▲ RETROMAC ▼ macOS

Turn your Mac into a time machine.

Name: RetroMac
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.9 (47 reviews)
Author: Maik Klotz

Transform your whole Mac into a retro workstation - CRT shaders, classic OS themes, retro dock, boot screens and more. One click, no restart.

Use everything, or just one piece. Built it for myself. Turns out a few thousand people wanted it too.

Full Desktop Takeover
CRT Shaders
Classic Themes
Retro Dock
Retro TV

Grab the DMG Poke around the looks → ▾

Free, no account · 20 shaders for free, more if you want · Whole screen or just one window - * Free to download and use. If you want the extra shader presets, custom presets or the webcam shader, you can throw me €8.88 once. No subscription, no nonsense.

~/retromac/overview.mp4

Loved by 5,000+ Mac users▲ Featured on Product HuntPress: ifun.de · Caschys Blog · YouTube

◆ AS SEEN IN ◆

Featured in.

◆ PICK YOUR RETRO ◆

One app. Four ways in.

Use everything at once, or just the piece you came for.

01 / 04
Full Theme Takeover
Wallpaper, dock, boot screen, screensaver, shader - the whole Mac becomes a Windows 98 PC, a Mac OS 9 machine or a BeOS workstation.
Best for: showcase setups, videos, nostalgia sessions.
See themes →
02 / 04
Just a CRT Shader
Leave your Mac exactly as it is - and drop a live CRT, VHS or LCD look over the whole screen or a single window.
Best for: writing, terminals, retro gaming, screen recordings.
See shaders →
03 / 04
Just the Retro Dock
Swap the macOS dock for a Mac OS 9 Control Strip, an OS X Aqua bar, or a Windows 98 taskbar. Everything else stays modern.
Best for: daily driver with a nostalgic accent.
See docks →
04 / 04
Just a Retro TV
Open a small Retro TV window on your desktop. YouTube, IPTV, M3U streams or web bookmarks - inside a real CRT frame.
Best for: lo-fi streams, music videos, TV on the side.
See Tube Mode →

30+ shaders. Endless eras.

Pick one - your whole screen instantly looks like it.

CRT Royal

Sony Trinity

NTSC Composite

Retro LCD

VHS

VCR

Macintosh Classic

Game Boy

◆ THEMES ◆

A few impressions.

New: more authentic Windows 98, XP, Mac OS X, Mac OS 9 and BeOS - now with Solitaire, Minesweeper & friends.

~/themes/win98

1998

Windows 98

1998

~/themes/winxp

2001

Windows XP

2001

~/themes/macos9

1999

Mac OS 9

1999

~/themes/macosx

2001

Mac OS X

2001

~/themes/beos

2000

BeOS

2000

~/themes/snow-leopard

2009

Snow Leopard

2009

Your dock from back then. Today.

Pick your favorite dock from the classic Mac and Windows years. Custom icons, clock and transparency - exactly your way.

Mac OS 9

1999

Mac OS X

2001

Windows 98

1998

Windows XP

2001

Snow Leopard

2009

Maik's FavouriteANIMATED

Animated

Build my dock →

◆ RETRO TV & TUBE MODE ◆

Watch anything through a tube.

Turn YouTube, IPTV feeds or your own web bookmarks into a little retro television. Runs on its own - no theme required.

01
TV Bookmarks
Save channels once, switch with a keystroke. Works with any web URL.
02
M3U & Web Streams
Point it at any M3U/M3U8 playlist or a live web stream. Real IPTV, real CRT frame.
03
Tube Mode Fullscreen
Double-click for immersive fullscreen. Themed bezels, shaders per channel, always-on-top when you want it.

~/retromac/tube-mode.tv

RetroMac Tube Mode fullscreen — CRT TV playing a music video

Desktop

◆ WHAT RETROMAC DOES ◆

What RetroMac does.

Every part is optional. Turn on what you want, when you want.

01
CRT & Shader Effects
30+ live shaders - CRT, VHS, LCD, Trinitron, amber terminal - on your whole screen, one display or a single window.
02
Classic Themes
Windows 98, XP, Mac OS 9, Mac OS X, BeOS, Snow Leopard and more. Period-correct desktops, icons, chrome.
03
Retro Dock
Replace or extend the macOS dock. Mac OS 9 Control Strip, XP Taskbar, or Maik's Favourite with Pac-Man patrolling the icons.
04
Boot Screens & Screensavers
Real .saver modules and boot splashes per theme. 3D Pipes, Flying Toasters, Flurry - the whole 90s energy.
05
Desktop Widgets & Classic Surfaces
Clocks, CPU monitors, notepads, Program Manager and Deskbar-style shells. Small pieces of the past on your modern desktop.
06
Retro TV & Tube Mode
Turn any web or M3U stream into a retro TV window. Themed bezels, per-channel shaders, immersive fullscreen.
07
Launcher, Menu Bar & Hotkeys
Menu bar app with floating launcher, quick-access flyout and hotkeys for every mode. Stays out of the way until you need it.
08
Safe & Reversible
Health Check, wallpaper restore, dock restore. Your Mac is always one click away from its normal self.

