MacOS Catalina 'Verifying Files'

Hi R Dunmow,

Thank you for using the Apple Support Communities! It's my understanding that you are now seeing 'Verifying Files' when opening several installed applications since updating to macOS Catalina. I am happy to help.

It sounds like you've taken some steps on your own. Can you confirm if you've verified all the affected apps are up to date in the Mac App Store under Updates? If so, continue to the next steps.

I'd like to have you boot up into safe mode. It’s a way to start up your Mac so it performs certain checks and prevents some software from automatically loading. Safe mode can take several more minutes to boot into, just to give you a heads up this is expected. Once in safe mode, check to see if the same behavior continues when opening these multiple applications: Use safe mode to isolate issues with your Mac - Apple Support. Once tested, note the results and restart your Mac to boot back into your normal user. Test for the same behavior again, as sometimes booting into safe mode can resolve some issues.

If the issue remains, I will have you test a new user account next, to isolate if this is a user-specific issue, or a system-wide issue. Here’s how: How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac - Apple Support. Based on the results in the new user, you could continue to the section titled 'If the issue doesn't happen in the other account' or 'If the issue happens in the other account' to continue troubleshooting.

Reach back out with the results, if you need continued support.

Thank you!

R Dunmow,

Thank you for trying out safe mode and reporting back with this update.

It will be great to have you test out a new user as well. If the issue continues, however, I would like to get you in touch with our technical support team for continued troubleshooting. Please reach out using this link: Contact - Official Apple Support.

Thank you for your time.

Take care.

R Dunmow,

I appreciate the follow up.

I would also recommend checking out how you have your security preferences set up, as Gatekeeper is designed to ensure only trusted software runs on your Mac: Safely open apps on your Mac - Apple Support.

If the behavior remains, I'll need you to get in touch with our technical support team next. Being that you mentioned you ran into difficulties using the link previously shared, Contact - Official Apple Support, I would suggest trying this link using a different web browser. If that still does not work for you, you can call in to our technical support directly, using your local support number found here: Contact Apple for support and service - Apple Support.

Thank you for using the Apple Support Communities!

Take care.

I just posted a solution that will work for me on a temporary basis: File share your mac with a windows device and wait for Apple to do something. I have a late 2012 iMac, and while floundering about looking for a solution I learned that "owners of iPhone, iPad, iPod, or Mac products may obtain service and parts from Apple or Apple service providers for 5 years after the product is no longer manufactured—or longer where required by law. Apple has discontinued support for certain technologically obsolete and vintage products. 'Vintage' products are those that have not been manufactured for more than 5 and less than 7 years ago." Apple has discontinued hardware service for vintage products," with limited exceptions. See https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201624. Apple lists your MacBook Pro and my iMac as "vintage" products. This suggests that waiting for a patch might not help us. Nonetheless, I'm going to wait and see.

Good luck.

Mike

Just some information based on my research:

• This is definitely not limited to Microsoft or other third party apps. If you open Activity Monitor immediately upon logging in, you'll see that two processes in particular will have very high CPU usage: syspolicyd and XprotectService - the first deals with all Gatekeeper functions including checking the code signing, notarization, etc while the second checks for known malware against an internal blacklist
• Just because you don't see "Verifying (app)..." for a particular app doesn't mean it's not being verified. It appears on systems where this is happening, macOS will reverify every single app upon launch that app whenever the system is rebooted, regardless of whether it's already been verified previously. You just don't see the "Verifying (app)..." dialog box for most of them because the apps are small enough to be scanned fairly quickly
• Following on from that point, only larger apps will display the "Verifying (app)..." dialog box, and for most people, that would be Microsoft Office apps (~1-2GB each). Do not think this is limited to Microsoft apps just because of that. You will also see it for built in apps like iMovie (2.8GB) and GarageBand (1.5GB) , or Adobe apps (>1.4GB each) if you have them, and especially Xcode as it clocks in at a massive 17GB and takes the longest to verify for those who have it installed
• There appears to be something wrong with notarization checks, at least on my affected system. Notarization checked whether an app has been scanned by Apple to be free of malware, regardless of whether it's downloaded from the App Store or from elsewhere. macOS started to check for this starting with Mojave but this is now required for an app to run in Catalina. When the notarization check is not working properly, no error will be given when you try to run an unnotarized app (though please note on properly working systems, unnotarized apps that you've previously given to run will not be rechecked)

If you call Apple about this issue, please share the above facts so they're aware that the problem with with GateKeeper and its associated system processes and not Microsoft or other third party apps. I have filed a bug report a week ago and have yet to receive a response. I highly recommend others affected by this to also file a bug report using Feedback Assistant or at https://feedbackassistant.apple.com/

The more people report this to them, the higher chance it will be addressed sooner rather than later. Despite being a tempting temporary fix, I personally do not recommend disabling Gatekeeper or SIP altogether using the as it will disable all built-in security mechanisms designed to protect the user.

