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!

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.

I was also experiencing this issue. However, today's release of macOS Catalina 10.15.2 has fixed the issue, and restored my MacBook Air speed back to normal! If you've been waiting for an update from Apple to resolve the "Verifying Files" issue, this appears to be it.

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.

That is expected behaviour. Gatekeeper is supposed to do a thorough scan of apps the first time they're run after installation or modification (including the lengthy verification for Xcode). The problem was that Catalina wasn't remembering or was ignoring the fact that those apps had already been verified.

You shouldn't see those same apps being verified again unless you've installed an update for them on 10.15.2. If the problem does persist then it might be worth contacting Apple again, but for me the problem appears fixed.

10;15.2 fixed this issue! Just downloaded and installed. Mac also appears to run faster. I have a MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2012). Finally...!!!

Yeah, maybe a permissions issue? I followed the instructions in the "answer" in this thread - reboot, command-R immediately, wait for ages until the system boots into recovery mode, select terminal from the top menu, check if SIP is currently enabled ("csrutil status") and if it is (it was for me) disable it ("csrutil disable"), then reboot from the Apple menu. I could be wrong but most of the "me too" comments in this thread are from laptop users, correct? My iMac Pro upgraded to Catalina with zero issues and runs perfectly now.

Guess this issue is caused by old mechanical disks with APFS (or just Catalina ?). Read on:

No problems w/ wife’s iMac late 2013, BUT it’s been SSD upgraded long before Catalina. When booting from an external USB3 mechanical backup disk, XProtectService began reading Gigs. After the same backup was run from an external SSD, the service didn’t even started, and everything was fine again.

One needs to follow the varied procedures in Apple's Safely open apps on your Mac article — for those applications downloaded from outside of the Mac App Store.

Mid-2012 MBP, 8 GB RAM. Previously running Sierra (!). Upgraded to Catalina 10.15.2 a couple days ago, machine instantly became unusable. The worst offender, frankly, in Safari - pages just don't render, or take forever. My solution has been to kill XProtectService whenever it turns up at the top of the list of processes on the CPU panel in Activity Monitor. Not as severe as disabling SIP, but still dangerous. But the Mac is unusable with it running.

I've been a Mac user for thirty years. This is the first time I've considered installing anything besides MacOS.

No worries - I just got my life back by disabling SIP.

I installed a VM manager in order to install Mojave. Not a perfect solution but it works. Eventually maybe Catalina will work for us!

RE: The 'verifying files' plague.

I'm not sure where I am inserting into this dialogue, but my principal problem has been with MS Office's incompatibility with OS Catalina in the late 2012 iMac. The problem persists, despite one update from Apple.

Here is a further update: I have spent about 4 hours online or on the phone with Apple Tech support, and nearly two more hours with Microsoft, all dealing with the MS Office "verifying files" problem. MS punted to Apple. Ten days or so ago Apple took a bunch of data from my computer for their engineers to analyze. I got a call today telling me that Apple and Microsoft are now working together to analyze this phenomenon and find a solution. I was assured that this is a serious matter being worked on actively, and that most of the time these sorts of problems produce a solution, usually implemented through an update.

Meanwhile, I'm not turning off the MS Office apps once they are loaded, but this too is causing problems. I may try to use Apple's "Pages" and "Numbers" on an interim basis, but since I don't want to learn new programs, I may stumble along with plan A for the time being.

Michael Mandig

I did the same thing two weeks ago. Spent hours on the phone, first with the tier one tech, followed by several hours with a senior person, including running analytics tools, gathering information and sending it to Apple - this so that tier two rep could pass the matter to “our engineers.” A follow up call was scheduled but Apple no-showed. I complained of this and ended up on the phone again. I was asked to send more information, and did so. My primary problem is very poor interface between ms office and catalina. After HOURS online and on phone with Apple I was told that Microsoft and apple engineers are working to solve the problem. Now? Weeks later? No further contact from Apple.

i do not want to shut off security, so what I do is spend 30-40 minutes launching MS apps, then I don’t turn anything off. Eventually the apps freeze or have other weird problems, and I shut down or restart.

this sucks.