Version: 2021.2
Language : English
Building your macOS application
Digital distribution services for macOS applications

Notarizing your macOS application

Notarization is a process where Apple verifies your application to make sure it has a Developer ID code signature and doesn’t contain malicious content. For more information about noratization, see Apple’s documentation on Notarizing macOS Software Before Distribution.

If you develop on an Apple device, you can use Xcode, Xcode command-line tools, or Unity Cloud BuildA continuous integration service for Unity projects that automates the process of creating builds on Unity’s servers. More info
See in Glossary to notarize your application. If you don’t have an Apple device, use Unity Cloud Build.

This page contains information on the following notarization methods:

Notarization using Xcode

Unity can create an Xcode project that represents your Unity project during the build process. You can use this Xcode project to notarize your application. To create an Xcode project from your Unity project, follow the macOS application build steps. For information on how to notarize the Xcode project, see Apple’s documentation on Notarizing macOS Software Before Distribution.

Notarization using Xcode command-line tools

If you are unable to notarize your application in the Xcode environment, or if you want to manually control notarization, you can use Xcode’s command-line tools. To do this, you need:

Code signing your application

To notarize your application with the Xcode command-line tools, you first need to code sign the application. This section explains how to code sign your application using Xcode’s command-line tools. For information about what code signing is and why Apple requires it, see Code signing.

Signing identity

Unity adds a code signature to every macOS build it produces. This is a simple code signature and doesn’t identify you as the developer. To notarize an application, Apple requires the code signature to include a cryptographic signature that identifies the developer. This is called a signing identity. Usually, you use a Developer ID certificate.

To create a new Developer ID certificate, go to Create a New Certificate:

  1. Follow the prompts to create a private key and upload a Certificate Signing Request.
  2. Download your Developer ID certificate. The file format for this certificate is .cer.
  3. Click on the certificate to add it to your Keychain. Within the Keychain, it appears with a name formatted like: Developer ID Application : XXX (YYY).

Application identifier

To notarize your application, Apple needs to identify it. There are two ways to get the application identifier: in Unity, or in the built application’s information property list file.

  • In Unity:
    1. Go to Edit > Project Settings > Player.
    2. Expand the Other Settings section and go to Mac App Store Options.
    3. See the value of Bundle Identifier.
  • In the information property list file:
    1. In the Finder, go to your built application.
    2. Right-click on the application and select Show Package Contents.
    3. Go to Contents and open Info.plist.
    4. The key that represents the application identifier is CFBundleIdentifier.

When you have your application identifier, you can register it with Apple. To do this:

  1. Go to Apple Developer and log in.
  2. Select Certificates, IDs & Profiles.
  3. Select Identifiers, and add your bundle ID.

Entitlements

Entitlements are permissions or restrictions that your code signature includes that allow or prevent your application from taking specific actions. For more information, see Entitlements.

To set entitlements for your application:

  1. In the same directory as your built application, create a file with the same name as your application with the .entitlements file extension. For example, if your application is called Sample, create a file called Sample.entitlements.
  2. Open the file with a text editor and copy in the following content:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
    <dict>
       <key>com.apple.security.cs.disable-library-validation</key>
       <true/>
       <key>com.apple.security.cs.disable-executable-page-protection</key>
       <true/>
    </dict>
</plist>

These entitlements are the minimum entitlements a macOS application requires to have a Hardened Runtime. If your application requires any more entitlements, add them to this list.

Code signing

The code signing process uses the command line. To start, open Terminal and navigate to the directory that the application is in. To ensure that you have the necessary read permissions to process code signing, run the following command where "application_name.app" is the name of your application:

chmod -R a+xr "application_name.app"

A code signature uses a particular signing identity. Usually, this is your Developer ID Application signing identity. However, some digital distribution services, such as the Mac App Store require a different signing identity. For information about which signing identity a particular digital distribution service requires, see the documentation for that digital distribution service.

To code sign your application, run the following command where:

  • "application_name.app" is your built application.
  • `“application_name.entitlements” is the name of the entitlements file.
  • "Developer ID Application : XXX (YYY)" is your signing identity.
codesign --deep --force --verify --verbose --timestamp --options runtime --entitlements "application_name.entitlements" --sign "Developer ID Application : XXX (YYY)" "application_name.app"

This command recursively navigates through the application bundle folder, signs all files, adds a secure timestamp, and embeds the entitlements you’ve set into the signature.

