You may see the following message when launching Cisco Secure Client (AnyConnect VPN) on macOS:
"AnyConnect VPN Service Not Enabled"
Cause:
This issue occurs when the AnyConnect VPN service is not allowed to run in the background at startup. macOS requires user permission to enable this service in System Settings > Login Items
Follow these steps to enable the AnyConnect VPN service:
- Click "Open System Settings" in the error message (or open System Settings manually by clicking the apple logo at the top right of the screen and selecting "System Settings")
- Navigate to General > Login Items
- Under Allow in the Background, find "Cisco Secure Client - AnyConnect VPN Service"
- Toggle the switch ON to allow the service to run
- Restart your Mac or Cisco Secure Client for the changes to take effect
If the option is grayed out, you may need administrative privileges to modify system settings
If the issue persists, try uninstalling and then reinstalling the Cisco Secure Client and re-enabling the service
How to uninstall the VPN:
- Open the finder and go to the Applications folder
- Find the Cisco Folder
- Select "Uninstall Cisco Secure Client
When installing Cisco AnyConnect you may also need to approve Security settings
- Open Privacy & Security Settings
- Click the Apple menu and go to System Settings
- Navigate to Privacy & Security
- Approve Cisco Secure Client
- Scroll down to the Security section
- Look for a message stating "System software from developer 'Cisco' was blocked from loading"
- Click "Allow" next to the blocked extension.
- If prompted, enter your administrator password or use Touch ID to confirm
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