Can’t Boot after uninstalling Teamviewer on Mac OS Catalina

12/4/2019

Ran into this problem on a few macs. The scenario is that you've uninstalled teamviewer on macOS catalina and now your mac won't boot. Instead it give you an error that reads: "Unrecoverable Error. SecurityAgent was unable to create requested mechanism TeamViewerAuthPlugin:Start.

Basically it's a file that the OS is looking for to boot and it can't find it. Solution below:

UPDATE! 5/1/20

AuthDB Removal:

Make sure your Mas is powered off by holding the power button for 10 seconds.
Start into macOS Recovery by holding down Cmd-R when booting before the chime, until the apple logo.
Open Disk Utility -- found in the upper utility menu option.
Check the left source list and remember the name of your disk. For Macs running Catalina it's the Disk that does not end in "- Data". It's usually "Macintosh HD." *consider taking a photo to remember.
Click to select the disk in the sidebar.
Click the "Mount" button in the upper right. If you see the word "unmount" skip this step.
Quit Disk Utility.
From the top menu bar click Utilities > Terminal.
Type the command and hit return: rm "/Volumes/Macintosh HD/var/db/auth.db"
1. NOTE** There is a space after rm
2. NOTE** The quotes are part of the command.
3. NOTE** If "Macintosh HD" is not the name of your disk, replace that part with the name of your hard disk from step 4, including spaces, written exactly as displayed in Disk Utility.
4. NOTE** once you enter the command hit return to submit the command.
5. NOTE** if the terminal doesn't present an error and is waiting for a new command, it's successful.
Restart.
If you receive an error review the steps carefully again.

You're welcome. If you're having trouble, contact us. Details to the right >>>

OLD FIX Methods

The Fix Option 1 - Target Disk Mode:

Requires a Thunderbolt cable to connect two macs together.
Get another mac that is not the broken one, duh.
Download the file you need to replace here.
Unzip the file.
Boot the broken mac to target disk mode by holding the T key during boot, until you see the thunderbolt Icon on the screen.
Connect both macs together via thunderbolt, the broken mac's hard drive will show up as an external HD.
In the Finder, from the root of the broken mac's hard drive navigate to: /Library/Security/SecurityAgentPlugins/
Paste in the file you downloaded above.
Restart the broken mac.
Done. Hooray.

The Fix Option 2 - USB Thumb Stick & Terminal Command:

Download the file you need to replace here.
Unzip the file.
Copy the file to a USB Thumb Drive.
Name the USB drive: fixit
Connect the USB to your broken mac.
Boot your broken Mac while holding Command+R until you see the Apple logo.
In the upper menu click utilities, then select terminal.
Type the following command and hit return: ls /Volumes/
This command lists the attached volumes. Make a note of the drive name for the internal hard drive.
Enter the terminal command and hit return: cp -r /Volumes/fixit/TeamViewerAuthPlugin.bundle /Volumes/Macintosh\ HD/Library/Security/SecurityAgentPlugins/

NOTE ** YOU MAY NEED TO REPLACE THE NAME OF "MACINTOSH\ HD" IF YOUR HARD DRIVE NAME DIFFERS. ALSO, IF THERE ARE SPACES IN YOUR HARD DRIVE NAME, THE SPACE IS REPRESENTED AS A "\ " A BACKSLASH WITH A SPACE. EG. "MY HARD DRIVE" IT WOULD BE REPRESENTED IN THE TERMINAL COMMAND AS "MY\ HARD\ DRIVE"

Click the apple in the upper left and select restart.
Done. Hoory.

70 Comments

Jay Cogswell

1/16/2020 03:19:38 pm

I tried your Option 2. After going to the terminal and entering Is /Volumes/ it just said file not found which seemed odd. So I entered the cp -r /Volumes/fixit/TeamViewerAuthPlugin.bundle /Volumes/Macintosh\ HD/Library/Security/SecurityAgentPlugins/ and restarted but got the same error. I'm getting "the file I need" on another mac, saving it to a thumb drive, then using an adapter to connect it to the mini usb on my broken computer. Could this be a problem. Frustrated and perplexed.

tyler

2/10/2020 12:00:51 pm

I have the same problem

BonanzaGroove

3/9/2020 11:15:57 am

Go with the updated steps, see above
"
UPDATE! 2/10/20
There is a simpler fix than the one detailed below. We'll lay it out here:
FIX - AuthDB Removal:
"
with the only remark that to boot into recovery, switch off your Mac, then press and hold keys [command] and [R] and switch on your Mac (keep the two keys pressed until the apple logo appears, the you can release them). The ret of the steps should be straight-forward.