Warning: Using the --deep option might cause issues with your code signature. This is because:

  • It applies the same code signing options and entitlements to all the code that it signs.

  • It only signs code files that it finds. If there are code files in a place where the system expects to find data, using --deep doesn’t sign these code files.

For more information about the --deep option and how to resolve issues with it, see Sign your code.

Uploading to Apple for notarization

After you code sign your application, you need to upload it to Apple for notarization. To do this, Apple requires:

Compressing the application

Apple requires that you compress your application before you upload it for notarization. To do this:

  1. Open Terminal and navigate to the directory the application is in.

  2. Run the following command where:
    • "application_name.app" is your built application.
    • "application_name.zip" is the name of the compressed file to generate.
ditto -c -k --sequesterRsrc --keepParent "application_name.app" "application_name.zip"

This compresses your application and outputs the compressed file to the same directory as your application.

Generating an application Password

To notarize an application, Apple requires a unique password in a particular format. To generate an application password, you need to have an Apple ID. If you don’t have one, go to Manage your Apple ID and create one.

For information on how to generate an application password, see How to generate an app-specific password. The password you generate uses the following format: xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx.

Getting your provider short name

A provider short name is a single-word label that identifies an individual or a company. Apple uses a provider short name to determine which organization to notarize for when your Apple ID is associated with more than one organization. To get your provider short name:

  1. Open Terminal.
  2. Run the following Xcode command where: 
xcrun iTMSTransporter -m provider -u apple_id -p xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx

Starting the upload process

For Apple to notarize your application, you need to upload it to their notarization servers. To do this:

  1. Open Terminal and navigate to the directory the compressed application is in.
  2. Run the following command where: 
xcrun altool --notarize-app --username apple_id --password xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx --asc-provider provider_short_name --primary-bundle-id application_bundle_id --file application_name.zip

If the upload is successful, Apple displays a response in Terminal that contains a request ID. You can use this request ID to check on the status of your request. This is useful because the notarization process might take multiple hours depending on the traffic to the service. To do this:

  1. Open Terminal and navigate to the directory the compressed application is in.
  2. Run the following command where:
    • request_id is the request ID that Apple returns from the previous command.
    • apple_id is your Apple ID.
    • xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx is your application password.
    • provider_short_name is your provider short name.
xcrun altool --notarization-info request_id --username apple_id --password xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx --asc-provider provider_short_name

When the notarization process is complete, Apple sends you a confirmation email at the address associated with your Apple ID. You can then verify that notarization was successful. To do this:

  1. Open Terminal and navigate to the directory the application is in.
  2. Run the following command where:
    • application_name.app is the name of your application:
spctl -a -v application_name.app

If notarization was successful, this returns a message that indicates that Apple accepted the application and includes your Developer ID.

Stapling the application

After notarizing your application, any device that runs it can verify that it has a code signature and contains no malicious content. However, the device can only perform this verification if it has an internet connection. To make a device able to verify your application without an internet connection, you must staple the application. For information about stapling, see Staple the Ticket to Your Distribution. To staple your application,

  1. Open Terminal and navigate to the directory the application is in.
  2. Run the following command "ApplicationName.app" is the name of your application: xcrun stapler staple "ApplicationName.app".

Notarization using Unity Cloud Build

Unity Cloud Build can notarize and staple your macOS application during the build process. To do this, Unity requires:

Depending on the platform you are developing on, the process for some of these requirements differ. If you develop on an Apple device, you can use Xcode command-line tools to get the information and create the relevant files. However, If you develop on Windows or Linux, you don’t have access to Apple-specific Xcode command-line tools.

Regardless of which platform you use, the process to get the Apple ID, password, and entitlements files are platform-agnostic:

  1. If you don’t have an Apple ID, go to Manage your Apple ID and create one.
  2. Create an application password. For information on how to do this, see Generating an application Password.
  3. If you don’t have an Apple Developer membership, sign up at Apple Developer.
  4. Create an entitlements file for your application. For information on how to do this, see Entitlements.

