Level 1

22 points

MacOS Catalina 'Verifying Files'

I have just upgraded my iMac to Catalina and I now get "Verifying Files" whenever I try to start applications that works just fine in Mojave. For example Outlook, Work, Excel and Powerpoint all have this issue and they do it everytime I restart my mac.

It's not just Microsoft products, happens for xCode, but some like Chrome are fine.

How can I fix this as it's making using my Mac a nightmare, I now have to spend 20 to 30 minutes in the morning opening all the apps I think I might use in the day so that I am not waiting for them to start when I need them.

I don't want to re-install the OS as that is just not an option. I have tried to delete and re-install xCode and that didn't fix it....can I turn off XprotectService?

Thanks

iMac Line (2012 and Later)

Posted on Oct 11, 2019 12:47 PM

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R Dunmow Author

Level 1

22 points

Posted on Nov 1, 2019 3:13 AM

Maybe they need to stop saying it's a Microsoft Issue as I got the same problem with xCode which I know is nothing to do with Microsoft, so it's not a Microsoft only problem.

I have taken the advice from another person on this thread that explained how to switching off the verifying part of the system by putting my Mac into Recovery Mode (CMD+R during boot) and then in a command prompt typing

csrutil disable

when rebooting back to normal mode everything now works fine with no annoying verification. I have just recently applied the latest patch (more of a complete install than a patch) and tried to switch verification back on using "csrutil enable" and the problem is still there, so this hasn't been fixed yet.

I will try apple support again when I have a day to kill, but for now I will use my system without the verification sub system on.

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114 replies

moreyc

Level 1

9 points

Nov 12, 2019 10:32 AM in response to mmandig

I called Apple support and they guided me through a nondestructive reinstall of Catalina, which also rebuilt my trashed recovery volume. However, I still had to go through the verifying process for my non Apple apps.

i then rebooted into recovery mode where I turned off the SIP check. Problem solved!

Nov 12, 2019 11:45 AM in response to mmandig

Thanks for the update Michael. This isn't exclusively a MS problem though they might be able to help track down the bug. I have the same problem with Adobe Acrobat Pro DC. I have also been having problems with Safari bogging down the system when it's not giving me connection problems to some news services.

My plan forward is to eschew SIP override in favor of shutting down my system at night and starting up my Apps after boot and taking a shower while it re-verifies the apps I plan to use for the day.

Nov 28, 2019 7:05 AM in response to R Dunmow

Hello,

I have late 2013 iMac which went through lengthly verification of what appears to be all application (except perhaps native Apple one) on reboot I disabled SIP for now. I have 2 questions.

1) I have new iMac (late 2019 I assume)that has Mojave. Does anyone know if installing Catalina will result in same issue?

2) Any good informative links to issues about going with "csrutil disabled" and how to minimize risks?

I don't expect Apple to respond to this as they are probably too busy assisting Facebook help the Russians manage the 2020 election...

mmandig1

Level 1

4 points

Dec 17, 2019 4:48 PM in response to diadem127

Apple came out with updates. I installed 10.15.2 on a late 2012 iMac. Seems to be working OK. My main problems were MS Office applications, and they all seem to be working well. No more "verifying files" with any of them. And it seems like when a "verification" takes place on some other app, it only happens once and the program will open normally in the future. The startup of the computer and the launching of apps seems really slow, but at least it actually happens I can handle 1, 2 or even 5 minutes much better than a half hour, or never.

I'd suggest the update 10.15.2 if you're having problems with MS Office. I don't know a thing about X-Code.

moreyc

Level 1

9 points

Dec 30, 2019 9:26 AM in response to R Dunmow

It turns out that the one remaining "verify" after the last MacOS update was caused by an incorrect reference to a VM in my User Login Entries. After deleting and re-entering the app, I have no more problems and the OS with it's apps are running quickly.

Thanks all,

Morey

R Dunmow Author

Level 1

22 points

Oct 17, 2019 1:47 PM in response to chuck_3rd

I have not tried the safe mode yet, but I did try creating a new user and this made no difference.

mmandig

Level 1

10 points

Oct 28, 2019 8:39 PM in response to mmandig

Let me try again, this time with no typos:

By the way, if you can eventually open your most-used apps, you can always just NEVER turn them off...!!

Nov 21, 2019 1:51 PM in response to moreyc

I put an early beta of Catalina on my late 2012 Mac Mini and it bricked it.

moreyc

Level 1

9 points

Dec 30, 2019 2:17 PM in response to mmandig1

How much ram do you have. Also do you have an SSD or platter HD?

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MacOS Catalina 'Verifying Files'