mac app installation when not from app store, a question

By Kerie Doyle, 9 March, 2013

Forum
macOS and Mac Apps
Hi all Delighted to be writing this on my new 11 inch macbook air!!! I am afraid though I am a little rusty on a few things, and one in particular I was hoping for some help with. When I install an app from a website, like adium for example, how do i move the app to the applications folder, and make it so that it doesn't ask me if i want to open the app all the time? i have tried copying the app to the applications folder on my mac, but it still asks me if i want to open the app. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Kerie

Options

Comments

By Dave Nason on Monday, March 25, 2013 - 11:21

Member of the AppleVis Editorial Team
Hey Ker, I would have said that copy and paste is the right answer. Not really sure what you mean about it asking you if you want to open the app when you move it? Maybe something to do with the new gatekeeper thing. Need more detail. Give me a ring tomorrow if you want if you haven't figured it out.

By Esther on Monday, March 25, 2013 - 11:21

Many third-party applications for the Mac are distributed as "disk image" files with ".dmg" file extensions. When you open these files, they mount on your system as though they were virtual drives. You can copy the application bundle from the mounted disk image to your Mac's Application folder or Utilities folder. Once this is done, you can dismount the disk image, typically by highlighting that file in Finder, and pressing Cmd-E to "eject", and then send the disk image file to the Trash. You run the application from the version that is now stored in your Applications folder, and you can uninstall the application by moving it to the Trash. A convenient feature of the disk image format is that the app distributor can include an alias to your Applications folder within the mounted disk image, so you may read instructions to drag and drop the application to this link. Whether you are able to use VoiceOver drag and drop, or copy and paste onto this alias target, you can always copy the app and use the Command-Shift-A Finder shortcut to navigate to the Applications folder and paste. It sounds to me as though you are opening the application each time by navigating to the still-mounted disk image folder, and opening the copy of the application there, instead of using your installed version. I don't believe this is an issue with Gatekeeper security protection, where in Mountain Lion installations, developers must include signed certificates to comply with the extra Gatekeeper protocols, or else the user must temporarily disable Gatekeeper to perform the software installation. If this were in effect, you would get messages about not being able to open the software, whereas the fact that you're getting repeated messages about opening the software suggests that you are repeatedly opening the mounted disk image to run the application, rather than using your installed version of the application.

Hi Ester and David. Thanks to you both for your comments. Ester, I have now done what you suggest, copied some apps to applications folder, and now i don't get asked to open them all the time. You were spot on with what you said about the disk images, so thanks for that.

By KE7ZUM on Monday, March 25, 2013 - 11:21

and to disable gate keeper you can vo shift m onthe app name and click open then it will ask you if you want to open it once and ehtne never again. This is if you do have gate keeper on which I do. Take care.