Can't Boot after uninstalling Teamviewer on Mac OS Catalina

Hello!

Am in a bit of a pickle after a succesful upgrade to Catalina and then uninstalling Teamviewer through CleanMyMac uninstaller utility. It all seemed fine till i had rebooted and it fails with an Unrecoverable error for security agent Teamviewer auth plugin.start.

Anyone know how to fix this, w/o needing to install all from scratch?

Thanks in advance.

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Accepted answers

MoreCoffee

This issue can be caused by deleting an authorization plugin on macOS (in this case, TeamViewerAuthPlugin.bundle) without de-registering it first.

We recommend always using the built-in uninstaller in TeamViewer (Preferences > Advanced). This makes sure that the plugin is properly de-registered before deletion.

In my tests, CleanMyMac X versions prior to 4.4.5 seem to be deleting the plugin without de-registering it, so that could have caused the issue. If you use CleanMyMac X, you'll want to make sure to use the newest version.

If you do not have the possibility to restore the plugin as described by @Mrsharifi, you may instead be able to delete your Mac's authorization database. Your Mac re-creates a missing database during the next startup (using some default settings that are fine for most users).

Start your Mac in macOS Recovery by holding down Cmd-R until the Apple logo appears.
Once your Mac has booted into macOS Recovery, you should see a window titled "macOS Utilities".
To delete the authorization database, your Mac's hard disk needs to be mounted and you will need to know its name (usually something like "Macintosh HD" or "macOS").
1. Open Disk Utility and check the left sidebar for the name of your disk. For Macs running Catalina, look for the name that does not end in "- Data".
2. Select the disk in the sidebar.
3. Click "Mount" in the toolbar (if you only see "Unmount", it is already mounted and you don't need to do anything).
4. Quit Disk Utility.
You should be back at the "macOS Utilities" window.
From the menu bar on top of the screen, open Utilities > Terminal.
Enter the command
```
rm "/Volumes/<your disk>/var/db/auth.db"
```
Replace <your disk> with the name of your built-in hard disk, e.g.
```
rm "/Volumes/Macintosh HD/var/db/auth.db"
```
Make sure not to forget the quotes in case your disk name contains spaces.
Restart your Mac.

All comments

MoreCoffee

This issue can be caused by deleting an authorization plugin on macOS (in this case, TeamViewerAuthPlugin.bundle) without de-registering it first.

We recommend always using the built-in uninstaller in TeamViewer (Preferences > Advanced). This makes sure that the plugin is properly de-registered before deletion.

Start your Mac in macOS Recovery by holding down Cmd-R until the Apple logo appears.
Once your Mac has booted into macOS Recovery, you should see a window titled "macOS Utilities".
To delete the authorization database, your Mac's hard disk needs to be mounted and you will need to know its name (usually something like "Macintosh HD" or "macOS").
1. Open Disk Utility and check the left sidebar for the name of your disk. For Macs running Catalina, look for the name that does not end in "- Data".
2. Select the disk in the sidebar.
3. Click "Mount" in the toolbar (if you only see "Unmount", it is already mounted and you don't need to do anything).
4. Quit Disk Utility.
You should be back at the "macOS Utilities" window.
From the menu bar on top of the screen, open Utilities > Terminal.
Enter the command
```
rm "/Volumes/<your disk>/var/db/auth.db"
```
Replace <your disk> with the name of your built-in hard disk, e.g.
```
rm "/Volumes/Macintosh HD/var/db/auth.db"
```
Make sure not to forget the quotes in case your disk name contains spaces.
Restart your Mac.

Mrsharifi

I had exactly the same problem and the following helped me to resolve the problem.

