Install OneMacTools on your Mac: requirements, setup, updates and uninstalling
To install OneMacTools, download the DMG from the Download page, drag the app into Applications and open it. It needs macOS 26 or later and runs on Apple silicon and Intel Macs. The app is signed and notarised by Apple, asks for your licence key on first launch, requests permissions only when a tool needs them, and updates itself in the background.
On this page
OneMacTools system requirements
OneMacTools is a native Mac app built for the current version of macOS. Before you download it, check that your Mac meets these requirements.
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| macOS | macOS 26 or later. The app won't open on earlier versions. |
| Processor | Apple silicon and Intel Macs are both supported. |
| Licence | A licence key for 1, 5, 15 or 25 Macs. See pricing. |
| Internet | Needed once to activate the key, and to download updates. Every tool except Download Video and Web Page to PDF works offline. |
| Apple Intelligence | Optional. Needed for the AI writing features (summaries, full meeting notes); other AI tools fall back to on-device text recognition. |
| FFmpeg | Optional. Only the video and audio tools need it, and the app can install it for you with Homebrew. |
| Disk space | The app itself is small. Results are saved to ~/Downloads/OneMacTools by default, so leave room there for the files you make. |
Every tool works on any Mac that runs macOS 26. The only differences between Macs are speed (on-device AI is quicker on newer chips) and whether Apple Intelligence is available. On-device AI and Apple Intelligence explains which tools use it and what happens without it. If you plan to use video or audio tools, read FFmpeg on Mac too.
How to install OneMacTools on a Mac
OneMacTools isn't sold through the App Store. You download it straight from the website, as a disk image (DMG), and install it the usual Mac way.
- Go to the Download page and click Download for Mac. The page shows the current version, its size and date, and the file's SHA-256 checksum if you want to verify it.
- Open your Downloads folder and double-click OneMacTools.dmg. A window opens with the OneMacTools app inside.
- Drag OneMacTools into the Applications folder.
- Eject the disk image (click the eject button next to it in the Finder sidebar) and move the DMG to the Trash if you like. You don't need it again.
- Open OneMacTools from Applications, Launchpad or Spotlight (⌘Space, then type “OneMacTools”).
First launch: Gatekeeper, notarisation and activation
OneMacTools is signed with a Developer ID and notarised by Apple, which means Apple has scanned it for malicious code before release. Gatekeeper recognises this, so the first time you open it macOS shows only its standard note that the app was downloaded from the internet, with an Open button. You don't need to right-click, change security settings or allow it in Privacy & Security.
Activating your licence key
Until a key is activated, the main window shows the Activate OneMacTools screen instead of the tools. It's the only thing the app does at this point: no menu bar readouts, no global shortcuts and no background work run until it's activated.
- Copy the key from your purchase email (it looks like
XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX). - Paste it into the Licence key field and press Return or click Activate.
- OneMacTools checks the key with Dodo Payments, our payment provider, and unlocks every tool straight away.
No key yet? Click Buy a Licence to open the pricing page; the key arrives by email within a minute of paying. If a key is refused, the message says why: not found (check it was copied in full), turned off (refunded or disabled), or already in use on the maximum number of Macs for its plan. Activate your licence key covers moving a key between Macs and freeing a Mac you no longer have.
Before activation, the menu bar icon shows a short menu, “OneMacTools isn't activated yet”, with Activate OneMacTools…, Buy a Licence… and Quit OneMacTools. Finder Quick Actions, Shortcuts and Watch Folders also refuse to run until a key is activated, with a message telling you to open the app and enter it.
Choosing your look
Right after activation, OneMacTools asks you to Choose your look: Liquid Glass (the default), Classic, Neo-brutal or Retro. Pick one and click Done. It only changes how the app looks and is laid out, never what the tools do, and you can switch any time in Settings › Appearance. See themes for what each one changes. After that you land on the main window; the app tour walks through it.
Which macOS permissions does OneMacTools ask for?
OneMacTools doesn't ask for anything at install time. Each permission is requested the first time you use a feature that needs it, through macOS's own prompt, and you can turn it off again in System Settings › Privacy & Security.
| Permission | Asked when you use |
|---|---|
| Screen & System Audio Recording | Screen Recorder, Grab Text from Screen, Colour Picker |
| Microphone | Record Audio, Screen Recorder (with your voice), Dictate Anywhere, Record Meeting |
| System audio | Changing an app's volume, and recording the call in Record Meeting |
| Camera | Camera Check only; nothing is recorded or saved |
| Speech recognition | Transcribe, subtitles and meeting notes, which run on this Mac |
| Accessibility | Scrolling Screenshot scrolling by itself, Dictate Anywhere typing into other apps, Clean Keyboard |
| Automation (Keynote, Numbers, Pages) | Converting Office and iWork files to PDF |
| Location | Showing your Wi-Fi network's name in Mac Health; your location itself is never used |
| Notifications | Telling you when background jobs finish, and alerts |
| Full Disk Access | Optional, never prompted: lets storage scans look inside protected folders such as Mail and Messages |
If a tool can't run because a permission is missing, its error has an Open Settings button that takes you to the right page. The full list, with what each permission does and doesn't allow, is in privacy and permissions. Our privacy policy covers what the app sends over the network (only licence checks, update checks and links you ask it to fetch).
