{"id":90887,"date":"2026-10-20T21:25:17","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T15:55:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.taxaj.com/learn\/use-dsc-on-mac-income-tax-portal-embridge\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T21:25:17","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T15:55:17","slug":"use-dsc-on-mac-income-tax-portal-embridge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.taxaj.com/learn\/use-dsc-on-mac-income-tax-portal-embridge\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Use DSC on Mac for the Income Tax Portal: Fix the Empty Provider Dropdown and emBridge Error"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>If the Income Tax portal shows an empty Provider dropdown on the Register DSC page, or emBridge says \u201cFailed to start service: Bootstrap failed: 5: Input\/output error\u201d, the fix on an Apple Silicon Mac (M1, M2, M3 or M4) is usually Rosetta 2.<\/strong> emBridge\u2019s background service is an Intel (x86_64) program. Without Rosetta it cannot start, so the portal has nothing to talk to. Install the token driver, install Rosetta, install emBridge, allow it to run in the background, restart, and register your DSC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These are the exact steps we used at TAXAJ to get a HYP2003 token working on the e-filing portal from a MacBook. They take about 15 minutes. This guide is only for the Income Tax portal. The GST portal uses a different signer, covered in our guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.taxaj.com\/learn\/dsc-token-on-mac-gst-income-tax-emsigner\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">using a DSC token on Mac for GST<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The symptoms this guide fixes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>On <strong>My Profile \u2192 Register DSC<\/strong>, the <strong>Provider<\/strong> dropdown is empty and nothing can be selected.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>The portal shows <strong>\u201cSomething went wrong, please try again after sometime\u201d<\/strong> when you try to register or sign.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>emBridge shows <strong>\u201cFailed to start service: Bootstrap failed: 5: Input\/output error\u201d<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>The emBridge window shows <strong>Service Status: Stopped<\/strong>, and pressing Start does nothing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why it happens on Apple Silicon Macs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The e-filing portal never reads your USB token directly. It sends the request to <strong>emBridge<\/strong>, a small eMudhra service running on your Mac. emBridge reads the certificates from the token through the token driver and sends the list back to the browser. That list is what fills the Provider dropdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">emBridge\u2019s background service is built for Intel Macs. Apple Silicon Macs run Intel programs only through <strong>Rosetta 2<\/strong>, which macOS does not install by default. Without it, macOS cannot launch the service, emBridge reports \u201cBootstrap failed: 5\u201d, the status stays Stopped, and the portal sees no provider. A missing token driver or blocked background permission causes the same empty dropdown, so the steps below fix all three.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What you need before you start<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A Mac with macOS and an Apple Silicon (M1 to M4) or Intel chip.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Your DSC USB token and its PIN. The certificate must be Class 3, valid and not revoked.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Your Mac login password, for installers and Terminal.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Google Chrome.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Your e-filing login (PAN and password).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step-by-step: use DSC on Mac for the Income Tax portal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 1: Install the HYP2003 token driver for Mac<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Go to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.efilinginfotech.com\/usb-token-drivers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">efilinginfotech.com\/usb-token-drivers<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>In the <strong>HYP2003 FIPS 140-3 Driver<\/strong> row, click the <strong>Mac<\/strong> link. Older tokens marked FIPS 140-2 have their own row; use that one if your token says so.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Open the downloaded file and run the installer. Enter your Mac password when asked.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>If macOS blocks it, go to <strong>System Settings \u2192 Privacy &amp; Security<\/strong> and click <strong>Open Anyway<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Using a different token, such as ProxKey, mToken or ePass2003? Install that token\u2019s macOS driver from your DSC provider instead. The rest of the steps are the same.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 2: Install Rosetta 2<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Open <strong>Terminal<\/strong> (Applications \u2192 Utilities \u2192 Terminal), paste this command and press Return:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<pre class=\"wp-block-code\"><code>softwareupdate --install-rosetta --agree-to-license<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Enter your Mac password if asked. When it finishes you will see \u201cInstall of Rosetta 2 finished successfully\u201d. If Rosetta is already installed, the command says so and changes nothing. Intel Macs do not need this step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 3: Install emBridge from the Income Tax portal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Go to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.incometax.gov.in\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">incometax.gov.in<\/a>. On the Register DSC page (or under <strong>Downloads \u2192 DSC Management Utility<\/strong>), click the <strong>emsigner utility<\/strong> link to download emBridge.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Open the downloaded installer and follow the prompts.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>If macOS says the app cannot be opened, allow it from <strong>System Settings \u2192 Privacy &amp; Security \u2192 Open Anyway<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 4: Allow eMudhra and FEITIAN\/HyperPKI to run in the background<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Open <strong>System Settings \u2192 General \u2192 Login Items &amp; Extensions<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Under <strong>Allow in the Background<\/strong>, switch on <strong>eMudhra<\/strong> (emBridge).<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Switch on <strong>FEITIAN<\/strong> or <strong>HyperPKI<\/strong> (the token service) as well.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If either is switched off, macOS stops it from starting, and the portal again shows an empty dropdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 5: Restart the Mac, check emBridge, then restart Chrome<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Restart the Mac. Do not skip this; it is what starts the services with the new permissions.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Plug in the DSC token.