Install the TeamViewer app on another MacOS
Copy the "TeamViewerAuthPlugin.bundle" from "/Library/Security/SecurityAgentPlugins/TeamViewerAuthPlugin.bundle" to a USB. Make sure the USB is formatted in the native MacOS filesystem to avoid incompatibility issues in the next steps.
Restart your machine and hold Command+R to enter the MacOS Recovery mode until the Apple Logo appears. this process may take some time
Upon entering the recovery mode, you'll be instructed to select the language, username, and finally to enter your password.
After a few minutes, the macOS Utilities window will appear
From the list select Disk Utility
In the Disk Utility window, from the left pane select the "macOS" disk and in the right pane click on the "Mount" button. If asked, enter your login password. Now, the macOS disk is mounted. to verify this, look at the info bar on the page. it should be active and show detail information about the disk.
Close the Disk Utility window and from the menu bar, select Utilities and select Terminal
Once the Terminal window opened, connect the USB to the machine and type following:

cp -r /Volumes/<your USB name>/TeamViewerAuthPlugin.bundle /Volumes/macOS/Library/Security/SecurityAgentPlugins/

To verify the above operation, enter the following; it should show the "TeamViewerAuthPlugin.bundle".

ls -l /Volumes/macOS/Library/Security/SecurityAgentPlugins/

If not shown, try to retype step 9 but use the Tab key to autocomplete the path step by step. Don't rush!!!
If successful, from Apple logo on the top left corner select Restart and wait for the machine to restart
Now you should be able to successfully login to your machine.

In case of any problem during step 9, especially receiving "Operation not permitted". enter the following:

csrutil disable

Restart the machine for the changes to take effect. Then, repeat step 3 and follow the instructions again. Once the macOS booted successfully, open a Terminal and reverse the setting by entering:

csrutil enable

NOTE: I tried to recall all the steps after two days, so I might have missed something. So, in case of any problem please email me at [removed per Community Guidelines]

Hope it helps

Cheers,

Rez

cihixal356

I made an account just to thank you for this @MoreCoffee ?

@MoreCoffee wrote:
This issue can be caused by deleting an authorization plugin on macOS (in this case, TeamViewerAuthPlugin.bundle) without de-registering it first.
We recommend always using the built-in uninstaller in TeamViewer (Preferences > Advanced). This makes sure that the plugin is properly de-registered before deletion.
In my tests, CleanMyMac X versions prior to 4.4.5 seem to be deleting the plugin without de-registering it, so that could have caused the issue. If you use CleanMyMac X, you'll want to make sure to use the newest version.
If you do not have the possibility to restore the plugin as described by @Mrsharifi, you may instead be able to delete your Mac's authorization database. Your Mac re-creates a missing database during the next startup (using some default settings that are fine for most users).
Start your Mac in macOS Recovery by holding down Cmd-R until the Apple logo appears.
Once your Mac has booted into macOS Recovery, you should see a window titled "macOS Utilities".
To delete the authorization database, your Mac's hard disk needs to be mounted and you will need to know its name (usually something like "Macintosh HD" or "macOS").
Open Disk Utility and check the left sidebar for the name of your disk. For Macs running Catalina, look for the name that does not end in "- Data".
Select the disk in the sidebar.
Click "Mount" in the toolbar (if you only see "Unmount", it is already mounted and you don't need to do anything).
Quit Disk Utility.
You should be back at the "macOS Utilities" window.
From the menu bar on top of the screen, open Utilities > Terminal.
Enter the command
rm "/Volumes/<your disk>/var/db/auth.db"
Replace <your disk> with the name of your built-in hard disk, e.g.
rm "/Volumes/Macintosh HD/var/db/auth.db"
Make sure not to forget the quotes in case your disk name contains spaces.
Restart your Mac.

Wonsa

I also have this problem, I'm so sad I can't use my mac.

rafinelio

OMG! You are great! Works fine! Now I am able to use my computer! THANK YOU!!!!

Mrsharifi

Hi,

Please see my new post on this issue here. I rewrote the entire instruction. I fixed some minor mistakes and added more details including the errors.

I hope it helps.

Rez

Mrsharifi

Macintosh HD. but it seems it's already mounted. so try the command "ls -l /Volumes" to see if it lists the "Macintosh HD". If so, continue with copying the file to:

/Volumes/Macintosh\ HD/Library/Security/SecurityAgentPlugins/

superremie

The solution with deleting var/db/auth.db didn't work for me while I was using the machine in Target Disk mode. So I tried this solution and it worked immediatly. Thank you very much.

