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macOS App Sandbox limits what an app can access, helping contain damage if that app is compromised. It does not prevent an app’s vulnerabilities or guarantee that the app is safe; instead, it restricts the files, services, and hardware an attacker could reach through the compromised app.

What macOS App Sandbox does

Apple describes App Sandbox as an access-control technology that macOS enforces at the kernel level. A sandboxed app must declare the restricted resources it needs. At runtime, macOS denies access that the app has not been allowed. The purpose is to contain damage to the system and your data if you run a compromised app.

This is a boundary around an app’s access—not a judgment that the app is trustworthy. It can limit what an attacker does through the app, but it does not fix the vulnerability that enabled the compromise or prevent every kind of attack. Apple’s App Sandbox documentation explains the security model.

What a sandboxed app can access

Its own container

macOS creates a private container for a sandboxed app under ~/Library/Containers. The app has read and write access to its own container, which serves as its ordinary working area. Other apps’ containers and files elsewhere on the Mac are not automatically available to it. Apple’s sandbox configuration guidance describes containers and access rules.

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Files and resources it has permission to use

Access beyond the container depends on the app’s entitlements, the way it obtains a file, user consent, and other macOS protections. For example, an app can work with a document that you select through an appropriate file interaction, or request access to certain resource categories through entitlements. Network connections and hardware capabilities can also require corresponding entitlements.

Entitlements declare capabilities the app requests; they do not override macOS privacy prompts. For sensitive resources, macOS may still require your explicit permission. File operations can also be affected by POSIX permissions, access control lists, and System Integrity Protection.

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Full Disk Access

An app cannot grant itself Full Disk Access through its code or an entitlement. The person using the Mac must grant it in System Settings > Privacy & Security. This permission does not erase every other macOS access control: a particular operation may still be limited by other protections. Apple’s file-access guidance explains how sandbox permissions and file access interact.

What App Sandbox does not guarantee

  • It is not antivirus software. Sandbox rules constrain an app’s access; they do not detect or remove malware.
  • It does not make an app vulnerability-proof. A compromised app can still be attacked. Sandboxing is intended to limit the damage an attacker can cause through that app.
  • It is not a promise that every file is inaccessible. An app may have permitted access through entitlements, your selection or consent, or Full Disk Access, while other macOS controls continue to apply.

Apple requires App Sandbox for Mac App Store distribution, but meeting that requirement is not proof that an app contains no vulnerabilities. Apple’s App Store Review Guidelines set out the distribution requirement.

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App containers also receive System Integrity Protection to help prevent potentially malicious software from modifying protected files and folders. Starting with macOS 15, app group containers provide this protection for local files in specified configurations, including some apps that do not use App Sandbox. That version-specific protection should not be confused with a general guarantee against compromise. Apple’s System Integrity Protection guidance describes the feature.

For passwords and other secrets, Apple recommends using the encrypted Keychain rather than storing sensitive content in plain-text files. Keychain protection is complementary to App Sandbox; it is not a sandbox feature. Apple’s Keychain Services documentation provides details.

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How to check whether an app is sandboxed

Use Activity Monitor

  1. Open Activity Monitor.
  2. Choose View > Columns > Sandbox.
  3. Find the running app and check its Sandbox value. Yes indicates that the process is sandboxed.

Inspect code-signing entitlements in Terminal

Apple documents this command for displaying an app’s entitlements:

codesign -dvvv --entitlements - <path to your app>

Replace <path to your app> with the app’s actual path. In the output, look for com.apple.security.app-sandbox with the Boolean value true. Apple describes both checks in its App Sandbox documentation.

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These checks show sandbox status or a signed entitlement; neither is a full security audit. They do not establish that an app has no vulnerabilities, uses data safely, or requests no other capabilities.

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