Back in 2017, with the release of macOS High Sierra, Apple introduced an annoying change to GateKeeper. They removed the option to allow apps downloaded from “Anywhere” to open.
Luckily there’s a fix for that, even if you’re running a modern macOS like Big Sur or Monterey.
The problem is that, anytime you download and install an app from outside the Mac App Store or an app that hasn’t been notarized by Apple, you won’t be able to open or even install it just like any other app.
FSM EXCLUSIVE DEAL You’ll have to go to Security & Privacy > General and click the Open Anyway button to confirm your intent to open or install the app.
You can see that I was able to install Hidden Bar but not open it. To do that, I had to go through the process described above.
So how to fix this issue? Open your terminal, run sudo spctl --master-disable and type in your password when prompted.
That’s it. Now, if you go back to Security & Privacy you’ll notice that you have a third option, and that’s to allow apps downloaded from “Anywhere”.
To revert the changes, all you have to do is open your terminal, run sudo spctl --master-enable and type in your password when prompted.
Stupid problem, simple fix. You can learn more about macOS’s app security setting on Apple’s website.