DaySleeper

Hello

I've uninstalled TeamViewer on my iMac and right after I restarted the iMac. Now, whenever I try to put on the computer it takes me to the login page where I put in my passwords. As soon as it loads all I get is a black screen and a small popup box:

"Unrecoverable error.

SecurityAgent was unable to create requested mechanism TeamViewerAuthPlugin:start.

OK"

Clicking "OK" makes no difference.

Apple doesn't know what to do. The one I spoke to didn't at least.

Any advice please let me know.

Thanks in Advance

MoreCoffee

@PaulineM wrote:
Thank you, I checked and double checked. I also tried the instruction RM and not rm. Id did not help!

Lowercase rm is correct, no need to try uppercase.

Can you tell me the exact command you used, and what the output was? If you don't want to copy it all manually, taking a photo of what you're seeing on screen using your phone might be an option.

MoreCoffee

@DaySleeper wrote:
on step 5 when putting the first command says there is no such file

Make sure to replace <your disk> with the name of your actual disk, and make sure it is mounted. Look to step 2 to find the correct disk name and mount it. It's also important that you keep the quotes around the path in case your disk name contains any spaces.

AvinashGardasFB

Thanks for raising this issue bro

@rafinelio wrote:
which disk shall I mount?

giroud

rm "/Macintosh HD/private/var/db/auth.db"

reboot

Mvuksan544

i have it too

hritesh

"/Library/Security/SecurityAgentPlugins/TeamViewerAuthPlugin.bundle" cant find this can you please shar the screen shot where exactly i will find this file

3xicaD

I had the same problem with that code it doesn't work for me. But I resolved it just changing the (rm) for RM means in capital letters that worked for me. I hope that can help more!!
Thanks for alot for the post.

DaySleeper

on step 5 when putting the first command says there is no such file

avisol

The very clear solution, It worked for me. Thanks

PaulineM

Please help. I followed your instructions exactly. But it did not help at all. I can't use my Mac. I get the same massages as before:

Onherstelbare fout.

SecurityAgent kan het gevraagde mechanisme TeamViewerAuthPluginniet aanmaken:start

I'll try to translate it in Englisch

Irrecoverable error.

SecurityAgent can not create the asked mechanism (?) TeamViewerAuthPlugin:start

What happened before: I put the Teamviewer app and all the documents that contained the words Teamviewer in the garbage bin of my Mac.

MoreCoffee

@PaulineM

Unfortunately, macOS has no mechanism that would warn you when deleting a SecurityAgentPlugin without first deregistering it. I recommend always using the uninstaller provided in TeamViewer Preferences > Advanced if you want to remove TeamViewer.

Can you please double-check that you removed the authorization database in the correct location? Follow https://community.teamviewer.com/t5/General-Questions/Can-t-Boot-after-uninstalling-Teamviewer-on-Mac-OS-Catalina/m-p/75701/highlight/true#M33848. Take particular care in steps 2 and 5, as there are multiple possibilities how your Mac could be partitioned and your disk(s) could have different names.

AvinashGardasFB

I would like to thank you for the post and also the readers who have had faced similar issue before.

Copying to macOS folder does not work on 10.15 but copying .bundle folder to Machintosh HD does work.