Jason

1/20/2020 09:42:46 am

Agh,,,, I cant even find the Terminal command.
Can you publish a picture where it should be.
I searched every drop down menu...

Jay

1/26/2020 07:15:46 am

Thank you !! It helped me

John G

1/29/2020 06:55:18 am

I used option 1, many, many thanks this worked perfectly. How do I manage to uninstall Teamviewer permanantly? The reason beoing I have heard of some scams using it to hack into computers.

Chevez

3/9/2020 09:39:29 am

I can’t do that :( can you help me please???

3/9/2020 11:17:41 am

Go with the updated steps, see above
"
UPDATE! 2/10/20
There is a simpler fix than the one detailed below. We'll lay it out here:
FIX - AuthDB Removal:
"
with the only remark that to boot into recovery, first switch off your Mac, then press and hold keys [command] and [R] and switch on your Mac (keep the two keys pressed until the apple logo appears, the you can release them). The rest of the steps should be straight-forward.

Emma

2/1/2020 05:21:59 am

Hey,
I have this message
How do I know it is ok?
I've tried to restart it but I still have the error :( I've tried so many times to type the code..

Louis Pengue

2/15/2020 07:14:50 pm

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I was pulling my hair out, but now all is well. I can’t thank you enough for the fix using the Terminal command.

Wanda

2/17/2020 02:22:12 pm

Thanx so much! It worked for another lost file mkauthplugin:prelogin. My son unplugged a flight simulator joy stick?? and the message came up!

Glenn Smith

5/6/2020 12:10:28 pm

I have the same error as you did. can you please share the exact command you types. I've tried everything with no luck.

Jay Wilson

2/24/2020 02:04:07 am

I’ve tried command R and many other key combinations I’ve seen in online discussion groups. Nothing I do gets rid of the black screen and unrecoverable error message. I would love to try your solution but I can’t get into recovery mode. Any thoughts?

Kiran

2/24/2020 10:44:42 am

Awesome it’s working

Mr Janos Holanyi-Papp

3/6/2020 06:38:30 am

The new solution

"
UPDATE! 2/10/20
FIX - AuthDB Removal:
"
worked like a charm right away. Kudos to you, brothers and/or sisters :)

PS: all this after a long session with Apple Support involving a 2nd-line 'senior advisor' who could only give me the standard incompetency-proving solution of 'wipe&reinstall macOS'... pff.

Skang

3/13/2020 10:37:35 pm

Hi i tried your updated fix posted below for the Teamviewer reboot error. I was successful up until the step to enter command: rm "/Volumes/<your disk>/var/db/auth.db"

I get “no such file or directory”.

I’ve verified name of my HD is the same: Macintosh HD.

Please help!

https://www.easymacsupport.com/blog/cant-boot-after-uninstalling-teamviewer-on-mac-os-catalina

Dennis

3/26/2020 03:31:48 pm

I have excatly the same, how did
You fix it in the end?

vnnv

3/27/2020 11:14:30 am

same 😥

3/27/2020 11:47:19 am

It is: rm(space) And then “/Volumes.... etc. And you need to leave a space in between Macintosh And HD also. And still use the “”

Bernd

3/15/2020 12:28:55 pm

You saved my life. Option 1 worked also in High Sierra.

Mateusz

3/23/2020 02:30:54 am

Help! It doesn't work on my mac. I have always " No such file or directory" answer .

3/23/2020 02:48:33 am

Ok, I get it! I've tried a few usb format and it's working :)

3/26/2020 03:21:27 pm

I have the same! How did you fixed
It????

