no Suffix program assignment is remembered

Question

Level 1

4 points

no Suffix program assignment is remembered

Since MacOS 15.3.2 no Suffix program assignment is remembered

and macOS Sequoia audio files blocked with safety report:

Apple couldn't verify that "ABC.mp3" is free of malware that could damage your Mac or violate your privacy."

MacOS 15 doesn't accept a permanent (change all) change to the default program used to open a specific extension using Apple+i. What could be causing this?

Do I have to manually change the security settings for each audio file in Sequoia from now on? – Thanks Apple – that can't be true. – If that's the case, I'll immediately return to Ventura with Time Machine.

Dear Apple team, a bug like this simply shouldn't happen.

Posted on Apr 1, 2025 6:53 AM

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Answer 1

dialabrain

Level 10

130,880 points

Apr 1, 2025 7:01 AM in response to FrankEbeling

Not sure what your issue is. If I select a file and press command+i or Get Info from the File Menu, when I chose an app with "Open with:", then click the "Change All…" button, all my Macs remember the setting in Sequoia 15.4 and every previous version of macOS.

Just to add, the "Apple team" is not here. This is a user forum.

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Answer 2

FrankEbeling Author

Level 1

4 points

Apr 1, 2025 9:12 AM in response to dialabrain

I boot from an external 2TB Thunderbolt SSD. That could also be the cause.

MacOS is often stricter with external boot drives, especially with security and permission mechanisms.

Possible reasons and effects of external macOS boot:

Gatekeeper and app sandboxing are more stringent:

Applications on external SSDs are often classified as "untrusted," even if they are officially signed.

This could prevent macOS from permanently saving the default open association.

Applications outside the main Applications folder have fewer permissions:

macOS expects applications to be installed in the internal "Applications" folder.

If applications are located in a subfolder on an external SSD (e.g., "Audio"), they could be considered unsafe, preventing the "Change All..." feature from working.

System Integrity Protection (SIP) can behave differently:

SIP protects system-critical processes and could block the storage of file associations for apps on external drives.

Anyway, I've found a workaround:

Stop moving programs to a subfolder, as was previously acceptable, and instead always leave them unchanged in the Applications folder.

I'm just surprised that more Mac users don't complain about the difficulties of creating a startup disk on their external SSD... There are a few other issues. But I'll keep quiet here for now.

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Answer 3

FrankEbeling Author

Level 1

4 points

Apr 1, 2025 10:10 AM in response to dialabrain

"If I select a file and press Command+I, or choose Get Info from the File menu while selecting an app with "Open With:" and then clicking the "Change All..." button, all my Macs remember the setting in Sequoia 15.4 and all previous versions of macOS." – That's how it should be. But that wasn't the case for me today, regarding the wav, mp4, and mp3 suffixes and the Fission audio program.

As a Mac user with over 20 years of experience, I also know what "how it should be". But this forum should also be for things that might not how they should be. – You understand? ;-)

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Answer 4

etresoft

Level 9

53,498 points

Apr 1, 2025 10:18 AM in response to FrankEbeling

FrankEbeling wrote:

I boot from an external 2TB Thunderbolt SSD.

That's a common source of problems.

Certain social media influencers have "influenced" people to buy computer with hard drives that are too small. "Don't pay the Apple hard drive tax! Buy an expensive external SSD and use that as a boot drive. Then buy a gold-plated yacht with your savings!"

But what they didn't tell you is that they will later post about all of the "problems" that Mac users are having with the newest, "buggy" operating system. Nothing goes viral like Apple.

MacOS is often stricter with external boot drives, especially with security and permission mechanisms.

...

Applications on external SSDs are often classified as "untrusted," even if they are officially signed.

You're mixing things up. It is true that external booting opens up a whole new world of pain and suffering.

But otherwise, there's no problem with applications on external hard drives. As long as you aren't trying to boot from it, external hard drives actually have less security protections and less privacy. There is no problem with trusting signatures, as long as you aren't moving things around all the time.

This could prevent macOS from permanently saving the default open association.

Speculation from one thread you recently started cannot be used as proof in a closely related duplicate question.

macOS expects applications to be installed in the internal "Applications" folder.

That's certainly true. Deviate at your peril.

Anyway, I've found a workaround:

Stop moving programs to a subfolder, as was previously acceptable, and instead always leave them unchanged in the Applications folder.

That's not "a workaround", that's "a solution".

I'm just surprised that more Mac users don't complain about the difficulties of creating a startup disk on their external SSD... There are a few other issues. But I'll keep quiet here for now.

There are very few Mac users that try external boot drives. I can assure you that the vast majority that do try it, eventually have problems.