Version History

Version 6.995 (Build 220607)

Added new feature to resolve a known issue with the software update feature of macOS. It is now possible to reset Apple’s software updater in cases where the user interface of System Preferences shows an endless wait status when the user tries to search for the latest security updates.

Version 6.99 (Build 220511)

• The user interface for registration was revised.
• The application can now offer automatic re-registration after it has been migrated to a new computer.
• Fixed a problem where exporting the list of orphaned files may not have worked as expected.
• Minor modernizations and adjustments.

Version 6.99 (Build 211227)

• This version fixes a problem where the startup job overview might not have reflected the true status of system launch agents under all conditions.
• Minor modernizations and price adjustment.

Version 6.99 (Build 210721)

This versions fixes a problem where the stop button may not have worked when trying to cancel a privileged operation that had already been running for a considerable time.

Version 6.98 (Build 210427)

• Added support for Security Update 2021–003 for macOS Mojave and Security Update 2021–002 for macOS Catalina.
• Added new feature for users of upgrade licenses: An administrator who activated the application via a upgrade registration file can now create a “single-step ticket” that combines the information about the upgrade license and the license for a prerequisite product into one file. This file can be used to re-register the application in a single step without having to prove upgrade eligibility again, e.g. when migrating to a new computer.
• The application uses more detailed error messages if removing a bad startup job fails for some reason.
• Fixed a problem where candidates of software components pre-selected for deletion by the Uninstallation Assistant have been shown with type information in the wrong language.
• User guidance for evaluation mode uses better wording in the English user interface.

Version 6.97 (Build 210209)

Added new internal feature to allow normal users to check, remove and re-apply Access Control Lists for file system objects they own. This makes it possible that non-administrative users regain permission to deactivate, reactivate, or delete their personal caches if the cache folders use Apple’s recommended default permission settings.

Version 6.96 (Build 210115)

• Communication with slow components of macOS in the background could sometimes be misinterpreted as alleged “hang” of the application. To avoid this, many user interface elements to control features of Time Machine, Spotlight, and CUPS have been changed over to asynchronous behavior. TinkerTool System will no longer wait for immediate response of macOS, but temporarily disable the affected controls until the corresponding operations have completed.
• This version fixes a problem with the creation of install media where installer apps of macOS 11 could be shown as invalid after such an app had been launched and quit in the same user login session.

Version 6.95 (Build 201214)

• Added support for the 4th generation of the System Management Controller used in the latest Mac models.
• The quick help feature was revised completely with updated links to new web pages of Apple that contain additional information on certain support and maintenance topics.
• Communication with external programs was optimized, especially regarding possible error situations, which could otherwise result in memory leaks, file handle exhaustion, or unexpected program termination.

Version 6.94 (Build 201111)

This version is aware of TinkerTool System 7 and the release of macOS 11.0 Big Sur.

Version 6.93 (Build 201007)

• The security feature that protects critical files has been modernized to respect recent changes in macOS.
• Added a new workaround and documentation for macOS defects that can cause Time Machine maintenance features to fail if the backup is network-based.
• Added a feature to detect broken versions of the installer application of macOS Sierra which are not capable of creating installation media. Apple has officially withdrawn any assertions that the Sierra 10.12.6 installation app is capable of performing this operation and TinkerTool System has been updated accordingly.
• Fixes a problem where the APFS pane is not shown or not updated correctly when attaching a disk containing a volume with future APFS features that is considered invalid by the running operating system.
• Fixes a problem where items in the table of privacy settings for applications may not have been translated to the user’s preferred language if running macOS Mojave.

Version 6.92 (Build 200910)

• Added SIP-protected startup option to control how a non-maskable interrupt (NMI) can be triggered. The settings and their description regarding start of the macOS remote kernel debugger have been clarified.
• The startup option to control how kernel panic messages should be shown was removed, because the underlying feature is no longer implemented in modern versions of macOS.
• Fixes a problem where network-based backups of Time Machine could not be selected for re-association with a volume if macOS Catalina was used.
• Fixes a packaging issue which could cause the quick help page for the ACL ID-Finder feature not to be shown.
• Includes the “build 200813 hotfix” which corrected minor issues with the user interface of version 6.91 for product activation. This affects remembering the position of the registration window, double-clicking a registration file, and the processing of manually entered prerequisite data for upgrade licenses.

