When the OS blocks Snipe

Snipe for Mac ships as a .zip with Snipe.app inside — not from the Mac App Store, and not Apple-notarised the way App Store apps are. On first launch, Gatekeeper often shows a warning that the app can’t be opened because it is from an unidentified developer, or that Apple could not verify it for malware. Same family of prompt on Mac Legacy (Yosemite 10.10 through Big Sur 11) and on macOS 12+ (Monterey onward), including Sequoia.

That is Apple’s Gatekeeper policy for apps opened outside the App Store / identified-developer path. It is not Snipe telemetry. Once you allow this copy of Snipe.app once, later launches should open normally.

Channels: Mac Legacy (Snipe-legacy-correct.zip) · macOS 12+ (Snipe-12-UP.zip).

On OS X / macOS through Sonoma (and still useful on many machines), this is the fastest override. Use Finder — not Launchpad.

1. Unzip the download. Drag Snipe.app into Applications (recommended) or leave it where you unzipped it.
2. In Finder, locate Snipe.app.
3. Control-click (or right-click) the app → choose Open.
4. In the confirmation dialog, click Open again.

Do not only double-click the first time if you already saw a block — double-click alone often only offers Cancel / Move to Trash. Control-click → Open is what creates the security exception.

macOS Sequoia (15) and newer: Apple removed the Control-click override for unsigned / unnotarised apps. If Control-click → Open does nothing useful, or the dialog only offers Done / Move to Trash, use Privacy & Security → Open Anyway below.

After a blocked launch attempt, macOS often surfaces an allow button for about an hour. This is the reliable path on Monterey–Sequoia and later, and it also exists on older Macs under a slightly different name.

macOS 13 Ventura and newer (System Settings):

1. Try to open Snipe.app once so Gatekeeper records the block. If the dialog only has Done, click Done (do not Move to Trash).
2. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security.
3. Scroll to the Security section near the bottom.
4. You should see a line that Snipe (or Snipe.app) was blocked. Click Open Anyway.
5. Confirm with your Mac password / Touch ID, then confirm Open if asked again.

macOS 12 Monterey (System Preferences):

1. After a blocked attempt, open System Preferences → Security & Privacy → General.
2. Unlock the padlock if needed.
3. Next to the message that Snipe was blocked, click Open Anyway, then confirm.

OS X 10.10 Yosemite – macOS 11 Big Sur (Mac Legacy):

1. Control-click → Open first (usually enough on these releases).
2. If still blocked: System Preferences → Security & Privacy → General.
3. Unlock the padlock (bottom-left) with your Mac password if settings are locked.
4. Under Allow apps downloaded from, choose App Store and identified developers if it is set to App Store only.
5. After a failed open, an Open Anyway button appears for the blocked app — click it and confirm.

Option on OS X 10.11 El Capitan (and earlier): Allow from Anywhere

Through OS X 10.11 El Capitan, System Preferences still includes a third radio button: Anywhere. Apple removed that GUI option in macOS 10.12 Sierra and later — it will not appear on Sierra, High Sierra, Mojave, Catalina, Big Sur, or macOS 12+.

1. Apple menu → System Preferences → Security & Privacy.
2. Open the General tab.
3. Click the padlock (bottom-left) and enter your Mac account password to unlock.
4. Under Allow applications downloaded from:, select Anywhere.
5. Confirm the warning prompt.

That allows unsigned software globally on that Mac. Prefer Control-click → Open or Open Anyway when you only need Snipe; use Anywhere only if you understand it weakens Gatekeeper for every download. On Sierra and newer, use the steps above instead — there is no Anywhere radio in the GUI.

You only need the per-app allow once per install location. If you replace Snipe.app with a newer ZIP later, Gatekeeper may ask again for the new copy — repeat the same steps.

On Windows 11 you may get a dark dialog titled Smart App Control blocked an app that may be unsafe. Typical wording:

“We blocked C:\Program Files\Snipe\Snipe.exe because we could not verify its publisher to confirm it was safe to run.” Microsoft also says it will “review the app” and offers Okay or Get apps from the Store. Neither of those buttons installs Snipe.

Smart App Control is an allow-list style feature. If the publisher is not in Microsoft’s reputation system yet, the app is blocked even when you installed it on purpose. There is no useful “Run anyway” on that dialog.

How to allow Snipe (turn Smart App Control off for this PC):

1. Open Settings → Privacy & security → Windows Security → Open Windows Security.
2. Go to App & browser control.
3. Under Smart App Control, open Smart App Control settings.
4. Set Smart App Control to Off. (On many PCs once it is fully On, Off is the only way out without resetting Windows.)
5. Close Windows Security, then start Snipe again from the Start menu or Snipe.exe.

Turning Smart App Control off is a system-wide choice. If your organisation manages the PC with policy, you may need an admin. If you prefer to leave Smart App Control on, Microsoft’s Store button will not help; Snipe is not a Store app.

When you run the installer the first time, SmartScreen may show a blue or dark warning that Windows protected your PC because the app is unrecognised. That is the older reputation filter (separate from Smart App Control, but the same root cause: no Microsoft reputation for the publisher yet).

1. On the SmartScreen window, click More info.
2. Confirm the file name looks like our installer (for example SnipeBrowser-…-setup.exe).
3. Click Run anyway.

If there is no More info / Run anyway option, use the unblock steps below on the downloaded file, then try again. You can also open Windows Security → App & browser control → Reputation-based protection settings and temporarily relax check apps / check files while you install, then turn the checks back on.

Files downloaded in a browser often carry a Zone.Identifier mark (“downloaded from the internet”). Windows can refuse to run them until you clear it.

1. In File Explorer, go to your Downloads folder (or wherever you saved the installer).
2. Right-click the Snipe .exe or .zip → Properties.
3. If you see Unblock near the bottom of the General tab, tick it and click OK / Apply.
4. Run the installer again.

After a successful install, the same Smart App Control dialog can still appear when launching Snipe.exe from Program Files. In that case the unblock checkbox on the download does not help; use the Smart App Control Off steps above.