How to download and install Grammarly on Mac
Grammarly for Mac is a free desktop app from Grammarly’s website that checks your writing in Mail, Word, Slack, browsers and most other apps. Here is how to install it, which permission it needs and what to change after the first launch.
Grammarly
- macOS 11 or later
- One file for Apple Silicon and Intel
- Free. Pro is paid
Or the installer straight from the developer’s server:
The links go to the developer’s website (grammarly.com, download-mac.grammarly.com). MacWashing is not affiliated with the developer and keeps no installers.
Open Terminal (Applications › Utilities) and run:
brew install --cask grammarly-desktopHomebrew downloads the app from the developer’s server, checks the file and puts the app in Applications.
No Homebrew yet? How to install Homebrew: one command from brew.sh.
Before you download
You need a Grammarly account. Signing up is free. The app works on Apple Silicon Macs and Intel Macs from 2018 or later with macOS 11 Big Sur or later, from one installer. Grammarly’s suggestions are made for English text.
Download Grammarly for Mac only from grammarly.com. The Grammarly app in the Mac App Store is a different product: an extension that works only in Safari.
How to install Grammarly
- Open
Grammarly.dmgin your Downloads folder.
- Double-click Grammarly Installer and click Open when macOS asks about an app downloaded from the internet.
- Follow the installer: it puts Grammarly Desktop in Applications and asks you to sign in to your Grammarly account or create one.
- When Grammarly asks for Accessibility access, allow it as described below. The Grammarly icon then appears in the menu bar.
- Eject the Grammarly disk: click the eject button next to it in the Finder sidebar.
What to set up after the first launch
- Accessibility. Grammarly can’t check text in other apps without it. Turn on Grammarly Desktop in System Settings › Privacy & Security › Accessibility.
- Opening at login. Grammarly starts with your Mac so it is ready when you type. To stop it, turn it off in System Settings › General › Login Items.
- Apps you don’t want checked. If suggestions get in the way somewhere, turn Grammarly off for that app in Grammarly’s settings.
- The installer. Move
Grammarly.dmgfrom Downloads to the Trash once Grammarly runs.
If Grammarly won’t install or work
- «Grammarly Installer is damaged and can’t be opened». The download was incomplete. Delete the file and download it again from Grammarly’s website.
- No suggestions appear. Check Accessibility above: turn Grammarly Desktop off and on again, then quit and reopen Grammarly.
- Grammarly won’t start on an older Mac. Check your macOS in About This Mac: Grammarly needs macOS 11 or later.
- Nothing helps. Remove Grammarly completely, with its helpers and login item, and install it again: see how to uninstall Grammarly on Mac.
Alternatives to Grammarly
Keep your Mac tidy
System Junk in MacWashing finds the caches apps build up over time, Grammarly’s included, and shows how much space they take. And if you decide to remove Grammarly, the Uninstaller takes its helpers and files with it.
Free trial · macOS 14 or later
Questions and answers
Is Grammarly for Mac free?
Yes. The app and the basic grammar, spelling and punctuation checks are free with a Grammarly account. Pro adds rewrites, tone suggestions and plagiarism checks for a subscription.
Is Grammarly in the Mac App Store?
Only as a Safari extension. The desktop app that works in Mail, Word, Slack and other apps comes from Grammarly’s website, or install it with Homebrew.
Why does Grammarly need Accessibility access?
macOS lets an app read and change the text you type in other apps only with this permission. Without it, Grammarly can’t show suggestions. You can turn it off at any time in the same place.