Roberto Paredes

3/28/2020 07:01:25 pm

Muchas Gracias!!! U save my life!!! Thx!!!

Just one comment: between rm and “ there is a space!!!

Tony link

3/29/2020 10:52:34 am

This fucking teamviewer broke my macbook pro

Jansje

4/3/2020 01:59:02 am

Thank you!! It worked with the disk name name as .../“Macintosh\ HD”/...

Naarji

4/3/2020 02:09:35 am

I love you

Doug

4/6/2020 02:20:54 pm

The first one worked you just have to type it in correctly!
Thank you ,weight is off my shoulders!

kai

4/14/2020 07:17:52 am

Note:
• there is a " at the end of the command
• there is a <space> between rm and "

UPDATE! 3/01/20
The simplest fix:
AuthDB Removal:

Worked perfect after a few typos, thanks so much!

I just wonder why in this solution the disk name would be 'Macintosh HD' while in the next (both in Terminal) it should be 'Macintosh\HD'?! For me it worked with (the originally given) 'Macintosh HD'.

Kay Cameron

4/17/2020 02:29:43 am

Ahhhh thank you so much!

Lynda

4/23/2020 08:22:42 pm

Sir you are a LIFESAVER thank you!

David Vilaca

4/27/2020 01:57:29 am

Thank you! It worked for me on Catalina.

WILL

4/28/2020 06:05:15 am

I used the first one. Was perfect! Thank so much!!

Bekah

5/4/2020 06:06:18 pm

This was very helpful and saved my computer in the middle of a work crisis! Thank you so much!

JOHANNES MEDHAUG

5/6/2020 02:25:53 am

TERMINAL COMMAND

I've tried out all of the command's to write and enter on the terminal from the website itself and the comments, resulting with "no such file or directory", anyone know some details about the script?

Mohit Dhiman

5/9/2020 12:32:34 am

Thank You So Much.

I was so scared 😭 when I see this error on my screen but it fixed now after performing the steps mentioned on your website.

Thank you So much again ❤️

candy

5/16/2020 07:03:58 am

I used the first one. Thank so much!!

TAbitha

5/23/2020 11:07:15 am

THANK YOU!! Your 5/2020 update worked like a dream! I had tried so many things with no success. THANK YOU!!

Ant

5/24/2020 02:52:56 am

Fantastic, many thanks

Cally

5/27/2020 01:14:56 am

Hi, I have tried the instructions above to be able to reboot my imac 2013. I just have a lock sign after pressing the combination cmd + R instead of the apple logo. Do you have any suggestions? Thanks in advance

Heena

5/27/2020 07:33:57 am

You are awesome. It worked.

Pankaj Goikar

5/31/2020 02:28:31 pm

Thank You So Much. You have saved my time. God Bless You... :)

Bruna Alexandrino

6/2/2020 09:27:12 am

Can someone help me? I tried the first option with “Macintosh HD” and I couldn't. It appears that it was not found! can someone help me for god's sake? what is the correct code?

David Rhee

6/7/2020 09:28:21 pm

I spent five days with Apple support trying to fix a mess on my computer that THEY created! In tears at times. One day I was on the phone from 1pm to 9pm tearing out my hair. for shits and giggles i typed in my problem online and your website came up. I fixed it in five mintues! Thank you, Thank you! Thank you!!!

Rexv

6/9/2020 08:46:13 am

Oh! What a relief it is -- as Alka Seltzer used to say! Your solution seems to have worked for me on the first try! THANKS A MILLION!

Sonia

6/11/2020 10:34:40 am

Option 1 worked for me thank u!!! Now did that officially delete the plug in or do I now need to do that and how ?

azafrak link

6/13/2020 01:53:39 am

Thank you my friend, macOS Catalina also fixed the problem.