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Open <strong>emBridge<\/strong>. <strong>Service Status<\/strong> should show <strong>Running<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Quit Chrome fully with <strong>Cmd + Q<\/strong> (closing the window is not enough), then open it again.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step 6: Register the DSC on the e-filing portal<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Log in at incometax.gov.in and go to <strong>My Profile \u2192 Register DSC<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Confirm that you have downloaded and installed emBridge, then click Continue.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>In <strong>Provider<\/strong>, choose <strong>HyperPKI HYP2003<\/strong> (or your token\u2019s provider).<\/li>\n\n\n<li>In <strong>Certificate<\/strong>, choose your certificate. Check the name and validity.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>Enter the <strong>token PIN<\/strong> and click Continue.<\/li>\n\n\n<li>You should see a success message that the DSC is registered.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The same setup works for e-verifying an ITR or signing forms with the DSC. See <a href=\"https:\/\/www.taxaj.com\/learn\/how-to-everify-incometax-return\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">every way to e-verify an income tax return<\/a> and the general walkthrough in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.taxaj.com\/learn\/how-to-register-dsc-on-new-income-tax-portal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">registering a DSC on the Income Tax portal<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Troubleshooting<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table><thead><tr><th>What you see<\/th><th>What to do<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>emBridge: \u201cBootstrap failed: 5: Input\/output error\u201d<\/td><td>Rosetta is missing. Run the Step 2 command, restart the Mac and open emBridge again.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Service Status stays Stopped after installing Rosetta<\/td><td>Check that eMudhra is allowed under Login Items &amp; Extensions \u2192 Allow in the Background, then restart.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Provider dropdown still empty, emBridge Running<\/td><td>Quit Chrome with Cmd + Q and reopen it. If still empty, reinstall the token driver and replug the token.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Provider appears but no certificate is listed<\/td><td>The token driver is not reading the token. Install the right driver (FIPS 140-3 or 140-2) and try another USB port without a hub.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>\u201cSomething went wrong, please try again after sometime\u201d<\/td><td>Usually emBridge is not running. Check Service Status, then log out and log in to the portal again.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Wrong PIN or token locked<\/td><td>Several wrong PINs lock the token. Contact your DSC provider to unlock or reset it.<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Certificate expired or renewed<\/td><td>Register the new certificate again. See <a href=\"https:\/\/www.taxaj.com\/learn\/dsc-renewal-re-register-mca-gst-income-tax\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">re-registering a DSC after renewal<\/a>.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Which browser should I use?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Google Chrome. Quit and reopen it after installing emBridge so it can connect to the service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Does Safari work?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We do not recommend it. Safari often fails to reach the local emBridge service, so the Provider list stays empty. Use Chrome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Which token brands work on a Mac?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Any token with a macOS driver: HYP2003 (HyperPKI), ePass2003 (FEITIAN), ProxKey, mToken and Safenet 5110 all have Mac drivers. Install the driver that matches your token. Our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.taxaj.com\/learn\/dsc-usb-token-india\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">DSC USB token guide<\/a> explains the types.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What if the token is not detected at all?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unplug it and plug it straight into the Mac, not through a hub. Check that its driver is installed and that FEITIAN\/HyperPKI is allowed in the background. Then restart the Mac. If it still does not appear, the token may be faulty or locked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do I need Rosetta on an Intel Mac?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No. Rosetta is only for Apple Silicon (M1 to M4). On an Intel Mac, start from Step 1 and skip Step 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Do I need to do this every time?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No. Once emBridge shows Running after a restart, it starts by itself. You only repeat the registration when you renew or replace the DSC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Need help with your DSC or income tax filing?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">TAXAJ issues Class 3 DSCs, sets them up on Mac and Windows, and handles ITR filing and e-verification. See <a href=\"https:\/\/www.taxaj.com\/digital-signature-certificate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">digital signature certificates<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.taxaj.com\/income-tax-filing\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">income tax filing<\/a>, or send us your error on WhatsApp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/wa.me\/918802912345?text=Hi%20TAXAJ!%20I%20need%20help%20using%20my%20DSC%20on%20Mac%20for%20the%20Income%20Tax%20portal.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">WhatsApp us<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-outline is-style-outline--1\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"tel:+918802812345\">Call 88028 12345<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Last updated 20 October 2026. Tested by the TAXAJ team on an Apple Silicon MacBook with a HYP2003 token. Menu names can differ slightly between macOS versions.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Empty Provider dropdown on Register DSC, or emBridge \u201cBootstrap failed: 5\u201d on an M1\u2013M4 Mac? Install the token driver and Rosetta 2, set up emBridge, allow it in the background and register your DSC.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-90887","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-income-tax"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.taxaj.com/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90887","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.taxaj.com/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.taxaj.com/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.taxaj.com/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.taxaj.com/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90887"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.taxaj.com/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90887\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.taxaj.com/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90887"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.taxaj.com/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90887"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.taxaj.com/learn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90887"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}