My GlobalProtect VPN stuck on "Connecting" on MacOS, what can I do?

These steps can help resolve a stuck "Connecting" GlobalProtect VPN session

There is a known issue on macOS devices when installing GlobalProtect. If your device is stuck in the Connecting phase, please follow the steps below to resolve this issue.

  1. ​Completely uninstall the GlobalProtect VPN client by downloading/running the uninstaller, select the uninstall option from the installation screen or by going into terminal and running the following command:
    sudo /Applications/GlobalProtect.app/Contents/Resources/uninstall_gp.sh
    1. ​** The easiest way to open terminal is by ​clicking on the Magnifying glass icon in the upper right of the Mac finder window ​and typing terminal into the Search box. **
  2. This process will take a minute or two, you may see the GlobalProtect window pop up and take focus. You can ignore the window. Once the uninstall is complete the GlobalProtect window will dissapear. 
  3. Reinstall the GlobalProtect VPN client using these steps
If the initial re-install steps don't work please try the following:

  1. Click on the Apple logo in the upper left and select System Preferences.
  2. Open the Security & Privacy preferences and then select General.​
  3. ​​Click on the Golden Padlock icon listed on the bottom left of the preferences ​​
  4. When prompted for username/password enter the username and password you use to log on to your Mac, then click Unlock.​
  5. Click Allow next to the message System software from developer "Palo Alto Networks was blocked from loading."
  6. If you are still unable to connect after following these steps, please restart your computer and try to connect again. ​
If the VPN connection still fails after restarting there may be an issue with the global protect VPN kernel extension. The steps below outline how to resolve the issue.
  1. ​Completely uninstall the GlobalProtect VPN client by downloading/running the uninstaller, select the uninstall option from the installation screen or by going into terminal and running the following command:
    sudo /Applications/GlobalProtect.app/Contents/Resources/uninstall_gp.sh
    1. ​** The easiest way to open terminal is by ​clicking on the Magnifying glass icon in the upper right of the Mac finder window ​and typing terminal into the Search box. **
  2. This process will take a minute or two, you may see the GlobalProtect window pop up and take focus. You can ignore the window. Once the uninstall is complete the GlobalProtect window will dissapear. 
  3. ​​Open up terminal and run the following command to determine if the GlobalProtect Enforcer Kernel exists: 
    kextstat | grep gplock

    1. If the extension exists unload the Enforcer with the following command (copy and paste the entire sudo strings below ​into terminal) 
      sudo kextunload -b com.paloaltonetworks.GlobalProtect.gplock
  4. Next we want to prevent the Enforcer from reloading after a reboot. 
    1. Run the following commad:
      sudo rm -r "/System/Library/Extensions/gplock*.kext"​
  5. Reinstall the GlobalProtect VPN client using these steps
For additional information about what is causing this issue please see the following link:
https://developer.apple.com/library/archive/technotes/tn2459/_index.html​

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Keywords:
vpn MacOS stuck on connecting GlobalProtect
Doc ID:
157360
Owned by:
Taylor H. in Wisconsin Energy Institute
Created:
2025-12-11
Updated:
2026-06-30
Sites:
Wisconsin Energy Institute