Allow applications to be downloaded and opened from anywhere on MacOS Ventura

Wondering how to allow apps to download and open from anywhere on MacOS Ventura? You may have noticed that macOS Ventura and other modern versions of macOS have removed the “Allow download apps from anywhere” option by default. However, that doesn’t mean it’s impossible to download and open apps from elsewhere, and advanced users can enable this feature in System Preferences on their Mac if needed.

Note: Gatekeeper modifications have security and privacy implications and are only suitable for advanced users who know what they are doing and why. Average Mac users should not modify Gatekeeper or how to manage system and application security.

Allow apps from anywhere on MacOS Ventura

Here’s how to re-enable the “Anywhere” option in the security settings panel on MacOS:

1. Exit System Preferences if it is currently open
2. Open the Terminal app from Spotlight using command+space by typing Terminal and pressing return, or from the Utilities folder
3. Type the exact syntax of the following command:

sudo spctl --master-disable

4. Press return and authenticate with an administrator password, the password is not displayed on the screen while typing, which is typical for the terminal.



5. From the  Apple menu, go to “System Preferences”.
6. Now go to “Privacy & Security” and scroll down to find the “Security” section in the settings panel.
7. The “Anywhere” option will now be selected and available under “Download apps from here”.



8. You can enable this or toggle the other options, the “Anywhere” option for apps will remain enabled and available in System Preferences until disabled from the command line.

You can now download, open, and launch apps from anywhere on your Mac, which may be desirable for advanced users, developers, and other tinkerers, but it comes with security risks, so it’s highly recommended that you don’t enable it for the average Mac user. This is because an unscrupulous, unidentified developer can use malware, junk, trojans, or other malicious activity in an application, and the default assumption is not to trust random software from untrusted sources.

Bypass Gatekeeper with one click

Another option that doesn’t involve using a terminal and can be used on a one-time basis is the simple Gatekeeper bypass trick:

1. Right-click or Control-click any app you want to open from an unidentified developer
2. Select “Open”.
3. Confirm whether you want to open the app even though it is from an unidentified developer

This approach does not affect other apps and is available on a per-app basis. This doesn’t affect your Mac’s privacy and security settings, and it doesn’t affect the “Anywhere” option, which lets you download or open apps from anywhere.

How to hide “anywhere” from the “Allow downloadable apps” security settings on MacOS Ventura

If you want to go back to the default setting or hide the “Anywhere” option in System Preferences. Simply return to the terminal and type the following command:

sudo spctl --master-enable

Press return, authenticate again with the admin password, and you’ll be back to the default setting of no “Anywhere” option on the Security screen.

Let us know in the comments if you have any questions or thoughts about MacOS Ventura 13.0 and later security and Gatekeeper settings!

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