Version 6.91 (Build 200804)

• Added preliminary support for creating installation media for and with macOS 11.
• Added support for detecting features of future APFS implementations.
• In specific situations, communication with Time Machine now runs in the background, so the user interface is more responsive even when using slow Time Machine devices.
• The accessibility has been further optimized by more than 800 changes in the user interface, especially for users of VoiceOver.
• The instructions for the emergency tool have been revised, taking into account the latest versions of the macOS Recovery operating system.
• Parts of the user interface for product activation and registration management have been redesigned.

Version 6.9 (Build 200702)

This version adds preliminary support for future operating systems.

Version 6.89 (Build 200527)

• This version adds support for macOS 10.14.6 Build 18G5033 (Security Update 2020–003): Because Apple intentionally sabotaged the operating system feature to ignore the macOS Catalina update in macOS Mojave, the corresponding settings have been removed.
• Added notification to suggest removal of the system setting to ignore the macOS Catalina update after an upgrade to macOS Catalina has been performed.
• Added a workaround for layout issues in some status displays for physical hard disks when working with specific third-party drives that provide excessively long serial numbers with more than 80 digits.
• Added a workaround for an issue with the authentication user interface of macOS where the system only showed an undocumented “ACMContextVerifyPolicyEx” error message.

Version 6.88 (Build 200427)

This version resolves a compatibility issue between the startup setting “Use special OS for next start: Recovery system” and specific firmware or Recovery OS versions: On some systems, the one-time setting remained permanently effective until clearing the parameter RAM. If you don’t use this option of the startup setting, you won’t need this update.

Version 6.87 (Build 200422)

• Added new feature to clear the staging area macOS uses to collect kernel extensions that wait for approval or denial by the user. This function is available at the tab item to clear the kernel extension cache.
• Added new feature to control the protected kernel option which disables processor-assisted support for Virtual Machines. This can help to avoid crashes of macOS Catalina when copying large amounts of data.
• The launch limit for unrestricted product evaluation without license has been increased by one, because macOS may relaunch the application to update its privacy settings. Six (6) launches per computer are permitted now.
• The application now accepts that the user provides a custom icon.
• Log files for kernel panics are now shown in a more readable fashion if macOS has stored them with embedded reports in JSON formats.
• Fixed a problem where Time Machine storage statistics reports could be shown with swapped lines and without a summary.
• Fixed a problem where the storage gain summary could sometimes show wrong numbers after Time Machine snapshots have been deleted.
• Fixed a problem where the display of the system’s stored setting for handling trim commands on third-party AHCI SSDs could be wrong with some OS versions while the live policies for each affected drive were shown correctly.

Version 6.86 (Build 200323)

• Added support for macOS Catalina 10.15.4 and later. Note that previous versions of TinkerTool System are not compatible with this operating system version.
• Added a separate, fully resizable APFS overview window. This is helpful when performing complex APFS operations affecting multiple partitions or disks.
• Added percentage values to the Storage Space overview feature.
• Added new workarounds for continuing defects in macOS that can cause the system to lose preference and Resume settings when the user logs out too fast. The dialogs that indicate that the user must be logged out to continue a pending maintenance operation have been redesigned.

Version 6.85 (Build 200218)

• Added new feature to enable the classic startup chime on selected Macintosh model series released after summer 2016.
• Added new startup option to select special maintenance systems for the next restart. The Recovery OS, Internet Recovery, Apple Diagnostics, and Apple Diagnostics via Internet are available.
• Added new option to add available “signpost” information for software developers when retrieving log data from the operating system.
• The Startup pane was redesigned to consume less space on small screens.
• The Info pane was redesigned to consume less space on small screens.
• Internal diagnostic features have been optimized.
• Communication with the privileged component supports new features to ensure that data is processed in the correct order even under critical situations with high system load or strongly parallelized operations.
• Corrected a problem where some lines of log reports could be partially damaged or would appear in the wrong order.

Version 6.84 (Build 200117)

• The user interface to present the hierarchy of APFS objects was enhanced.
• The privacy protection warning that is shown when the user has not yet given consent for Full Disk Access by the application is now highlighted more prominently.
• Error messages and error handling have been optimized to better differentiate between the reasons of access failures caused by System Integrity Protection, privacy approval, user permissions, or other issues.
• This version adds a workaround for an ambiguity that could cause an incorrect display of production dates for Macintosh model series that have up-to-date operating system support for more than 10 years.
• This version fixes a problem where macOS may have refused to clone an APFS volume group if it was part of a container with multiple volume groups.
• Corrected a problem where resetting privacy settings did not work for all categories when using specific versions of macOS Catalina.
• The application now adds specific user guidance when resetting a privacy category that has influence onto the application itself.

