#Mac notarization timeouts

If your Mac build fails with Mac notarization timed out, ToDesktop stopped waiting for notarization to finish. A timeout does not mean Apple rejected your app. If the upload completed, Apple may still be processing the submission after the ToDesktop build has stopped.

This guide applies to both ToDesktop for Electron and ToDesktop Builder. Check the existing submission before repeatedly rerunning the build.

#Why this happens

Apple sometimes holds submissions for additional analysis. This can take days, particularly for first-time submissions, and Apple does not provide a completion estimate. See Apple's guidance on submissions stuck in progress.

A timeout alone does not confirm additional analysis: an incomplete upload or a connection problem can also prevent notarization from completing. The steps below help distinguish a pending submission from a credentials problem or rejection.

#1. Check your credentials

Run these commands in Terminal on a Mac with Xcode's notarytool available. You can check that it is installed with:

xcrun notarytool --version

If the tool cannot be found, install Xcode and its command-line tools, or contact ToDesktop support for help checking the build.

Use credentials for the same Apple Developer team configured in ToDesktop. Choose the option that matches your notarization setup.

#Apple ID and app-specific password

Replace the Apple ID and Team ID below with your values:

xcrun notarytool store-credentials "ToDesktopNotarization" \
  --apple-id "YourAppleID" \
  --team-id "YourTeamID"

When prompted, enter your app-specific password, not your normal Apple Account password. You can manage app-specific passwords in your Apple Account.

#App Store Connect API key

If ToDesktop uses a team API key, use the same key and replace the path, Key ID, and Issuer ID:

xcrun notarytool store-credentials "ToDesktopNotarization" \
  --key "/path/to/AuthKey_YOUR_KEY_ID.p8" \
  --key-id "YourKeyID" \
  --issuer "YourIssuerID"

These commands validate the supplied credentials and save a profile in your Mac's Keychain. ToDesktopNotarization is a local profile name; it does not change the credentials saved in ToDesktop. Successful validation confirms that these credentials work, but does not confirm the status of a build or that ToDesktop has the same credentials saved.

If validation fails, resolve the reported authentication error and check the credentials in your app's Settings → Certificates before rebuilding.

#2. Find the submission

List notarization submissions for your team:

xcrun notarytool history --keychain-profile "ToDesktopNotarization"

Look for submissions whose filename and creation time match the failed build. A build can have several submissions for different architectures or artifacts, so check each relevant entry. The Apple submission ID is different from your ToDesktop build ID.

Copy an entry's id, then replace SUBMISSION_ID below to check it directly:

xcrun notarytool info "SUBMISSION_ID" \
  --keychain-profile "ToDesktopNotarization"

If there is no matching submission, or Apple says it does not exist or does not belong to your team, confirm the team and credentials first. If they match, contact ToDesktop support with your build ID and logs. Do not assume Apple is still reviewing the build.

#3. Follow the next step for your status

#In Progress

Apple has not returned a final result. Wait and check the same submission again later. If the build logs confirm the upload completed, additional analysis may explain the delay. If upload completion is unclear, ask ToDesktop support to check it.

Avoid repeatedly submitting the same app while it is pending. Apple advises that resubmitting an unchanged request offers no benefit. You can still submit a new version when you have made changes for other reasons.

#Accepted

Apple accepted that submission. If all relevant submissions are accepted and your ToDesktop build has already failed, use Rerun failed build in the dashboard to retry it.

The failed build does not automatically resume when Apple's status changes. A rerun may submit new artifacts for notarization, so acceptance of an earlier submission does not guarantee the retry will finish immediately. Contact support if it times out again.

#Invalid or Rejected

Apple returned a failure rather than a pending review. Download the diagnostic log:

xcrun notarytool log "SUBMISSION_ID" \
  --keychain-profile "ToDesktopNotarization" \
  notarization-log.json

Read the reported issues and address them before rebuilding, or send the log to ToDesktop support for help. If Apple reports that the log is not yet available, check info again; an unavailable log alone does not establish rejection.

#When to contact support

You can contact hi@todesktop.com at any point if you are unsure what to do. Include:

• Your app name and ToDesktop build ID.
• The Apple submission IDs, creation dates, and current statuses.
• Whether this is your first notarization and whether other submissions are succeeding.
• The relevant build logs and Apple's diagnostic log, if available.

Do not include passwords, private keys, or certificate files.

For prolonged Apple delays, Apple's Developer Technical Support guidance asks you to start a thread in Code Signing → Notarization:

• If all submissions have been in progress for more than a week, include the oldest pending submission's UUID and creation date.
• If only some submissions are stuck while new submissions succeed, include the UUIDs and creation dates of the stuck submissions.

The original discussion is locked, so create a new thread rather than trying to reply there.