Chris link

6/13/2020 08:23:29 am

I deleted team viewer and all assoiated files this morning just tried to startup my MacBook Pro (Mac OS Catalina ver 10.15.4
Error relating to team viewer was showing on black screen.
Googled and found this fix which 100% works...now I can carry on with my DJ stream many thanks Matthew

ahmedelomda1346 link

6/18/2020 06:59:19 am

TeamViewer is a proprietary software application for remote control, desktop sharing, online meetings, web conferencing, and file transfer between computers.
TeamViewer - Free Download Latest Version For Mac: https://www.toevolution.com/file/view/522088/teamviewer-free-download-latest-version-for-mac

esmeralda

7/20/2020 01:45:01 pm

Thankyou so much for this helpful steps, you have saaaved my life!!

Ravi kushwaha

7/22/2020 02:22:56 am

thankyou so much bro, much love from india

Joana

7/26/2020 04:47:47 pm

YOU SAVED MY LIFE!!! THANK YOU!

Subhajit Naskar link

8/5/2020 09:43:22 am

Yes, It worked, Thank you so much bro....

Peter

8/6/2020 11:01:22 pm

In the termanal it says no such filenor directory

N Daniel

8/16/2020 11:56:41 am

I uninstalled teamveiwer and that started all the trouble. So in looking for solution i came across your YouTube page and followed the link.
I tried the first time and it didn't work so I read the instructions again and realised my disc wasn't named so " Volumes/untitled/ and it Worked.

Thanks you.

Amy Jenkins

8/22/2020 01:57:09 am

I had this problem this morning and your instructions worked perfectly - thanks so much, massively saved me!

Lenalee

9/27/2020 04:58:11 am

It says read-only when I use the option 2

Sebastien LeBlanc

10/16/2020 02:37:40 pm

Option 1 worked for me. Thanks a lot for the help!

Geeta Rawat

11/1/2020 09:17:46 am

Thanks for the help. It worked for me.

RoxAnn

11/14/2020 07:45:07 am

Thank you so much the first option worked perfect. One question did this take care of the problem if I restart again or do I need to somehow remove it from the start up?

Matthew

11/25/2020 10:25:09 pm

No. 1 worked! Thank you. Is it a permanent fix or do I need to reinstall the deleted program?

Rebecca

1/29/2021 04:02:23 pm

This worked! Thanks so much. You are lifesavers!

anders

2/14/2021 03:12:20 pm

This worked. It didn’t work for the first several times. Don’t give up. Try it again from the start, and make sure you are doing everything exactly as they say to do it.
Thank you all for this post!!!

Martin Martin

3/8/2021 01:04:57 am

Bonjour,
Juste du mal à trouver le nom du volume taper la commande « df -h »

Cappuccino

3/30/2021 02:32:12 am

Option 2 worked for me, I have a MacBook Air 2015 with Catalina, I followed all steps in Option 2, I put everything in one stick I previously used for my laptop, it work instantly. Only pay attention when typing, if not typed well, an error is coming out, if all good, no error comes, but an arrow for a new terminal command will appear. Thank you very much guys for all your explanations, you saved me 🙃🙃🙃

Cappucino

3/30/2021 02:42:12 am

Also, my command worked as:
cp -r “/Volumes/fixit/TeamViewerAuthPlugin.bundle /Volumes/<my disc name>/Library/Security/SecurityAgentPlugins/“
The command was enclosed, and I replaced <my disk name> with my disk name, as I replaced it with a different name having only one word, not two. To do that, I went back on disk Utility, I clicked right on my main internal disk and I renamed it.
I hope it helps.
Good luck 🤞

Priyan Ranasinghe

5/14/2021 05:28:33 am

During the pandemic The Teamviewer cutoff my free concessions & left me almost helpless at the edge of the exam. But your help worth me millions & words are not enough to thank.. God Bless you man.

mishelle

6/21/2021 09:13:15 pm

thank you - i've tried it all online this is the only thing that got me up and running! btw option 1 worked :)

Yuffa

9/30/2021 01:13:36 pm

This helps! Thankyou so much!! But is the teamviewer fully uninstalled? Cus its bugging me

Daniel

11/26/2021 03:26:15 pm

Hello,

I’m turning Option 1) for a backup recovery on a new Mac.
However I get this error, above. Try to solve it,
But, I the answer from the terminal:

"/Volumes/Macintosh HD/var/db/auth.db" Permission denied

-> Do you have any ideas how to solve this?

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