my mac cannot handle the application or something, I have an older air.
There are a number of steps you can follow. Some are obvious and you may have already done them. This concerns the following app: https://mirror.transip.net/stack/? I just tested it and at this app opens on my Mac.
Would like to know if this worked.