Version 6.83 (Build 191211)

• Added new feature to get an overview on all details about the current APFS configuration, presenting the relationships between containers, physical disks, volume groups, and volumes.
• Added new feature to show the complete list of APFS snapshots on a volume.
• Added new feature to remove some or all APFS snapshots from a volume.
• Added new feature to copy APFS containers, volume groups, volumes, or snapshots by fast replication. (Only available for macOS 10.15 Catalina or later.)
• Added new feature to safely delete Time Machine snapshots from an active backup.
• Added new features to safely delete Time Machine snapshots, backup sets, or all Time Machine data from local disk drives.
• Added new user interface to show outstanding privacy approvals. If necessary, a missing approval will now be directly visible in the toolbar of the control window. This avoids that the application has to attempt a possibly failing operation before it can indicate a policy conflict to the user.
• Added new feature to create an optional text report when finding orphaned objects on a volume.
• The features to prevent volumes from automatic mounting or program execution will now additionally support invisible but mounted data volumes of non-running Catalina installations. This is helpful for users that have multiple copies of macOS Catalina installed. (Only necessary for macOS 10.15 or later.)
• The Info pane now supports retrieval of details about the Apple T2 processor in addition to the original iBridge system. The user interface has been modified accordingly.
• Printing the instructions for launching the emergency tool in recovery mode will now automatically resize the output to the printer’s paper size to make sure the instructions are fully readable and not clipped.
• User guidance for changing file permission settings has been redesigned for cases where the operating system cannot fully support permissions.
• The application now adds warnings about possible APFS bugs affecting the handling of automatic ACL permission inheritance.

Version 6.82 (Build 191114)

• The check for slow system startup due to cleared NVRAM settings was modified in order not to cause false alarms on specific Mac Pro models.
• The check for correct communication with the security component was modified in order not to cause false alarms when the application was launched under extreme overload conditions.
• Added a fix for an issue with macOS 10.15.1 that could cause the warning for a missing user-based approval for full disk access not to be shown under specific conditions.
• Added a fix for an issue that could cause volumes with HFS+ format not to be offered for specific features of the System pane.
• Clarified the meaning of the “dark wake” startup option in the user interface and in the reference manual.

Version 6.81 (Build 191030)

• Added support for macOS 10.15.1.
• Added new feature to save the report on startup jobs into an RTF text file.
• Added new feature to download selected macOS installer apps provided by Apple without using the App Store (macOS Catalina only).
• Added new feature to suppress update notifications regarding macOS Catalina and the associated Dock reminder marker (macOS Mojave only).
• Added new feature to change the user account security policy for Remote Apple Events (macOS Catalina only).
• The feature to clear and refresh the driver (kernel extension) cache was reinstated for macOS Catalina.
• The feature to create macOS install media uses updated knowledge and revised safety policies regarding size requirements for target volumes.
• This version detects additional situations in the operating environment that can cause communication with system services to fail. The user will be automatically warned about such issues.
• The feature to search for software components of specific types as preparation for the Uninstall Assistant is no longer available when running macOS Catalina, because it no longer makes sense in modern system versions.

Version 6.8 (Build 191009)

• This version adds full support for macOS 10.15 Catalina.
• Added new feature to display the notarization state of applications or disk images (macOS Catalina only).
• The reference manuals have been updated with information that could not be published while the news embargo for macOS Catalina was active.
• Evaluation mode (“Try Before Buy” testing) is now unlocked for macOS Catalina.
• Fixed an issue where the list of startup jobs shown for the category User Service Login Item could be inaccurate, showing entries already deactivated.
• Fixed an issue where the data portion of the Catalina system volume was not offered for specific maintenance operations.

Version 6.7 (Build 190916)

• Added new feature to resize disk images (DMG files), hereby avoiding the flaws of Disk Utility.
• Added further support for future versions of macOS.
• The standalone version of TinkerTool System (tts in Single User mode) has been rewritten completely. The new “TinkerTool System for Recovery Mode” (ttsfrm) supersedes the previous emergency utility. This leads to the following advantages:
  • Compatibility with present and future versions of macOS is improved, because Single User mode is no longer officially supported by Apple.
  • For Macs with T2 security chip, it will no longer be necessary to change the security settings.
  • Issues with keyboard debouncing on certain Mac models are avoided.
  • Apple’s Single User mode terminal is avoided, so readability on systems with Retina screens is fully restored.
  • The emergency tool can now use the full character set and a graphical user interface.
  • Separate, proactive installation steps for the emergency tool are no longer necessary.
• A graphical interface to disable or enable System Integrity Protection has been added to the emergency tool. The following features no longer make sense in macOS Recovery Mode and have been removed: file system check for the system volume, deleting Input Managers, rebuilding XPC caches, self-removal.
• The feature to create macOS installation media now accepts destination volumes which have slightly less than 8 GB of storage. This takes into account that Apple’s installer is based on working with volumes (not disks) whose formatted capacity can be significantly lower than that of the physical storage device.

