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SSzzPP edited this page Nov 7, 2023 · 1 revision

What is SIP and how to disable it?

In 2015, Apple introduced a new mechanism to protect user data from malware in OS X El Capitan (10.11), called System Integrity Protection (also known as SIP or rootless).

Why disable SIP

For example, you want to downgrade the version of iTunes after the next update or simply remove one of the Apple programs: Safari, iTunes, Photo..., but these are all pre-installed applications and you cannot remove them. But if you disable SIP, then you will have this opportunity.

Also, some “cured” applications require disabling SIP for full functionality of all functions due to the peculiarities of the activation implementation.

Unfortunately, with the release of macOS 11 Big Sur, Apple has revised the security principles of its operating system. Now users do not have rights to change the “System” folder, only read is available, disabling SIP does not change anything. She also moved all her pre-installed applications to this folder, except for the Safari browser.

Instructions (disabling SIP)

It is impossible to disable SIP from macOS itself, otherwise the whole point of protection is lost. Therefore, you will need to boot into Recovery mode and run certain commands in the terminal.

  1. Start your Mac in macOS recovery mode.

    • Intel: Restart your computer. Once the screen turns black, press and hold the Cmd + R keys until the Apple logo appears on the screen. Once the download is complete, you will be in recovery mode.

    • Apple Silicon: Hold the power button with your Mac turned off (10 seconds). Then go to "Options". An administrator password may be required.

    If you just booted into macOS, you probably pressed the key combination too late, or released it too early. Restart your computer and try again.

  2. Launch Terminal from the Utilities menu:

  3. Run the csrutil disable command and press Enter.

    Let's add that not every patched application requires completely disabling SIP. The csrutil enable --without fs command will disable it for the file system only, without affecting Kernel Extensions or interfering with NVRAM.

  4. Restart your Mac.

    Sometimes disabling SIP can cause your Mac to cycle into Recovery mode instead of Normal mode. To resolve this issue, the next time you reboot, hold down the ⌥Option (Alt) key on your keyboard to boot into drive selection mode. Next, select the disk with the system and click on it with the mouse or press Enter.

Additionally

It is not at all necessary to disable SIP forever. After performing the necessary machinations (by launching the desired application), you can go to Recovery Mode (again) and enable Mac protection with the command csrutil enable

To check the SIP status use the csrutil status command

The terminal will display: enabled or disabled.

Available in normal mode and recovery mode.

You can read more about SIP on wikipedia.org or support.apple.com or developer.apple.com

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