Request: Mac App Signing (Developer ID)

Use this request when you need to distribute a macOS application outside the Mac App Store — for example, as a direct download from a website or shared via internal channels. Your app will be signed with Northwestern’s Developer ID Application certificate and optionally notarized by Apple, which allows it to pass macOS Gatekeeper checks and run without security warnings.

Not what you need? See the Program Overview to choose the right service request.

When to Use This Request

Your app is a macOS desktop application (not iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS, or visionOS).
You want to distribute it outside the Mac App Store — e.g., direct download, internal website, or file share.
You need the app to be signed and notarized so users can install and run it without Gatekeeper warnings.

If you want to publish a Mac app on the Mac App Store, use the App Store Publishing request instead.

Information Required

Please provide the following information when submitting your service request:

1. App Details

Field	Description
App Name	The display name of your application
Bundle Identifier	The unique reverse-DNS identifier for your app (e.g., `edu.northwestern.myapp`)
App Description	A brief description of what the app does and its intended audience
Department / Team	The Northwestern department or team responsible for this app
Primary Contact	Name and email of the person responsible for this request

2. Technical Details

Field	Description
Target macOS Version(s)	Minimum macOS version the app supports (e.g., macOS 14 Sonoma)
Architecture	Intel (x86_64), Apple Silicon (arm64), or Universal Binary
App Type	Standard app bundle (.app), installer package (.pkg), or both
Notarization Required?	Yes (recommended) or No — Apple’s notarization service scans your app for malicious content and issues a ticket that Gatekeeper recognizes. See Notarizing macOS Software Before Distribution.

3. Special Entitlements or Capabilities

Indicate if your Mac app requires any special entitlements or capabilities:

Reference: For the full list of macOS capabilities supported with Developer ID distribution, see Supported Capabilities (macOS) in Apple’s documentation.

What You Will Receive

After your request is approved, Northwestern IT will provision and securely share:

Developer ID Application Certificate — Used to sign your macOS app for distribution outside the Mac App Store.
Developer ID Installer Certificate (if applicable) — Used to sign .pkg installer packages.
Provisioning Profile (if applicable) — Required only if your app uses advanced capabilities such as CloudKit or push notifications with Developer ID.

See the Developer Guide — Certificates, Profiles, and Code Signing in Xcode for instructions on how to install and use these assets in Xcode.

Process Overview

┌─────────────────┐     ┌──────────────────┐     ┌───────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐
│  Submit Request  │ ──▶ │  NU IT Reviews   │ ──▶ │  Certs/Profiles   │ ──▶ │  Developer Signs │
│  via TDX         │     │  & Approves      │     │  Provisioned &    │     │  & Notarizes App │
│                  │     │                  │     │  Shared Securely  │     │                  │
└─────────────────┘     └──────────────────┘     └───────────────────┘     └─────────────────┘

Submit your service request with the information above.
Review — Northwestern IT reviews your request and may ask follow-up questions.
Provisioning — The necessary certificates and profiles are generated and shared with you through a secure channel.
Development — You sign and notarize your app using the provided assets. See the Developer Guide.
Distribution — You distribute the signed, notarized app through your chosen channel.

Apple Documentation References

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