Version 6.6 (Build 190812)

• Many internal changes to support future operating system versions.
• Added new “ID Finder” feature for user and group accounts. After entering either account name, full name, POSIX identifier or UUID, the application will find the three remaining other items.
• Added new log type to retrieve the macOS log for disk write events.
• Added new log type to retrieve the macOS log for differential privacy submissions.
• Added new log type to retrieve the macOS log for iCloud services.
• Added new log type to retrieve the macOS log for baseband processor incidents.
• Added new log type to retrieve the macOS log for telephony monitoring.
• Added new log type to retrieve the macOS log for trust checks.
• Added new log type to retrieve the macOS log for iPhone software updates.
• Added new log type to retrieve the macOS log for iPad software updates.
• Added new log type to retrieve the macOS log proactive events.
• The user interface for license registration was redesigned.

Version 6.51 (Build 190625)

• This update is necessary to maintain compatibility with new versions of TinkerTool (7.4 or later).
• Added further support for future versions of macOS.
• Better guidance for the feature to remove unsuitable update notifications for users who have a customized update server set.
• Fixed a problem where the application could hang while beginning to display live output from external utility tools that have been started without privileged permissions.

Version 6.5 (Build 190611)

• Major architectural changes have been implemented that make it possible to make many long running operations interruptible.
• Added operating system setting for full protection against the “ZombieLoad” attack (Micro-Architectural Data Sampling Vulnerabilities). This setting can only be changed while System Integrity Protection is off.
• Added operating system setting to disable support of the assistant for Captive Networks (automatic configuration of access to “hotspots”).
• Added new feature to automatically repair a specific damage of the Trash caused by third-party applications. This feature has no permanent user interface, but will be activated on demand during startup of the application if necessary.
• The system setting to optimize the operational parameters for use as server computer can now be activated even if macOS Server is not installed.
• Fixed a rare issue where the autostart settings of third-party services could not be determined correctly if the affected executable had unusual permission settings.
• Corrected a problem where new system services that have recently been added to macOS Mojave have not been shown as Apple-provided autostart component.
• Added preliminary support for future versions of macOS.

Version 6.4 (Build 190508)

• Added new feature to display “reveal in Finder” buttons for objects in the preflight list shown before deleting files as part of a clean-up operation.
• Added new feature to check a file system hierarchy against a user-specified limit for the length of absolute or relative paths.
• Added new warning feature for the ACL pane that makes the user aware if a selected file system may not support ACL permissions or uses virtual permission settings only. A new info panel offers guidance for inexperienced users.
• When propagating permissions onto a large folder hierarchy, the temporary memory consumption has been greatly reduced for specific use cases.
• Corrected an issue where specific locale settings of the user account could prevent a request to automatically free storage space of APFS Time Machine snapshots by a specified size to take any noticeable effect.

Version 6.3 (Build 190327)

• Added new feature to remove all local Time Machine APFS snapshots from a selected volume immediately.
• Added new setting to control whether FileVault should remove the decryption key for the system disk from memory when the system is entering standby mode.
• Added new feature to immediately eject all volumes when saving a modified automount configuration that have been set not to be automatically mounted by macOS.
• Added new feature to let the application copy itself to the system Applications folder if desired when the program is launched from the virtual distribution disk.
• The internal diagnostics features have been completely rewritten to be still operative in cases where operating system logging is not usable.
• The application has been made robust against dubious “cleaner” software that damages the launch configuration of the operating system.
• Better error messages for cases where users fail to register the application due to accidentally installing a wrong license file through dragging.

Version 6.2 (Build 190212)

• Added new diagnostics feature to retrieve the login time statistics from the operating system. Total login time per user or usage time per day can be reviewed.
• Added a workaround for a defect in macOS Mojave which can hang the operating system for 7 minutes if an application asks the operating system for the complete list of group accounts in a configuration with a network directory service. All user and group panels show only cached accounts now. The complete list of accounts can be retrieved on demand by clicking an extra button in the panels.
• User guidance for the selection of destination volumes was enhanced when creating macOS install media.
• Fixed a rare issue where the application showed the message “Interrupted system call” instead of the true error message when trying to delete specific files shielded by System Integrity Protection.

