Xcode won't start, stuck on 'Verifying "Xcode"...'

Question

If you don't want to wait forever, this might help:

xattr -d com.apple.quarantine '/Applications/Xcode.app'

Running a command to get through Gatekeeper sounds like the way to go, since you downloaded it from a trusted source. This is a common occurrence when installing large bundles in Mac OS X. Basically, Gatekeeper examines your entire bundle, making sure that there is no suspicious code. This is one of the many things that keeps Mac OS X as secure as it is. You have two options:

1: Give it time.

Or,

2: Manually tell Gatekeeper "It's okay, this is from a trusted source". How do we do this? Well, first fire up the Terminal and navigate to your Xcode.app folder. (Or type in cd and drag-and-drop Xcode from your applications folder), then hit enter. Next, run the command:

xattr -d com.apple.quarantine Xcode.app

Now, be careful getting past Gatekeeper if whatever you are installing is even slightly from an untrusted source, or else you introduce a security risk to your computer. In my case, opening new versions of Xcode quickly is the only time I will ever run that command.

anyone got a fix rather than me reinstalling?

For anyone else seeing a very long "Verifying Xcode" phase, just give it time. The indeterminate progress bar stays up there for a long time (tens of minutes) while Gatekeeper looks at the (very large) Xcode bundle to make sure that it's legit. Eventually, you'll get the familiar message along the lines of "This application was downloaded from the Internet. Do you want to continue?" Or, if the bundle doesn't check out, you'll of course get a message to that effect.

Almost every answer here recommends running xattr -d on the file. This deletes the file's extended attributes (like com.apple.quarantine) so OSX will not run the verification phase. You should only do this as an absolute last resort if at all. Apple explicitly recommends leaving Gatekeeper enabled to validate your version of Xcode after XcodeGhost malware was spread to popular iOS apps via infected versions of Xcode.

If you're stuck trying unarchive an Xcode beta .xip archive, try this:

1. Open the Archive Utility app. (Open Finder by hitting ⌘+spacebar and type "Archive Utility")
2. Choose File->Expand Archive and select the Xcode archive.

I had same issue. Quick fix is to open terminal from application or type terminal in spotlight and enter below command.

cd /Applications - This will move to applications directory where Xcode is present

xattr -d com.apple.quarantine Xcode.app - This will bypass Gatekeeper in OS X and will launch Xcode quickly

Note: If you have changed name of Xcode (say Xcode7-1) then you should enter ... Xcode7-1.app command. Refer screenshot

open terminal -

1.Type cd drag drop your xcode (for path) then enter

2.next xattr -d com.apple.quarantine Xcode.app enter

agree for terms and condition

For Xcode 8: To skip the verifying process on El Capitan for Xcode 8, download Xcode 8 at the developer downloads page, then open terminal.

Following this, type

xattr -d com.apple.quarantine

Then drag your xcode 8 download into your terminal window. It should look like this: