The Application Can't be Opened on Mac: Error 10673 & 10826

There are various cases of the "The application can't be opened." errors on Mac. For example, you could receive one of the following messages:

In this post, we will focus on error 10673, error 10826, and other frequently asked errors relevant to "The application *** cannot be opened." on macOS Ventura, macOS Monterey, and other macOS versions.

Why is my Mac saying this application cannot be opened?

Your Mac may warn you that the application cannot be opened when one of the following happens:

Fix Apps Not Working/Crashing/Freezing on macOS Sonoma

This article explains why apps are not working on macOS Sonoma and 12 ways to resolve the issue. If your app won't open on macOS Sonoma, try these solutions.

What is error 10673 on Mac?

In most cases, the "The application can't be opened. -10673" error happens when opening an email or the links/attachments in a received email on the Apple Mail app or clicking a link in other apps. But some may also receive error 10673 when launching apps like Zoom after updating to macOS Ventura or Monterey.

Fix 'The application can't be opened. -10673' error on Mac

If your Mac is displaying the "The application can't be opened. -10673" error, here are the solutions you should try:

• Restart your Mac
• Open the link or app by right-clicking
• Change your default browser to Safari
• Open your browser before clicking the link
• Set the default email reader to Mail
• Boot into Safe Mode

Restart your Mac

If error 10673 is caused by a minor system bug, a simple reboot will get it fixed. If you haven't tried it already, now is the time. 

Open the link or app by right-clicking

Try right-clicking on the link or app you intend to open, then select an app in "Open With" if opening directly always triggers the error.

Change your default browser to Safari

Suppose you have changed the default browser from Safari to Chrome or others; reverting to Safari will likely help you eliminate error 10673. Follow these steps:

Changing the default browser to Safari may not be convenient for you if you prefer using another browser on daily bases. In which case, you can move back to your favorite browser after using Safari as the default for a while. Note that the issue may recur after the switch.

Open your browser before clicking the link

Some Mac users have discovered that if they open their favorite browser first and then click the link they want to open, error 10673 will never occur. Hopefully, this workaround can help you eliminate the "The application cannot be opened." error on macOS Monterey as well.

Set the default email reader to Mail

If Mail isn't selected as the default email reader on your Mac, it may pose some problems like error 10673. You can check whether your default email reader is Mail by opening the Mail app, clicking Mail from the top-left menu, and selecting Preferences > General. If it's set to Mail, resetting it again may also be useful.

Boot into Safe Mode

Booting into Safe Mode repairs the hard drive and clears the cache that may result in the "The application can't be opened." error on macOS Monterey/Ventura. Therefore, it's possible that simply starting up your Mac in Safe Mode and booting normally can resolve the issue.

What is error 10826 on Mac?

Similar to error 10673, error 10826 also appears when Mac fails to open the link in an email. The link is often from a trusted resource, but macOS can't open it directly. When error 10826 occurs, usually, you can't open all the email links.

Fix 'The application can't be opened. -10826' error on Mac

If your Mac shows the "The application can't be opened. - 10826" error when you click on a link, try these solutions:

• Reboot in Safe Mode
• Change the default browser to Google Chrome
• Paste the link to a browser
• Update macOS

Reboot in Safe Mode

Restarting your Mac into Safe Mode can be useful in verifying the startup disk and repairing issues that may result in error 10826. When you are in Safe Mode, you should see "Safe Boot" in the top right. Bear in mind that the way to enter Safe Mode differs between M1 Macs and Intel-based Macs.

Boot into Safe Mode on Intel-based Mac:

Boot into Safe Mode on M1 Mac:

Change the default browser to Google Chrome

The email link is supposed to open with your default browser, which may fail when the browser has a problem opening it. In which case, you should check your default browser and try to alter it to see whether it's the culprit.

Paste the link to a browser

If you can't open the link directly in a message, consider copying and pasting the link into your browser. That way, you should be able to open the link, though it only resolves the issue temporarily when the application cannot be opened on macOS Ventura/Monterey.

Update macOS

Installing the latest macOS version can resolve different kinds of system issues, including error 10826. Even if the error seems to only occur after a recent update, it's also beneficial to install the minor update to your current macOS as it may bring new bug fixes and security patches. You can check and install the available updates in System Preferences > Software Update.

Minecraft can't be opened on Mac

Minecraft may not respond or gives you the "The application Minecraft Launcher can't be opened." message when trying to open it. This may result from a frozen process that you can quit via Activity Monitor. To do it, open Activity Monitor, search for the processes relevant to Minecraft and then click the cross icon to quit the selected process. If it doesn't work, follow these steps:

The application Sketch can't be opened

You will also receive a "The application *** can't be opened" error when the app you are trying to launch doesn't have execution permissions. Besides starting the app from the Contents/MacOS folder, like we said before with Minecraft, you can make the app executable via Terminal. The steps below should also apply to the following errors: