Due to the architecture of macOS, when a kernel driver binds to a device it blocks Serial's built-in support for that device, forcing Serial to use the kernel driver. Therefore, a problematic or outdated kernel driver can affect your experience using Serial. To determine which driver is being used to access your device, see How can I tell which driver is being used to access a device? .
To temporarily disable any kernel driver, whether third-party or Apple's, follow the steps below:
Identify the driver: How can I tell which driver is being used to access a device?
Save your work in any open applications, quit Serial and any other applications that may be using a serial port, and unplug any serial port devices as there is always the risk of a system crash while modifying the kernel.
Open Terminal.app for command line access to your Mac.
Type sudo kextunload -b "bundle-id" where "bundle-id" is the bundle identifier of the driver you obtained while identifying the driver.
This change is temporary and the driver will load again automatically the next time you reboot your Mac. Also keep in mind that unloading (or removing) the vendor-supplied driver will prevent other applications from accessing the serial port.
To re-enable a driver, reboot, or follow the steps below:
Identify the driver by following the instructions here: How can I tell which driver is being used to access a device? .
Save your work in any open applications, quit Serial and any other applications that may be using a serial port, and unplug any serial port devices as there is always the risk of a system crash while modifying the kernel.
Open Terminal.app for command line access to your Mac.
Type sudo kextload -b "bundle-id" where "bundle-id" is the bundle identifier of the driver you obtained while identifying the driver.
If you're having trouble with an Apple driver, you can effectively disable the Apple driver permanently by installing a corresponding vendor driver. The vendor driver will take precedence and get your device working again. The vendor drivers listed below meet our standards for stability and quality and we recommend installing them if you're having any trouble with Apple's drivers:
We urge caution with drivers from any other vendor.