Download RetroMac - free.
Free for macOS 14+. No account, no email. Just grab the DMG.
Free · macOS 14 or newer
How to install
- 01Download the DMG
- 02Drag RetroMac to Applications
- 03Launch from the menu bar
💡 First launch: if macOS hesitates, right-click the app and choose Open - notarized, so it'll only ask once.
Notarized by Apple · ~100 MB · no account · no telemetry · macOS 14+
What's new since our first launch
RetroMac has grown a lot. Here's what's new, newest first.
- 01
Mac OS X, as 10.0 looked
White pinstriped title bars with glossy Aqua lights. Click the pill and the window rolls up into its title bar like a garage door. The Dock sits on the screen edge, icons bounce while their app starts, and names float above them in outlined letters. Add the 10.0 Apple menu, the blue apple, a proper boot screen and dozens of original Mac OS X icons.
- 02
A Windows XP Task Manager
Press Ctrl+Option+Delete, the Mac's Ctrl+Alt+Del, and XP's Task Manager opens. The Performance tab is live: green meters, scrolling graphs and every number, all from your actual Mac.
- 03
Mac OS 9 and System 7.1, the authentic way
Two themes that rebuild the classic Mac pixel by pixel. Mac OS 9 has Platinum windows and the Control Strip. System 7.1 runs at 256 colours, with the striped title bar, the rainbow apple and System 7.5's Control Strip. Roll any window up to its title bar, as WindowShade did.
- 04
Title bars in theme style
Every window wears its era's title bar, from Platinum to Luna to Aero, with working buttons. This one is still marked experimental. Turn it on in Settings ▸ Themes.
- 05
A Dock that's yours
Drag icons to rearrange the dock. Folders go in as stacks, even a Downloads folder on an external disk. And it now steps aside for full-screen apps.
- 06
Dock Mode, "Dock only" and a quick launcher
RetroMac can live in your Dock, with a slim launcher for themes, shader and camera. Want just the retro dock? "Dock only" leaves your wallpaper, shader and desktop alone.
- 07
Your iPhone as a retro webcam
The virtual camera works with iPhone Continuity Camera and any USB webcam. Your CRT-shaded picture shows up as "RetroMac" in Zoom, Meet, Teams or OBS, with lower-third overlays if you like.
- 08
Crisper shaders, every screen
GDV-NTSC composite and RGB shaders and softer, truer phosphor masks, on every connected display. You can also import your own Metal shaders.
- 09
A way back
Settings ▸ General ▸ "macOS defaults" turns everything off and restores every system setting RetroMac touched. Your safety net.
Feature highlights
- Real-time CRT/VHS/LCD shaders — full screen, per-window, or per-app
- 20+ classic-OS themes with period-correct docks, desktops & boot splashes
- Virtual webcam with the CRT look (iPhone Continuity + USB) + lower-third overlays
- One-click retro games via source ports, rendered through the shader
- Built-in 98.js web apps (Paint, Minesweeper, Solitaire, Pinball…) and a retro TV window
- Classic widgets: clock, CPU monitor, notepad; flying-toasters screensaver
- Quick-access flyout + floating launcher button; per-app shader rules
- Import your own Metal shaders
- Multi-monitor; Apple Silicon + Intel (universal), notarized
- No ads, no tracking, no accounts — runs entirely on your machine
Notarized by Apple
Signed and notarized through Apple's developer process. macOS will let it open without warnings.
No account, no email
No sign-up, no newsletter, no waiting list. Click download and you're done.
No tracking
No analytics, no telemetry. The only things it asks the internet for are updates and, if you use it, the weather.
Unlocks all shader presets, custom shaders, Live Wallpaper, the Virtual Camera and Retro Crashes. One-time payment.
Get Pro - €8.88 ▸