Also included: Retro Gaming launcher (DOOM, Quake, emulators) · Virtual Camera for Zoom, Meet, Teams & OBS · Custom presets · Per-app rules.

~/system/restore.sh

◆ YOUR MAC STAYS A MAC ◆

One click, everything back to normal.

Health Check, wallpaper restore, dock restore and menu-bar recovery are built in. Try any theme without fear - your Mac is always one click away from its normal self.

◆ FROM REDDIT ◆

What people are saying.

Real reactions from r/macapps and friends.

u/Ok_Improvement5621

"Wow. Just wow. Love the idea and the styles… Back 2 the future!"

u/North-Active-6731

"Absolutely love the shaders on this app, it's excellent and couldn't have come better. Bought and paid to support further development."

u/OhSirrah

"Wow it's almost like you reimplemented the dock. I've never seen that done before."

u/Wif001

"Nice one! Windows XP looks hilarious on my MacBook."

◆ HI ◆

Made by one person

Hi, I'm Maik - an indie dev from Germany.

I built RetroMac because I missed the warm CRT glow of the computers I grew up with. It started as a tiny weekend hack just for me, and quietly turned into the thing on this page.

It's free. The optional Pro unlock is a one-time €8.88 - no VC, no subscription, no roadmap meetings.

☕ buy me a coffee

~/about/at-a-glance.txt

RetroMac at a glance

Platform: macOS 14+ (Apple Silicon & Intel)
Type: Menu bar app
Effects: 30+ live CRT / VHS / LCD shaders
Themes: Win 98/XP, Mac OS 9/X, BeOS, Snow Leopard
Price: Free, optional €8.88 one-time Pro
Privacy: No account, no subscription, no tracking

Stuff people ask.

What is RetroMac?

RetroMac is a small macOS menu bar app that paints a live retro look on top of your screen. One click swaps between CRT, VHS, LCD and full classic-OS themes like Windows 98 or Mac OS 9. It's a one-time purchase, no subscription, and runs entirely on your Mac.

Does it change my apps or files?

No. RetroMac only paints a shader over what's already on screen. Your apps, files and system settings stay completely untouched. Quit RetroMac and everything looks exactly like macOS did before.

Can I apply the look to just one window?

Yes. You can run the CRT or VHS shader on the whole screen, on a single display in a multi-monitor setup, or on just one window - per-app rules included. Finder stays sharp while your editor or emulator goes full tube.

Does it work with multiple displays?

Yes. Each connected display can have its own theme and shader settings, and shaders render on every screen, not just the main one. Great if you have an old monitor on the side you want to feel really old.

Is it good for retro games?

Honestly, it's the best part. CRT, VHS and Game Boy shaders make pixel art look the way it was meant to - phosphor masks, scanlines, NTSC composite bleed. Works on top of emulators and the built-in retro game launcher.

Can I customize everything?

Pretty much. Intensity, colors, dock style, icons, per-display and per-app rules. You can also import your own Metal shaders and build custom presets if you want to go deeper.

Will it slow my Mac down?

On a modern Mac you really won't notice. Built-in eco modes throttle the shader when you're on battery, so fans stay quiet and your battery doesn't suffer.

Which macOS do I need?

macOS 14 or newer. RetroMac is a universal binary, signed and notarized by Apple, so it opens without Gatekeeper warnings on a clean Mac.

Is it a subscription?

No. RetroMac is free to download and use. The optional Pro unlock is a one-time €8.88 - it adds extra shader presets, custom presets and the webcam shader. No recurring charges, no account required.

Does RetroMac work on Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4)?

Yes. RetroMac ships as a universal binary and runs natively on Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4) and Intel Macs. Metal shaders are GPU-accelerated, so on Apple Silicon it stays smooth even at full screen.

How is RetroMac different from a wallpaper or screensaver?

A wallpaper sits behind your windows; a screensaver only appears when you're idle. RetroMac is a live shader that sits on top of everything you do - your terminal, browser, editor, games. It's the difference between a sticker on the monitor and an actual CRT.

Can I use the CRT effect for screen recordings and streaming?

