How to Fix The ‘untrusted_cert_title’ error When Reinstalling macOS?

The ‘untrusted_cert_title’ error occurs when you are reinstalling macOS. This error message indicates that the security certificate used to verify the integrity of the macOS installation package is not trusted. It is important to address this issue to ensure your system’s security. This article will provide you with instructions on how to fix the ‘untrusted_cert_title’ error when reinstalling macOS.

Why Does My Mac Say UNTRUSTED CERT TITLE When Reinstalling macOS?

The ‘Untrusted_Cert_Title’ error is caused by an expired or corrupt certificate in the System Integrity Protection (SIP) system. This system is designed to protect your Mac’s system files and settings from unauthorized modif
ications. When the SIP system detects an expired or corrupted certificate, it prevents your Mac from connecting to the installation server and therefore prevents the installation process from completing.

The ‘Untrusted_Cert_Title’ error can be caused by incorrect system date and time settings. This can happen if the date and time on the computer have been manually set to a date/time that is earlier than the date/time of the current macOS version. This can cause the SIP system to become out of sync, which will result in the ‘Untrusted_Cert_Title’ error message.

How to Fix The ‘untrusted_cert_title’ error When Reinstalling macOS?

Re-enable SIP System

Step 1. Restart your Mac and hold “Command + R” when the startup chime sounds. This will open the MacOS recovery environment.

Step 2. In the macOS recovery environment, select “Utilities” on the top menu bar and choose “Terminal.”

Step 3. In the terminal window, type “csrutil disable” and press “Enter.” This will disable the System Integrity Protection (SIP) system.

Step 4. Quit the terminal and select “Reinstall macOS” from the macOS recovery environment.

Step 5. Follow the onscreen instructions to reinstall macOS.

Step 6. When the installation has finished, restart your Mac and hold “Command + R” when the startup chime sounds.

Step 7. In the macOS recovery environment, select “Utilities” on the top menu bar and choose “Terminal.”

Step 8. In the terminal window, type “csrutil enable” and press “Enter.” This will re-enable the System Integrity Protection (SIP) system.

Step 9. Quit the terminal and restart your Mac. The ‘Untrusted_Cert_Title’ error should now be fixed.

Disable SIP System

The first step to resolving this issue is to temporarily disable the SIP system. To do this, you will need to restart your Mac in Recovery Mode by pressing Command + R when you start up your device.

Then open the “Terminal” application and type in “csrutil disable”. This will temporarily disable the SIP system and allow you to proceed with reinstalling macOS.

Changing System Date and Time from Mac Settings

If you experience the ‘untrusted_cert_title’ error when reinstalling macOS, you can try changing the system date and time. To do this, open System Preferences and go to the Date & Time tab. Make sure that the option to set the date and time automatically is unchecked. Then adjust the date and time to a few days in the past. After that, click the lock icon and enter your administrator password to save the changes. Then try reinstalling macOS again.

If the above method does not work, you can also try changing the system date and time from the Terminal. To do this, open the Terminal app and type in the following command:

sudo date -s "YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS"

Replace YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM:SS with the exact date and time you want to set. Then press enter and enter your administrator password when prompted. After that, try reinstalling macOS again.

Reset the System Management Controller (SMC)

Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC) can help resolve the ‘untrusted_cert_title’ error.
1. Shut down your Mac.
2. On your Mac notebook, press and hold the left side Shift + Control + Option keys and the power button at the same time.
3. Release all the keys and the power button at the same time.
4. Press the power button again to turn on your Mac.
5. Try reinstalling macOS again.

If resetting the SMC doesn’t work, you can try resetting the PRAM/NVRAM:

1. Shut down your Mac.
2. Press and hold the Command + Option + P + R keys immediately after pressing the power button.
3. Hold the keys until the computer restarts and you hear the startup sound for the second time.
4. Release the keys.
5. Try reinstalling macOS again.

How to Fix UNTRUSTED_CERT_TITLE during MacOS Recovery

MacOS Recovery is a powerful tool that enables you to repair or reinstall MacOS on your Mac computer. However, if your Mac has encountered an issue with a certificate that is not trusted, it can prevent you from completing the recovery process. In this guide, we’ll explain how to remove an untrusted certificate during MacOS Recovery.

  • Start MacOS Recovery.
  • Open the Utilities menu and select Terminal.
  • Type the following command in the terminal window: “sudo /usr/bin/security delete-certificate -Z [certificate_hash]”
  • Replace [certificate_hash] with the hash of the untrusted certificate. You can find the hash of the certificate by opening the Keychain Access app, finding the certificate in question, and then right-clicking on it and selecting “Get Info”. The hash is located in the “Fingerprint” field.
  • Enter your administrator password when prompted.
  • Restart your Mac and try to complete the MacOS recovery process again.

 

Summarize

The ‘untrusted_cert_title’ error occurs when you attempt to reinstall macOS from an untrusted source. This error can prevent you from reinstalling macOS, so it is important to resolve the issue as soon as possible. Fortunately, there are a few steps you can take to fix the ‘untrusted_cert_title’ error when reinstalling macOS.