How OneMacTools updates itself
OneMacTools uses Sparkle, the standard update framework for Mac apps distributed outside the App Store. It checks for a new version automatically once a day while the app is running, and only downloads updates that are signed with our key, so a tampered download is rejected.
When an update is available, a window shows what's new, with buttons to install it now, be reminded later or skip that version. Installing replaces the app in Applications and relaunches it; your settings, presets and history are kept.
To check yourself, choose OneMacTools › Check for Updates… from the menu bar while the main window is in front. Updates within version 1, including any new tools, are free for every licence. The changes in each release are listed in the changelog on the website.
What OneMacTools stores on your Mac
Everything the app keeps is in your user Library, on this Mac only. Knowing where helps if you're moving to a new Mac or removing the app.
| Location | What's there |
|---|---|
~/Downloads/OneMacTools | Your results, one dated folder per job (or the folder you chose in Settings › Output). These are your files and are never removed by the app. |
~/Library/Application Support/OneMacTool | Your activated licence and the list of jobs shown in History. |
~/Library/Application Support/OneMacTools | Mac Health history, clipboard history (if you turned it on), Mac Health recordings and small caches. |
~/Library/Preferences/com.patalgo.OneMacTool.plist | Settings, last-used options and presets for every tool, and Watch Folder rules. |
~/Library/Group Containers/W4TSL2WQJN.com.patalgo.OneMacTool | The figures the desktop widgets display. |
| Keychain | Tokens and webhook addresses for Alerts on Your Phone, if you set them up. |
How to uninstall OneMacTools completely
Dragging the app to the Trash removes the app, its Finder Quick Actions and its widgets. To leave nothing behind, do these first, in this order:
- Free the licence. Open OneMacTools › Settings (⌘,), go to Licence and click Free This Mac…. This makes the activation available for another Mac. If you skip it, you can still free it later from the Manage Licence page on the website.
- Remove the Admin Helper, if you installed it: Settings › Admin Helper › Remove Helper.
- Turn off Open OneMacTools at login in Settings › History, if you turned it on.
- Disconnect AI assistants, if you added OneMacTools to Claude, Cursor or Codex: remove the OneMacTools entry from that assistant's MCP settings. See the MCP server.
- Quit the app. Closing the window isn't enough, because OneMacTools keeps running in the menu bar. Click the menu bar icon and choose Quit OneMacTools, or press ⌘Q with the window in front.
- Drag OneMacTools from Applications to the Trash.
- In Finder, choose Go › Go to Folder… (⇧⌘G), go to
~/Libraryand delete the folders and file listed in the table above: both Application Support folders, the preferences file and the group container.
Your results in ~/Downloads/OneMacTools aren't touched; delete that folder yourself if you no longer want them. FFmpeg, yt-dlp and other helpers installed with Homebrew stay installed, because other apps may use them; remove them with brew uninstall ffmpeg (and so on) in Terminal if you don't need them.
Questions
Is OneMacTools safe to install?
Yes. It's signed with an Apple Developer ID and notarised by Apple, so macOS checks it for known malware before it opens. It contains no analytics, advertising or tracking code, and your files are processed on your Mac rather than uploaded.
Why isn't OneMacTools on the Mac App Store?
It's distributed directly from onemactools.com as a signed, notarised download, with licence keys sold through Dodo Payments. You get the same Apple malware check as App Store apps, and updates come straight from us through the app's built-in updater.
Does OneMacTools work on older versions of macOS?
No. It needs macOS 26 or later, because it's built on the frameworks and the Liquid Glass design that arrived in macOS 26. It runs on both Apple silicon and Intel Macs that can run macOS 26.
Can I install OneMacTools on more than one Mac?
Yes, on as many Macs as your licence covers: 1, 5, 15 or 25. Install the app on each one and enter the same key. To move to a new Mac, free the old one in Settings › Licence first.
Do I have to reinstall to update OneMacTools?
No. The app checks for updates once a day and installs them for you after you agree, keeping your settings, presets and history. You can also choose OneMacTools › Check for Updates… at any time.
Does uninstalling OneMacTools delete my converted files?
No. Results are saved as ordinary files in Downloads › OneMacTools (or the folder you chose), and removing the app never touches them. Delete that folder yourself if you want them gone.
Does OneMacTools need to stay open?
Only for the things that run in the background: menu bar readouts, global shortcuts, Watch Folders, alerts and Mac Health history. Closing the window leaves it in the menu bar for those. Finder Quick Actions and Shortcuts open it when they need it.
