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What is notarization on Mac?

Security and signing Published

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Notarization is a process where a developer submits a Mac app to Apple, and Apple checks it before people download it. Apple’s own words are that it gives users more confidence in macOS software.

What Apple says it means

On the Gatekeeper support page, Apple says notarization means it checked the software for malicious content and none was detected. Apple’s wording is narrow: it checked for malicious software and none was detected. It says nothing about whether the app is good or how it handles your data.

Why it matters

By default, macOS Catalina and later requires notarization for software from outside the App Store. A notarized app opens with fewer warnings, because Gatekeeper can see that Apple has already checked it. Developers who distribute outside the App Store sign with a Developer ID and turn on the hardened runtime first.

NotchStar

NotchStar has been notarized since version 1.0.3 on 9 October 2026. The live disk image was checked with spctl on 11 October 2026, which reported Notarized Developer ID, with the ticket attached to both the disk image and the app. Check your own copy with spctl -a -vv /Applications/NotchStar.app.

See is NotchStar safe for the other checks, and what is a disk image for how the download is packaged.

Keep reading.

What is Gatekeeper on a Mac?
Gatekeeper is the macOS check that decides whether downloaded software may run. Learn what it checks, why it shows warnings and how it relates to notarization.
What is an Apple Developer ID?
A Developer ID is the certificate Apple gives developers to sign Mac apps shared outside the App Store. Learn what it proves and what it does not.
What is the hardened runtime?
The hardened runtime is a code signing setting that limits what a Mac app can do. Learn what it blocks and how entitlements relax it.
Is NotchStar safe? Signing, permissions and what it sends
NotchStar is signed and notarized by Apple, needs no account and sends nothing unless you opt in. See every permission it asks for and how to check it yourself.

More in Security and signing.

What is Gatekeeper on a Mac?
Gatekeeper is the macOS check that decides whether downloaded software may run. Learn what it checks, why it shows warnings and how it relates to notarization.
What is an Apple Developer ID?
A Developer ID is the certificate Apple gives developers to sign Mac apps shared outside the App Store. Learn what it proves and what it does not.
What is a DMG file?
A DMG is a disk image, a single file that opens like a drive. Learn how apps ship in one, how to install from it and how to verify the download.
What is the hardened runtime?
The hardened runtime is a code signing setting that limits what a Mac app can do. Learn what it blocks and how entitlements relax it.
What are entitlements in macOS?
Entitlements are key value pairs signed into a Mac app that grant it permission to use a service or technology. Learn what NotchStar asks for and why.
What is the App Sandbox on Mac?
The App Sandbox is a macOS feature that limits an app's access to system resources and user data. Learn how it differs from the hardened runtime.
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