When installing Shadowrocket, first match the installer to your system and processor, then address any warnings about opening the file. This guide is for first-time Mac and Windows installations. It shows where to check whether your Mac has Apple silicon or an Intel processor, how to handle Gatekeeper and SmartScreen prompts, and how to test your connection with an existing configuration after installation. A system security warning does not mean your network connection has failed; troubleshoot these issues separately.
1. Check how to get the app and identify your device
Choose your platform from the download guide on this site. Don’t rely on a file icon or the word “Mac” in a filename to determine compatibility. Mac downloads are available for Apple silicon and Intel; use the Windows option for Windows. Links in this article go to the download guide. Refer to the files and installation instructions currently listed there.
Shadowrocket is a closed-source commercial app. iPhone and iPad users can get it on the App Store for a one-time payment of $2.99. The developer is Shadow Launch Technology Limited; check the App Store listing for system requirements. The Mac (Apple silicon and Intel), Windows, Android, and Linux versions are free. The cost of the app is separate from any services you already use: a one-time app purchase does not include a service plan. This site does not provide, sell, or recommend proxy servers or subscriptions.
Save any work in progress and make sure your computer has enough free disk space. If your device is managed by your employer or school, first check whether you’re allowed to install software yourself. Administrator restrictions are different from routine security prompts; repeatedly clicking “Open” won’t resolve them.
2. Mac: Choose Apple silicon or Intel
Open About This Mac from the Apple menu in the top-left corner of your screen. If you see “Chip” followed by an Apple chip name, choose the Apple silicon version. If you see “Processor” and “Intel,” choose the Intel version. Don’t infer the architecture from the purchase year, computer size, or device name.
Choose your Mac installer based on About This Mac
Apple silicon
- Look for: Chip, followed by the name of an Apple chip.
- Download: Mac Apple Silicon.
- Architecture: arm64 is for Apple silicon.
Intel
- Look for: Processor, with Intel listed.
- Download: Mac Intel.
- Architecture: x64 or x86_64 is for Intel.
Use the processor information shown by your system. “Mac version” doesn’t mean one installer works with both architectures.
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Check your chip
Apple menu → About This Mac. Note the Chip or Processor field, and check your macOS version.
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Choose a file
Go to this site’s download guide → Mac. Choose the option for the processor type you identified, then wait for the browser to finish downloading.
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Install the app
Follow the instructions on the download page for the file format provided. If the download is a disk image containing the app, copy it to Applications. If it’s an installer, follow its prompts to choose a destination.
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Open it for the first time
Open Shadowrocket from Applications instead of running it from Downloads or a temporarily mounted volume. If you see a system prompt, read it in full before following the next section.
If your Mac says the app isn’t supported on this Mac, recheck the architecture and system requirements on the download page. This is usually not a Gatekeeper “allow opening” issue. Allowing an app built for the wrong architecture won’t make it run. On Apple silicon, choose the native version for your device rather than treating compatibility mode as the default installation method.
3. Mac: Handle “Unable to verify developer”
Gatekeeper checks apps downloaded from the internet. “Unable to verify developer” means macOS couldn’t verify the developer’s identity under its current policy. It doesn’t prove the file is harmful, nor does it guarantee that the file is safe. Only consider allowing the app to open if you’ve confirmed that you got it from this site’s download guide and that its name matches what you expected.
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Note the warning
If the app is blocked the first time you open it, note the app name shown in the warning. Close the prompt; don’t delete the app immediately or try copies from multiple sources.
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Open Settings
Apple menu → System Settings → Privacy & Security. Scroll down to the Security section.
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Allow this app only
If Shadowrocket appears here as recently blocked and you see “Open Anyway,” check the name and click it. Authenticate with your password or Touch ID if prompted.
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Confirm you want to open it
Read the confirmation dialog, then choose “Open.” On earlier versions of macOS, the option may be under System Preferences → Security & Privacy → General.
If you don’t see Open Anyway, first make sure you recently tried to open the app in Applications, and check that your account has administrator privileges. The steps for opening apps for the first time have changed in newer macOS versions; using “Open” in the right-click menu may not replace authorization in System Settings. Don’t disable Gatekeeper or run commands that remove system protections globally.
4. Windows: Install the app and handle SmartScreen prompts
First, check your system type under Windows Settings → System → About. Then visit the Windows section of this site’s download guide to confirm the installer’s requirements. If Windows says “This app can’t run on your PC,” check the system and architecture requirements first; that message isn’t a SmartScreen block.
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Finish the download
Use the Windows link in this site’s download guide and wait for the download to finish. If the file is still in a temporary browser download state, don’t change its extension and try to run it.
