Windows and macOS block the download

Both Windows and macOS will object the first time you run Filemote. This page explains what they are objecting to, how to proceed, and how to check the file yourself rather than taking anyone's word for it.

Why this happens

Filemote is not signed with a commercial code-signing certificate. Both operating systems treat unsigned software from the internet as coming from an unknown publisher and warn accordingly.

The warning is about the absence of a certificate, not about anything found in the file. That is also why the warnings do not go away with time or downloads: they are not a reputation score you can wait out.

Windows: SmartScreen

Running the installer or the portable executable brings up "Windows protected your PC" with a single Don't run button.

Choose More info, then Run anyway.

1Click "More info"Windows protected your PCMicrosoft Defender SmartScreen prevented an unrecognized app from starting. Running this app might put your PC at risk.More infoDon't run2Click "Run anyway"Windows protected your PCMicrosoft Defender SmartScreen prevented an unrecognized app from starting. Running this app might put your PC at risk.App: filemote-Setup.exePublisher: Unknown publisherRun anywayDon't run

Windows: unblock the zip

Windows marks downloaded archives, and the mark spreads to every file you extract. If you extract first and clear the mark afterwards, you have to clear it file by file.

Do it once, on the archive:

1. Right-click the downloaded .zip → Properties.
2. Tick Unblock at the bottom of the General tab.
3. OK, then extract.

macOS: Gatekeeper and quarantine

Gatekeeper, the macOS equivalent of SmartScreen, attaches a quarantine flag to downloaded files and refuses to run anything carrying it.

Whether you get hit depends on how you unpack the archive: extracting with Finder copies the flag onto the extracted files, while extracting with tar in Terminal does not. Clearing it is harmless in either case — run this inside the extracted folder:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine .

The install script clears the flag on the copy it installs, so you only need this for the files you extracted yourself.

If macOS still refuses after that, open System Settings → Privacy & Security: a blocked app appears there with an Open Anyway button.

Verify the file before you trust it

Since the binaries are unsigned, the meaningful check is the digest. The download page prints the SHA-256 of every artifact next to its download button. Compute the digest of what you downloaded and compare:

Get-FileHash -Algorithm SHA256 .\filemote-Setup-1.11.0.exe

shasum -a 256 filemote-1.11.0-osx-arm64.tar.gz

If the two do not match, the file is not the one that was published. Do not run it, and download it again.

Linux

Linux has no equivalent gate — nothing will stop you running the binaries. The only obstacle is that the archives are packed on Windows, which carries no executable bit, so everything arrives non-executable:

chmod +x install.sh FilemoteCli FilemoteAgent

Details are in install on Linux.

Where to go next

• Install on Windows with the installer
• Run Filemote on Windows without installing it
• Install on macOS

Updated 2026-10-12

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