Hidden Application

[wheelhot]

Hi,

Anyone has any idea how can I make an application to only be seen/available in a user account? Other users is not able to see it or even search for it in their account?

If it's some consolation, the user that wants to hide the application has admin rights whereas the other users whom the apps need not to appear doesn't have admin rights.

Thanks

 

[KALLT]

You can put it in your user directory. You can create an Applications directory there and conceal its contents by making read access exclusive to you.

Like this:

mkdir ~/Applications
chmod go= ~/Applications

 

[wheelhot]

You can put it in your user directory. You can create an Applications directory there and conceal its contents by making read access exclusive to you.

Like this:

mkdir ~/Applications
chmod go= ~/Applications

Thanks for the suggestions

What I did was, moved the application to a local applications folder and make it private to only me. However when I logged in the other account, I'm still able to "search" for it, there's no way for me to open it as it'll ask for my admin password to open it.

Though I would like for it not even appear in the search results of other users. Any idea how to make it hidden?

 

[KALLT]

You changed the permissions of the directory, not the application itself, right? This should work. Spotlight may be falling behind.

Try adding the new applications directory into System Preferences → Spotlight → Privacy for a few seconds, then pull it back out. This should cause Spotlight to remove the directory from its index and re-index it with the correct permissions.

 

[chabig]

What I did was, moved the application to a local applications folder and make it private to only me.

Where exactly is this local applications folder? If it's in the user's directly, it won't be visible or searchable to other users. I suspect you created a folder inside the Applications folder, right? That won't work.

 

[wheelhot]

Try adding the new applications directory into System Preferences → Spotlight → Privacy for a few seconds, then pull it back out. This should cause Spotlight to remove the directory from its index and re-index it with the correct permissions.

Hmm, so do I do this Spotlight -> Privacy thing in my Admin account or the user account that I don't want the app to be seen?

Where exactly is this local applications folder? If it's in the user's directly, it won't be visible or searchable to other users. I suspect you created a folder inside the Applications folder, right? That won't work.

Local Application folder is the one located under user (Macintosh HD > Users > Admin > Applications), not Macintosh HD > Applications

 

[KALLT]

Hmm, so do I do this Spotlight -> Privacy thing in my Admin account or the user account that I don't want the app to be seen?

The admin account. You only want Spotlight to re-index it. When your new applications directory is properly set up, Spotlight should not reveal its contents to other accounts. Make sure that the ‘staff’ group does not show up at the bottom of the ‘Get Info’ panel in Finder and that ‘everyone’ is set to ‘no access’ (see picture, the red line should be your username).



When you view the applications directory from another account, it should have a red prohibition symbol on its folder icon.

 

[chabig]

Local Application folder is the one located under user (Macintosh HD > Users > Admin > Applications), not Macintosh HD > Applications

That folder shouldn't be visible to other users. My guess is that you somehow messed up the permissioning on that Applications folder. The easiest way to fix that is probably to create a new folder, move your app there, and delete the messed up Applications folder.