Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Can I try the firewall before I buy?
  2. Is Radio Silence available through the Mac App Store?
  3. How do I upgrade from the trial version to the full version?
  4. Do I need to install another version of Radio Silence if I upgrade from the trial version?
  5. How long do I have to wait for the email after purchase?
  6. I have more than one Mac. Do I have to buy a separate license for each one?
  7. What version of macOS do I need?
  8. Do I have to run the Radio Silence application after every reboot to activate it?
  9. Does Radio Silence stay active if I close the window or quit the application?
  10. What exactly does the Radio Silence firewall do?
  11. How is this different from the built-in firewall in macOS?
  12. Is Radio Silence able to stop Adobe Photoshop from phoning home?
  13. How do I uninstall Radio Silence?
  14. Why do I get the error "Firewall inactive, please restart your Mac"?

  1. Can I try the firewall before I buy?

    Yes, the downloadable installer includes a free 24-hour trial. The trial is exactly like the full application and has no feature limitations. In addition, you can buy and evaluate Radio Silence without any obligation for a full 30 days. If you aren't 100% happy with it, for any reason at all, you'll get your money back.

  2. Is Radio Silence available through the Mac App Store?

    No. Firewalls like Radio Silence can't be sold through the App Store, because they have to peek inside the operating system to see the network connections of other processes. The App Store doesn't accept applications that need this privilege.

  3. How do I upgrade from the trial version to the full version?

    Once your trial is over, Radio Silence will ask for your license key. When you buy Radio Silence, you get your license key to your email inbox. If you want to register your license key before the trial is over, choose "Register…" from the application's menu.

  4. Do I need to install another version of Radio Silence if I upgrade from the trial version?

    No. The trial version is the real thing. It simply has a time limitation. Once you input your license key, the time limitation disappears.

  5. How long do I have to wait for the email after purchase?

    The emails are usually sent within one minute of purchase. If you don't see the email in your inbox, check your spam folder.

  6. I have more than one Mac. Do I have to buy a separate license for each one?

    No need. You can install Radio Silence on all the computers you have. The license is for your personal use, and is not tied to a single computer.

  7. What version of macOS do I need?

    Radio Silence 3 works with macOS Sequoia (15), Sonoma (14), Ventura (13), Monterey (12), Big Sur (11), and Catalina (10.15).


    Radio Silence 2 works with macOS Mojave (10.14), High Sierra (10.13), Sierra (10.12), El Capitan (10.11), and Yosemite (10.10).


    Legacy versions are available for older versions of OS X, all the way back to Snow Leopard (10.6).

  8. Do I have to run the Radio Silence application after every reboot to activate it?

    No, the Radio Silence firewall is invisible and runs automatically when you start your Mac. If you are happy with your list of blocked applications, you don't have to do anything.

  9. Does Radio Silence stay active if I close the window or quit the application?

    Yes. There's no need to keep the application window open. The user interface is only used to make changes to the actual firewall. Even if you close the application window, the firewall stays active and vigilant.

  10. What exactly does Radio Silence do?

    The firewall lets you make a list of applications that aren't allowed to access the internet. The network monitor lets you see all the connections made by apps and processes in real time.

  11. How is this different from the built-in firewall in macOS?

    The built-in firewall doesn't stop outbound traffic at all. You can only block incoming connections with it, which doesn't help with applications that want to phone home. The Radio Silence firewall does stop outbound connections.

  12. Is Radio Silence able to stop Adobe Photoshop from phoning home?

    Yes. Radio Silence works with any applications you have installed. (This particular question is asked so often that it is answered here separately. Please be nice and don't pirate software.)

  13. How do I uninstall Radio Silence?

    You can simply move the Radio Silence application to the Trash. If you want to be thorough, you can also delete the following:

    • /Library/LaunchAgents/com.radiosilenceapp.agent.plist
    • /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.radiosilenceapp.nke.plist (Only for Radio Silence 1.x and 2.x)
    • ~/Library/Application Support/Radio Silence/ (Only for Radio Silence 1.x)

  14. Why do I get the error "Firewall inactive, please restart your Mac"?

    Either something went wrong with your installation, or you have an old version of Radio Silence and recently updated your system to OS X El Capitan.


    Both issues have the same easy fix. Simply download and run the latest installer. You can safely run the new installer without uninstalling anything first.