Fix: Safe Files Is Blocking an Allowed Application

On rare occasions, Safe Files may still block an app even after you’ve added it to the Application Access list in Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac. In these situations, the app stays blocked even though it has been allowed, and the following message appears: « Previously allowed application was blocked by Bitdefender Safe Files from accessing your protected files. What would you like to do? »

Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac blocks applications protected with Safe Files

In this guide, we’ll explain what to do if a trusted app is reset to ‘Blocked’ each time you restart your Mac, or if you frequently need to re-add it to the ‘Allowed Applications’ list because it disappears from Safe Files after shutting down your Mac.

Troubleshooting Safe Files: Allowed Applications Remain Blocked

If the Application Path is /Applications

Step 1 – Restart your Mac

On your Mac, click the Apple icon in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. Select “Restart” from the menu that appears.

Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac blocks applications protected with Safe Files - 1 restart

Step 2 – Bring up Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac

After the Mac comes back on a few moments later, click the B icon in the top right-hand corner of the screen. Choose “Open Main Window”. This will open the main interface.

Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac blocks applications protected with Safe Files - 2 open Bitdefender

Step 3 – Access Safe Files

Click “Protection” on the navigation menu on the Bitdefender interface. Open the “Anti-Ransomware” tab, then click “Application Access” in the Safe Files panel.

Bitdefender Antivirus for Mac blocks applications protected with Safe Files - 3 Application Access

Step 4 – Add the app to the Application Access list

Click the button labeled with the plus sign (+), located under the Application Access list.

Select the app protected with Safe Files that keeps getting blocked then press “Open”.
Enter your Mac password to allow the action, then click OK.
The app will be added to the list and blocked by default.
Click “Blocked” in the Action column and change the status of the app you’ve just added to “Allowed”.
Enter your Mac password when prompted, then click OK.
Click “Close” to exit the Application Access screen.

Step 5 – Remove the app from Application Access

Reopen the “Application Access” list and delete the app you’ve just added:

Click on “Application Access” in the Safe Files panel.
Select the app previously added to the list and then click the button labeled with the minus sign (-), located under the Application Access list.
Enter your Mac password to allow the action, then click OK.
Once the app is removed from the list, click “Close” to exit the Application Access window.

Step 6 – Re-add the app to the Application Access list

Reopen Application Access a third time and repeat the above steps to add the app to the list and to allow it:

Click on “Application Access” in the Safe Files panel.
Click the button labeled with the plus sign (+), located under the Application Access list.
Select your app then press “Open”.
Enter your Mac password to allow the action, then click OK.
The app will be added to the list and blocked by default.
Click “Blocked” in the Action column and change the status of the app you’ve just added to “Allowed”.
Enter your Mac password when prompted, then click OK.
Click “Close” to exit the Application Access screen.

Step 7 – Restart your Mac

Restart your Mac once again: click the Apple icon in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. Choose “Restart” from the menu that appears.

After the Mac comes back on, launch the app protected with Safe Files and check if the issue has been solved.

If the Application Path is randomized (e.g. /var/folders/…)

Trusted and untrusted apps that are started from other path than Applications will be opened from randomized, read-only locations (e.g. /var/folders/…). This Apple mechanism is called App Translocation or Gatekeeper Path Randomization (GRP). Because the Safe Files feature relies on a static file path, the randomization triggers this alert every time the app is opened on a Mac.

To fix the issue, move the blocked app to the /Applications folder before opening it:

Click on an empty area of your desktop or click the Finder icon in the Dock. Finder is the icon that looks like a blue square with a smiley face.
Find the app and drag it to the Applications folder, which can be found in the Finder’s sidebar or by pressing Shift + Command + A.