Version 6.1 (Build 190121)

• Added new option to the propagation of permission settings that can precisely simulate inheritance of Access Control Lists instead of copying them unconditionally. This emulates the behavior of old versions of macOS Server. The option to enforce activation of the inheritance flag was removed.
• Added new option to the propagation of permission settings that can be used to ignore all locked files during the operation. This emulates the behavior of old versions of macOS Server.
• Added new feature to the storage space overview feature that lists all system services that are currently registered to reclaim purgeable space.
• Added new feature to create a text report for the results of a bulk integrity check of applications. The report can be printed or be exported as RTF file.
• Added new feature to the check of absolute path lengths for deeply nested folders that not only tests existing objects, but additionally checks potential paths that would be created when copying the tested files to currently attached volumes.
• Added new preference setting to force the application to use Apple’s “Identity Picker Window” instead of TinkerTool System’s own user and group account management panels. This is less comfortable and does not offer OS accounts, but can be used as a workaround for a bug in the macOS Mojave directory services client which could lock the system for several minutes if one or more external directory services are configured when the UI for account selection was opened.
• Both the main application and the Standalone Utility now display the new “executable policy override” feature of System Integrity Protection if active in a custom configuration.
• Keyboard control of the Standalone Utility was optimized once again.
• The swap space volume (VM) is no longer offered as possible target for specific operations to avoid confusion.
• A layout issue of the path control that presents the top search folder in the results sheet for overlong paths has been resolved. This avoids that the panel can become wider than the screen.
• Broken symbolic links will no longer stop a propagation operation on the ACL pane, if the feature to propagate an Access Control List is active.
• Support code for legacy operating systems was removed from the Issues pane.

Version 6.02 (Build 181122)

• Added new feature to the Info pane to indicate whether your Mac uses Apple iBridge technology, which includes Apple T2 processors. A detail sheet shows additional information about its configuration.
• Added small changes to the non-English user interface for cases where Apple has modified the translation of specific terms as of macOS 10.14.1.
• The pane for the Emergency Tool has been redesigned and will now show a notice if your Mac uses an extremely small font in Single User Mode.
• Links to Apple documentation in connection with the Quick Help feature have been updated, or removed respectively, if Apple is no longer publishing specific information.
• Added a workaround for a keyboard control problem of Single User Mode that could affect the Standalone Utility. Depending on keyboard type and OS version, a single key press could sometimes be misinterpreted as multiple key events.
• Clarified the misleading label of the option to disable the dark wake feature of macOS.
• Fixed a compatibility problem with the automatic restart feature when the application was renamed.
• Internal technical update for changes in network infrastructure affecting the evaluation feature.
• The application will show more targeted error messages if licensing fails due to a misconfigured network firewall.
• The distribution package now uses the latest Gatekeeper security features.

Version 6.01 (Build 181002)

This is a maintenance update which corrects minor issues.

• Adds support for future versions of macOS Mojave.
• Adds a workaround for a declaration issue in the latest versions of the macOS Mojave installation App which could cause the installer not to be accepted as valid for the creation of install media.
• Several changes and optimizations in user guidance when working with startup jobs, login screen settings, and license registration.
• Fixes an issue where a private Software Update Server could not be used when macOS enforced HTTPS with TLS and extended validation.
• Fixes an issue where the application could not detect that it was already approved for full disk access on systems that had been upgraded from OS X 10.10 Yosemite.
• Fixes an issue where the user interface might not have been enabled for specific Time Machine features when the backup was stored on a network server.

Version 6.0 (Build 180918)

• Added full support for macOS 10.14 Mojave.
• Added new log type for slow application response to the feature to review classic system logs.
• Added new log type for slow shutdowns to the feature to review classic system logs.
• Added other new log types to the respective category in the log overview menu.
• Hundreds of other small changes and adjustments for macOS Mojave.
• The following features have been removed because they are no longer part of macOS Mojave, no longer make sense, or have been superseded by new macOS features: removing language support packages, validating login items, enforced Trash removal, repairing Safari font issues, repairing App Store licenses, enabling support for external accounts on the login screen, disabling support for text mode console login, temporary removal of swap files.
• The following features have moved to new locations: removal of Recent Items (User pane), reset of privacy settings (Applications pane).

TinkerTool System 6 begins a new product line. The section above lists changes in comparison to TinkerTool System 5, version 5.96. For more information about the version history of TinkerTool System 5, please see the respective application.