Access Journal icon

Access Journal

See who signed your Mac apps and what they can access.

Download for Mac

Version 1.0 · macOS 13 or later · Apple silicon & Intel

What it does

Access Journal is a read-only security auditor for macOS. It checks who signed the apps it can read in your Applications folders and whether their executable signatures are valid. With Full Disk Access, it also shows which apps hold powerful system permissions such as Accessibility, Screen Recording, Input Monitoring, and Full Disk Access.

Read-only On your Mac No network No accounts

What each version can see

Mac App Store version: A focused security monitor. It checks code signatures of apps it can read in your Applications folders. With Full Disk Access, it shows system-level, high-risk permissions: Accessibility, Screen Recording, Input Monitoring, Full Disk Access, Developer Tools, and App Management. It also provides change tracking and private notes. Apple's App Store sandbox prevents it from reading per-app permission records.

Full version (this page): Everything above, plus per-app permissions such as Camera, Microphone, Contacts, Calendars, Photos, Automation, Location, and Notifications. It also includes an Extensions list.

Both are free, read-only, and never send anything off your Mac. Want the complete picture? Download the full version above.

Installing

  1. Open the downloaded Access-Journal.dmg and drag Access Journal onto the Applications shortcut.
  2. First launch: double-click Access Journal. macOS blocks it with a “cannot verify” message. Click Done, then open System Settings ▸ Privacy & Security, scroll to the Security section, and click Open Anyway next to Access Journal. This step appears because the app is distributed directly rather than through the App Store.
  3. To read macOS permission records, grant Full Disk Access: System Settings ▸ Privacy & Security ▸ Full Disk Access, enable Access Journal, then quit and reopen it.

Privacy Policy

Access Journal does not transmit personal data off your Mac.

  • The app runs entirely on your Mac and makes no network connections.
  • Installed app information and code signatures are read from your Mac. If you grant Full Disk Access, the app also reads which apps hold system permissions. This information is displayed only on your Mac.
  • Your notes, review status, preferences, and scan history stay in the app's local storage on your device.
  • That local information remains until you remove that app data from your Mac. Xintech LLC has no server-side copy to retain or delete.
  • There are no servers, no analytics, and no tracking. We receive nothing.

The app is read-only and never changes a system setting. It opens System Settings so you can make changes yourself.

Support

Questions, bugs, or feedback? Email hruif@hotmail.com and we'll get back to you.

In your email, please include your macOS version and a short description of what you were doing. This helps us respond faster.