After you complete these steps:

Unity Cloud Build notarization for Apple devices

If you develop on an Apple device, you can use Xcode command-line tools to meet the requirements listed in Notarization using Unity Cloud Build. You can then set up Unity Cloud Build to notarize and staple your application as part of the build process. To meet the requirements:

  1. Follow the platform-agnostic steps in Notarization using Unity Cloud Build.
  2. Create a Developer ID certificate and add it to your Keychain. For information on how to do this, see Signing identity.
  3. From the Keychain, export the Developer ID certificate as a file in Personal Information Exchange (.p12) format. For information on how to do this, see Import and export keychain items using Keychain Access on Mac.
  4. Get your provider short name. For information on how to do this, see Getting your provider short name.

After you meet the requirements, fill out and submit the Unity Cloud Build notarization form.

Unity Cloud Build notarization for Windows and Linux devices

If you develop on Windows or Linux but want to build, notarize, and staple your application for macOS, you can’t use Xcode command-line tools. To meet the requirements listed in Notarization using Unity Cloud Build so you can set up Unity Cloud Build to notarize and staple your application as part of the build process:

  1. Follow the platform-agnostic steps in Notarization using Unity Cloud Build.
  2. Create a Developer ID certificate and download it. For information on how to do this, see Signing identity. Note: The last step in Signing identity is only relevant for macOS users.
  3. Convert the Developer ID certificate to the PKCS #12 Personal Information Exchange (.p12) file format. For information on how to do this, see Converting a Developer ID certificate to a .p12 file on Windows and Linux.
  4. Get your provider short name through your Apple Developer account. To do this, go to Membership Details and find your Team ID. You can use the Team ID as a provider short name.

After you meet the requirements, fill out and submit the Unity Cloud Build notarization form.

Converting a Developer ID certificate to a .p12 file on Windows and Linux

A .p12 file bundles both your Developer ID certificate and a private key. To create one from your Developer ID certificate:

  1. Open a command-line interface and go to the directory that contains your Developer ID certificate file. If you didn’t download your Developer ID certificate, see Signing identity.

  2. Developer ID certificates use the .cer file format. Convert this file to the .pem file format. To do this, run the following command where:
    • developer_identity.cer is the Developer ID certificate file to convert.
    • developer_identity.pem is the file name and file type to output.

    openssl x509 -in developer_identity.cer -inform DER -out developer_identity.pem -outform PEM

  3. Generate a new private key. To do this, run the following command where:
    • mykey.key is the file name and file type of the private key to output.

    openssl genrsa -out mykey.key 2048

  4. Generate the .p12 file. To do this, run the following command where:
    • mykey.key is the private key file you generated in step 3.
    • developer_identity.pem is the .pem file you generated in step 2.

    openssl pkcs12 -export -inkey mykey.key -in developer_identity.pem -out iphone_dev.p12

Submitting the Unity Cloud Build notarization form

After you meet the requirements outlined in Notarization using Unity Cloud Build, follow these steps to setup Unity Cloud Build notarization:

  1. Set up your project to use Unity Cloud Build. For information on how to do this, see Unity Cloud Build.
  2. Create a new Mac Desktop build target in Cloud Build.
  3. Return to the Config page. This page now includes the Notarization section. Open this section and click EDIT NOTARIZATION.
    The section available on the Config page.
  4. Enable the Notarization flag. If you have previously supplied a set of notarization credentials to Unity Cloud Build, for the same Organization, you can select those from Credentials. Otherwise, select Add new provisioning credentials.
    The credentials drop-down.
  5. Provide the following:
  6. Save your credentials.
  7. Return to the Build History page and start a build for your Mac target.
  8. If the build succeeds, Unity Cloud Build attempts to notarize and stable the result.
    • Cloud Build runs the codesign command with the following flags: --deep --force --verify --verbose --timestamp --options runtime. It’s not currently possible to specify custom flags.
    • If you want to see additional log output from notarization, set the environment variable FASTLANE_NOTARIZE_VERBOSE=true in your build target Environment Variables.
  9. After Unity Cloud Build builds, notarizes, and staples your project, you can download a compressed file that contains the build.
Building your macOS application
Digital distribution services for macOS applications
Copyright © 2021 Unity Technologies. Publication Date: 2022-04-04.
TutorialsCommunity AnswersKnowledge BaseForumsAsset StoreTerms of use LegalPrivacy PolicyCookiesDo Not Sell or Share My Personal Information