Member Avatar for joshuapatel

Just updated to 10.14.4 but that didn't fix anything

Everything I download I keep getting the "This file is damaged and cannot be opened, move to trash?" message and I don't know what to do anymore

The sudo-master disable command thing worked for a while but it's not anymore

This laptop isn't very useful if I can't download anything! Please help, after recovering from a kernal panic this is the last thing I need, I'm very frustrated with this 2017 macbook pro

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by rproffitt

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Quick context: described repeated “damaged/can’t be opened” errors after upgrading, and correctly asked for more detail. The dialog points strongly at macOS security (Gatekeeper / the “quarantine” extended attribute) or damaged downloads — and because you mentioned a prior kernel panic, on-disk problems are also possible. Apple documents how Gatekeeper/notarization work and what the system means by “damaged.” Safely open apps on your Mac. (support.apple.com)

Practical next steps (do these one at a time; only run Terminal commands on files you trust):

  • Try right-click (control-click) > Open on one affected file (that gives a one-off bypass). See “Open Anyway” in Privacy & Security. Open an app by overriding security settings. (support.apple.com)

  • Inspect and (if safe) clear the quarantine attribute:

    xattr -l /path/to/Download.dmg
xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /path/to/Download.dmg
sudo xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine /path/to/folder

    xattr is the standard tool for extended attributes on macOS. Use it only on files you trust. (keith.github.io)

  • Check Gatekeeper status: spctl --status (and note that spctl is the system policy tool; historically sudo spctl --master-disable will disable assessments on older macOS versions but should be used cautiously). (help.apple.com)

If the problem affects every download or the quarantine flag returns after you clear it, or if other corruption symptoms appear (you had a kernel panic), run First Aid in Disk Utility and run Apple Diagnostics to check hardware. Back up important data before doing repairs or reinstalling macOS. How to repair a Mac storage device with Disk Utility. Use Apple Diagnostics to test your Mac. (support.apple.com)

If you reply with one example file type (dmg/pkg/zip), the exact filename and size, the output of xattr -l /path/to/file and spctl --status, which browser you used to download, and whether right‑click > Open works, the community can give the next targeted step. Avoid permanently disabling Gatekeeper and only remove quarantine attributes from files you obtained from trusted sources.

Member Avatar for rproffitt

You need to add more detail. "The file is damaged and should be moved to the trash." is a more common message but you may have some other language or typed from memory.

I googled "The file is damaged and should be moved to the trash." and found so many priors that well, you should tell more such as how much free space there is on drives and what are you downloading. BE SPECIFIC. Do not reply with "anything."

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