Settings and permissions
Prepare permissions and storage, and understand what each setting does.
Open settings with the gear at the top right of the main window. Before moving anything, check Readiness and follow the permission and storage prompts. Available checks can differ between macOS versions.
Readiness and system permissions
| Item | Purpose | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Full Disk Access | Let AppPorts read and manage protected data locations. | Open System Settings from Readiness, grant access and reopen AppPorts when prompted. |
| App Management | Allow managing other apps when macOS requires it. | Follow the system prompt or the Readiness link. |
| Removable Volumes | Let the moved app access external data. | The original app may ask separately on first access; this is distinct from AppPorts' permissions. |
| External storage | Check connection, format and encryption. | Choose a suitable destination using the storage guide. |
Installation location and space needed for the current operation are checked when you select a directory and start migration. Run AppPorts from Applications, not directly from its installer image.
Granting access to AppPorts does not authorize other apps. For missing data, first check mount state and the original app's permissions.
App Store and non-native apps
On macOS 15.1 and later, App Store can manage external installations. AppPorts no longer requires manually enabling these two migration switches. Check App Store settings for the external download option for large apps.
Earlier systems show Allow Migration of Mac App Store Apps and Allow Migration of Non-Native Apps. Read the prompts before enabling them: system support, updates and device requirements still apply. See application migration.
Classic data migration mode
Classic data migration mode (not recommended) is off by default and retained for users who still need to handle legacy container links. Enabling it requires risk confirmation. Disabling it does not restore data or changed signatures.
Migration and re-signing are separate. This switch does not reinstate automatic re-signing. See classic mode for scope and transition steps, and the historical archive for old behavior.
Manual signing and repair
Signing changes application identity; it does not move files to another location. Use manual re-signing only when you understand its purpose. Sandboxed apps are restricted by default; classic mode still requires confirmation for the current operation.
Once the app list confirms that an app is re-signed, its context menu keeps Restore Original Signature and hides Resign This App. Eligible apps show the re-sign action again after returning to an official state. If inspection is inconclusive, use Check Signature first rather than treating menu visibility as a health check.
Restore Original Signature requires a suitable, verified original app. Do not force a different version into place. For Signature replaced, start with the repair panel. Without a usable backup, follow the instructions for an official original. Full steps are in upgrades and repair.
Where originals are saved
Starting with 1.9.1 build 31, when you manually re-sign an officially signed app, AppPorts retains its verified complete original in a visible AppPorts Backups folder at an external volume's root, with a bilingual README.txt. No additional location picker or backup-management page is needed; inspect it directly in Finder.
AppPorts tries the app's own external volume first, then the current external library's volume, then other suitable external volumes, preferring more free space. A destination must be a connected, writable, local physical external drive with enough capacity. Internal drives, network volumes and disk images are excluded. Without a suitable drive, the operation stops before changing the installed app.
Even an app installed internally needs an external drive for its original. Only small indexes and operation records remain internally long-term; re-signing still needs temporary workspace. On the same volume, the original can move directly into the backup folder. Across volumes, AppPorts copies and verifies durable external storage before removing the internal temporary original.
These originals restore app contents and the official signature. They do not contain messages, documents or other application data. They are not an independent disaster-recovery backup: a drive failure can affect both the app and its original if they share that drive.
Restore and clean up originals
Connect the drive holding the original, then choose Restore Original Signature for the installed app in AppPorts. It checks version, content, developer identity and related data dependencies. Re-signing the same version again retains the first official original rather than replacing it with a re-signed copy.
AppPorts keeps originals that still have recovery value. It automatically removes redundant originals only after verifying an official restored state or an authenticated newer official version from the same developer, and excluding pending operations and data dependencies. Useful complete originals saved internally by older versions move externally when conditions permit; the internal copy is removed after successful verification.
If you no longer need an original, you can delete that package in Finder. This does not remove the installed app or personal data, but loses the offline recovery capability provided by that copy. An official reinstall may then be needed. Trash still occupies space, and shared APFS blocks mean displayed size is not the amount you will necessarily recover.
Keep the folder in place, do not modify originals, and do not launch them as everyday apps. An offline drive does not mean an original has become invalid. Resolve pending operations through AppPorts before cleanup. For identity-only records, see historical signature backups.
Old login tasks
Automatic re-signing at login is disabled on every macOS version; build 31 also removes its settings card. Open AppPorts once after updating so it can handle old login tasks. Only failed cleanup displays “The old login re-signing task has not been fully disabled. Please retry.” Use Retry and keep the error details.
Background reconnection
Mount migration configures a login task to attach online data volumes at their original directories. It does not re-sign apps and cannot guarantee completion before every login app starts.
Open AppPorts once after moving or updating it so the background program's location can be checked. If administrator authorization is required, open AppPorts to complete it. Restore managed container data before removing AppPorts.
Log settings
Enable or disable logging, adjust maximum log size, reveal logs in Finder, or clear them. To report a problem, use Logs → Export Diagnostic Package in the menu bar. Export does not send the package automatically.
Inspect the contents before sharing, and include macOS and AppPorts versions, the action you took and the displayed message. See reporting a problem and the privacy policy.
Task history
Clear the completed task list on quit is enabled by default. Disable it to keep successful tasks in display history. Clear Completed and row removal in Task Center likewise affect display only: they do not delete apps, data or migration records needed for recovery.
Background tasks still need AppPorts to be running. On reopening, inspect records for unfinished tasks; history does not automatically repeat migration. See Task Center and recovery for pause, cancellation and issue handling.