I had this too with my late 2013 Macbook Air. Found the following solution online:

1. Reboot to recovery mode (Hold down Cmd-R during restart)
2. Select Terminal from menu (Utilities > Terminal)
3. type: "csrutil disable"
4. restart normally

Result: My mac is working beautifully now. Actually faster on Catalina I think than Mojave!

Warning: You are now working unprotected, except for any 3rd-party anti-virus software you may or may not have installed. Carry out the above at your own risk, this is NOT an Apple-approved solution and increases your exposure/risk to threats.

Hello,

I was not the original user with the verifying problem in this thread, however I am having the exact same problem. I have a Macbook Pro Laptop from mid 2012. I updated my operating system to OS Catalina last week and now when I attempt to open applications I get a number of messages popping up. They tell me that various apps and operations are being verified. This did not happen with any of the previous MacOS versions. This verifying process bogs everything down and the laptop takes a long time to open apps or in some cases they don't open at all. I tried rebooting in safe mood as you suggested and then attempted to open apps and the same problem occurred. In fact, the verifying actually begins before I attempt to open the apps. The first message after I rebooted in safe mode said it was verifying the core. This is extremely frustrating and needs to somehow be fixed. You shared that the next step would be to test a new user account. can you give me the steps for that test?

Thanks

Hi, since downloading Catalina on my MacBook Air (2013 model). I have had issues. Apps are very slow to load, and the fan seems to run often. Also a high percentage of my memory is continually being used even though I am only using Safari, Word and Powerpoint. When i boot up it takes forever and has to verify apps such as iPhoto etc.

This is very frustrating. Can anyone offer any advice please?

I have exactly the same issue and when I go to security preferences and click allow to open anyway on apps that are blocked, nothing happens. I can't run some of the design apps I use for work now even though they are compatible. Catalina has made my machine no longer a pro device

I have this problem as well. My difference is that we have 3 Macs in our household, a mid 2018 i7 MacBook Pro (MacBookPro15,1), a late 2016 i7 MacBook Pro (MacBookPro13,3) and a late 2012 27" iMac (iMac13,2). Only the 2012 iMac has the problem where all Microsoft and Adobe apps are being verified after my computer is rebooted. The iMac and the 2016 MacBook Pro are registered under the same Apple ID. My Parallels application does not appear to be affected. I did not notice this problem when I first updated my OS. This seems to have first appeared within the last week or two. Odd.

My installed application base on all the systems is virtually identical and all loaded applications as well as the Mac OS are current. This is at least some evidence that the verification issue is at least partially correlated to older model Mac models.

I have a iMac (Retina 5k, 27-in, Late 2014) 3.5 ghz quad-core I5 w 32 Gb ram, AMD Radeon R9.

Ever since I updated to Catalina I get the Verifying (multiple apps) as soon as I boot and have to wait for it to go through them all before the computer can open any normal apps like safari or whatever I choose.

In the performance monitor, “XprotectService” is the process that requires all the %CPU usage and CPU Time.

Thanks in advance for looking into this for everyone on this thread.

I also have Xcode installed.

Exact same problem here. It starts with verifying dropbox then other apps as well. Does not slow that much my macbook air (mid 2012) but is very frustrating. Also, i have to continuously log in to third-party apps after i launch them; for instance NordVPN or World of Tanks. A bit of a lost of time. Happy to see that i am not the only one and hope a fix will come soon.

Same issue here as well! 11-inch MacBook Air Mid 2012 Core i7 8GB RAM

I haven't had any issues with this machine in 7 years, it screamed on the previous OS version. Now, it's crap. Almost every application Verifies upon reboot now. And read that again... I have to literally reboot every day, as after a while, the machine comes to a screeching halt and minus general web browsing, becomes unusable. I know a few others this has happened too, so it is definitely not a hardware malfunction. Catalina does not play nice with some of these older machine, and I wish I never would have upgraded. :-(

Same problem.

very frustrating. I have actually grabbed a small Lenovo to get my work done as it took 45 minutes just to open an excel file. It verified it three times and never actually opened the file.

Im refusing to update the Mac mini I use for a tv....because this is ridiculous.

+1. I have an early 2015 MacBook pro. For me only 'Microsoft Outlook' doesn't work (verifies and then nothing happens which is such a pathetic experience, can't believe apple can do this!). Word and Excel works fine!

Is this a new Apple strategy to force people buy a new machine? If so, I am not falling for it.