Yes. Screenshots and screen recordings capture the shaded picture as you see it. For video calls and streaming, the optional webcam shader exposes a virtual camera ("RetroMac") that works in Zoom, Meet, Teams and OBS - great for retro-styled streams and lower-thirds.

Can I use just one feature (e.g. only the dock, only the shader)?

Yes - RetroMac is modular. Turn on only the retro dock, only a CRT shader, only a Retro TV window, or the full theme takeover. Every part works on its own; you decide how much of your Mac changes.

Is it safe? Can I go back to normal macOS?

Yes. Nothing is permanent. RetroMac ships with a Health Check plus one-click restore for wallpaper, dock, menu bar and desktop icons. Quit the app and your Mac looks exactly like it did before.

Impressum

Angaben gemäß § 5 TMG

Maik Klotz

Blauwunderstr. 10

57072 Siegen

Deutschland

Kontakt

Telefon: +49 179 3280054

E-Mail: info@klotzbrocken.de

Inhaltlich verantwortlich gemäß § 18 Abs. 2 MStV

Maik Klotz

Blauwunderstr. 10

57072 Siegen

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Dieses Angebot enthält Links zu externen Websites Dritter, auf deren Inhalte ich keinen Einfluss habe. Deshalb kann ich für diese fremden Inhalte auch keine Gewähr übernehmen. Für die Inhalte der verlinkten Seiten ist stets der jeweilige Anbieter oder Betreiber der Seiten verantwortlich. Die verlinkten Seiten wurden zum Zeitpunkt der Verlinkung auf mögliche Rechtsverstöße überprüft. Rechtswidrige Inhalte waren zum Zeitpunkt der Verlinkung nicht erkennbar. Eine permanente inhaltliche Kontrolle der verlinkten Seiten ist jedoch ohne konkrete Anhaltspunkte einer Rechtsverletzung nicht zumutbar. Bei Bekanntwerden von Rechtsverletzungen werde ich derartige Links umgehend entfernen.

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Die durch den Seitenbetreiber erstellten Inhalte und Werke auf diesen Seiten unterliegen dem deutschen Urheberrecht. Die Vervielfältigung, Bearbeitung, Verbreitung und jede Art der Verwertung außerhalb der Grenzen des Urheberrechts bedürfen der schriftlichen Zustimmung des jeweiligen Autors beziehungsweise Erstellers. Downloads und Kopien dieser Seite sind nur für den privaten, nicht kommerziellen Gebrauch gestattet. Soweit Inhalte auf dieser Seite nicht vom Betreiber erstellt wurden, werden die Urheberrechte Dritter beachtet. Sollten dennoch Urheberrechtsverletzungen auffallen, bitte ich um einen entsprechenden Hinweis. Bei Bekanntwerden von Rechtsverletzungen werde ich derartige Inhalte umgehend entfernen.

Magst du RetroMac? Spendier mir einen Kaffee auf Ko-fi →

Turn your Mac into a time machine.

Featured in.

One app. Four ways in.

Full Theme Takeover

Just a CRT Shader

Just the Retro Dock

Just a Retro TV

30+ shaders. Endless eras.

CRT Royal

Sony Trinity

NTSC Composite

Retro LCD

VHS

VCR

Macintosh Classic

Game Boy

A few impressions.

Windows 98

Windows XP

Mac OS 9

Mac OS X

BeOS

Snow Leopard

Your dock from back then. Today.

Watch anything through a tube.

TV Bookmarks

M3U & Web Streams

Tube Mode Fullscreen

What RetroMac does.

CRT & Shader Effects

Classic Themes

Retro Dock

Boot Screens & Screensavers

Desktop Widgets & Classic Surfaces

Retro TV & Tube Mode

Launcher, Menu Bar & Hotkeys

Safe & Reversible

One click, everything back to normal.

What people are saying.

Made by one person

RetroMac at a glance

Stuff people ask.

What is RetroMac?

Does it change my apps or files?

Can I apply the look to just one window?

Does it work with multiple displays?

Is it good for retro games?

Can I customize everything?

Will it slow my Mac down?

Which macOS do I need?

Is it a subscription?

Does RetroMac work on Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4)?

How is RetroMac different from a wallpaper or screensaver?

Can I use the CRT effect for screen recordings and streaming?

Can I use just one feature (e.g. only the dock, only the shader)?

Is it safe? Can I go back to normal macOS?

New shaders drop monthly

Impressum

Kontakt

Inhaltlich verantwortlich gemäß § 18 Abs. 2 MStV

EU-Streitschlichtung

Verbraucherstreitbeilegung

Haftung für Inhalte

Haftung für Links

Urheberrecht