@Mrsharifi wrote:
I had exactly the same problem and the following helped me to resolve the problem.
Install the TeamViewer app on another MacOS
Copy the "TeamViewerAuthPlugin.bundle" from "/Library/Security/SecurityAgentPlugins/TeamViewerAuthPlugin.bundle" to a USB. Make sure the USB is formatted in the native MacOS filesystem to avoid incompatibility issues in the next steps.
Restart your machine and hold Command+R to enter the MacOS Recovery mode until the Apple Logo appears. this process may take some time
Upon entering the recovery mode, you'll be instructed to select the language, username, and finally to enter your password.
After a few minutes, the macOS Utilities window will appear
From the list select Disk Utility
In the Disk Utility window, from the left pane select the "macOS" disk and in the right pane click on the "Mount" button. If asked, enter your login password. Now, the macOS disk is mounted. to verify this, look at the info bar on the page. it should be active and show detail information about the disk.
Close the Disk Utility window and from the menu bar, select Utilities and select Terminal
Once the Terminal window opened, connect the USB to the machine and type following:
cp -r /Volumes/<your USB name>/TeamViewerAuthPlugin.bundle /Volumes/macOS/Library/Security/SecurityAgentPlugins/
To verify the above operation, enter the following; it should show the "TeamViewerAuthPlugin.bundle".
ls -l /Volumes/macOS/Library/Security/SecurityAgentPlugins/
If not shown, try to retype step 9 but use the Tab key to autocomplete the path step by step. Don't rush!!!
If successful, from Apple logo on the top left corner select Restart and wait for the machine to restart
Now you should be able to successfully login to your machine.
In case of any problem during step 9, especially receiving "Operation not permitted". enter the following:
csrutil disable
Restart the machine for the changes to take effect. Then, repeat step 3 and follow the instructions again. Once the macOS booted successfully, open a Terminal and reverse the setting by entering:
csrutil enable
NOTE: I tried to recall all the steps after two days, so I might have missed something. So, in case of any problem please email me at mrsharifi.it@gmail.com.
Hope it helps
Cheers,
Rez

PaulineM

Thank you, I checked and double checked. I also tried the instruction RM and not rm. Id did not help!

MoreCoffee

@Rahul03Kp Are you sure you have forgotten your password? You would have needed your Mac's admin account password to delete the authentication plugin (or to install software that can do that).

If you think you have the correct password but it isn't accepted, check in the upper right corner of the screen if macOS Recovery might be using a different keyboard layout from the one you're used to.

If your Mac permits starting from an external hard drive/USB drive, booting from an installation medium might be another way to recover from this. You can find more informtion about this on Apple's website: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201314

namiraj

Hello,

teamviewer was not working on my MacBook OS Catalina after I downloaded it as my broadband would not authorise it. I subsequently dragged and dropped it in trash. I shut down yesterday and this morning I cannot get on my MacBook! The home screen does not load it says "UNRECOVERABLE ERROR SecurityAgent was unable to create requested mechanism TeamViewerAuthPlugin:start. "

I have all my work on there and it has not been backed up please help I need to access my documents

JeanK

Hello @namiraj,

Thank you for your message and welcome to the TeamViewer Community! ?

We explain how to proceed in this post right here: Re: Can't Boot after uninstalling Teamviewer on Mac OS Catalina

I hope this could help. ?

If not, do not hesitate to ask your questions here. ?

Best regards

Jean

amilkanthwar

Hi command r was initially working on my mac but due to somw issue i shut down my mac and then tried cmmand r but now its not working what to do error is continuously coming im worried. Pls help

ammenoswal

Happy to be out the other side of typing the code in Terminal. It worked !

Just a quick one - do I still need to uninstall TeamViewer properly ? @MoreCoffee

I will not be restarting my machine until I hear back

Phew

JeanK

Hello @Cjohnson01

Thank you for your message and welcome to the TeamViewer Community! ?

We are sorry to hear that you are faving this issue, too...?

We explain how to proceed in this post right here: Solution | Re: Can't Boot after uninstalling Teamviewer on Mac OS Catalina

I hope this could help. ?

Best regards

Jean

Mchehab92

Hello guys!

Thanks for your great responses.

I had resolved half of the issue.

I had this error: "unrecoverable error security agent was unable to create requested mechanism builtin:prelogin"

The aforementioned solution by MoreCoffee fixed the error, however when I try to login and enter my laptop password on the Mac Os Catalina login screen, the system keeps thinking and doesn't get past the login screen. The never-ending rotating dots.

I tried repairing both volumes Macintosh HD and Data in recovery mode, that did not help.

What started the issue for me was downgrading from Mac OS Big Sur to Catalina using Time machine backup.

This is pathetic taking into account that I am using a 2019 MacBook Pro 16 inch model. Performance on Big Sur was a Bogdan **bleep**.

Thank you and would appreciate your help.

Mike

PaulineM

When I go to the Terminal is says: -bash-3.2#. What is this, I can not remove it. Should I?