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Open the file
Start the installer or extract the file as instructed on the download page. If extraction is required, extract it to a permanent folder. Don’t launch the app from the archive’s preview window.
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Check the details
If you see “Windows protected your PC,” verify where the file came from, then click “More info” and check the app name and publisher fields.
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Confirm you want to run it
Click “Run anyway” only if you’ve confirmed the file’s source and accept the risk. If User Account Control appears afterward, check which program is requesting permission before deciding whether to allow it.
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Finish launching
Complete the installation wizard, then launch the app from its installation location. Don’t set it to run as administrator every time; grant permissions only when a specific system operation requires them.
A SmartScreen reputation warning, a User Account Control permission request, and a Windows Security threat detection are three different things. An unknown publisher isn’t trustworthy just because the name looks familiar. This guide also doesn’t claim that the installer has been code-signed. If a warning explicitly says a threat was detected, stop and keep the detection details.
- No Run anyway option: An organization policy or another app-control mechanism may be blocking the file. Contact your device administrator; don’t disable system protections to bypass the restriction.
- Windows in S mode: Windows applies additional restrictions to apps that can run. Check your device management requirements and whether the app is supported; don’t keep trying to run the same file.
- App quarantined after installation: Open Windows Security → Virus & threat protection → Protection history and review the record. Don’t add your entire Downloads folder as an exclusion.
5. After installation, check your configuration and connection separately
Opening the main window confirms that the app launched; it doesn’t mean you have a working proxy connection. The steps below assume you already have a service provider and configuration. Before importing, identify the configuration type: individual server details, a Subscribe subscription, and a Config file are different things and can’t be used interchangeably.
Server and connection
- Home
- Check that your server has been imported, then select the one you want to use.
- Protocol settings
- Check the address, port, authentication, and TLS requirements provided by your service.
- Connectivity Test
- Turn on the connection, run a test, and note the result and any error messages.
Use the port specified in your existing service configuration; 443 isn’t a standard port for every server.
Routing and automatic connections
- Config
- Check that the selected configuration file is the one you intended to use.
- Global Routing
- Choose the appropriate option for your needs: Proxy, Direct, Config, or Scene.
- On Demand
- If this option is available on your platform, check the automatic connection conditions under Settings → On Demand.
Settings may be in different places on different platforms. For the first test, connect manually before setting up automatic connection conditions.
In Global Routing, Proxy routes all traffic through the proxy, Direct connects without a proxy, Config routes traffic according to the rules in the current configuration, and Scene determines behavior based on the selected scene. When troubleshooting, note your original selection and change only one setting at a time. An enabled connection switch doesn’t mean every request is going through the proxy.
- Select a server in Home before turning on the connection. If the system asks to add a network configuration, first confirm the request is from the Shadowrocket app you’re using.
- Run Connectivity Test, then visit a familiar site that normally works for you. A successful test doesn’t mean every website, DNS request, and rule is working correctly.
- If you’re using Config, check the rules in order from top to bottom, especially DOMAIN-SUFFIX, IP-CIDR, GEOIP, and the final FINAL rule. This helps distinguish routing results from installation problems.
- Leave complex automatic connection conditions off for now. Once manual connections are stable, review On Demand. This avoids automatic reconnections after a disconnect interfering with your troubleshooting.
6. Common questions: Check the prompt before deciding what to do
Mac still says the app can’t run after I allowed it. What should I do?
Go back to Apple menu → About This Mac and check Chip or Processor again. Quit the app, remove the copy with the wrong architecture, and download the matching version from the download guide. If you see a corrupted-file warning, download the file again and make sure the download completes. Don’t keep repeating the authorization steps.
Windows doesn’t show a “Run anyway” button. What should I do?
First check whether you clicked More info, then read the prompt to confirm whether it’s from SmartScreen. If your device is managed by an organization, in S mode, or restricted by an app-control policy, contact your administrator. Different types of blocks require different steps.
The app opens, but the connection keeps timing out. Did I install it incorrectly?
In Home, check which server is selected and verify the address, port, and authentication details, then run Connectivity Test. If the app window works but requests time out, check your local network and existing service before uninstalling. Recording the exact error message is more useful than reinstalling repeatedly.
What should I keep before reinstalling?
Keep your existing Config files, subscription sources, and custom rules, and note your Global Routing and On Demand settings. Store files containing authentication details somewhere secure. When reporting an issue, redact subscription tokens, passwords, and server credentials.
Be clear about when installation troubleshooting is complete: the app launches normally from a permanent location, system authorization is complete, the selected existing configuration can be read, and the connection test returns an interpretable result. If only specific sites have problems afterward, investigate DNS, routing rules, or server settings. Don’t blame every access issue on Gatekeeper or SmartScreen.