How to download and install OrbStack on Mac

Before you download

OrbStack is free for personal, non-commercial use. Freelancers and businesses need a Pro license, and every new install starts with a 30-day Pro trial. The builds for Apple Silicon and Intel are separate. To know your chip:

1. Choose Apple menu › About This Mac.
2. If you see Chip with Apple M1, M2 or later, take the build for Apple Silicon. If you see Processor with Intel, take the one for Intel.

OrbStack needs macOS 14 Sonoma or later. Download it only from orbstack.dev.

How to install OrbStack

1. Open the downloaded OrbStack_…_arm64.dmg or OrbStack_…_amd64.dmg in your Downloads folder.
2. In the window that opens, drag OrbStack to the Applications folder.

3. Eject the OrbStack disk: click the eject button next to it in the Finder sidebar.
4. Open OrbStack from Applications and click Open when macOS asks about an app downloaded from the internet.
5. OrbStack may ask for administrator access to set up the standard Docker socket. It is optional: every feature works without it, and you can decline.

If Docker Desktop is installed, quit it before you start OrbStack: it saves memory, and the same docker commands keep working.

What to set up after the first launch

• Check that it works. Run docker run hello-world in Terminal: Docker downloads a tiny image and prints a greeting.
• Linux machines. To get a full Linux system, choose a distribution in the app to create a machine, then double-click it to start, or use the orb command.
• Disk usage. OrbStack keeps its data in a disk image that looks like 8 TB in Finder but is a sparse file: it takes only as much space as you use and shrinks when you delete data.
• Memory. Lower the memory limit in OrbStack’s settings if your Mac feels short of memory, and stop containers you don’t use.
• The installer. Move the .dmg from Downloads to the Trash once OrbStack runs: it takes about half a gigabyte.

If OrbStack won’t install or open

• «OrbStack is damaged and can’t be opened». The download was incomplete. Delete the file and download it again from OrbStack’s website.
• OrbStack doesn’t start on an older Mac. Check your macOS version in About This Mac: OrbStack needs macOS 14 or later.
• `docker` still uses the old tools. OrbStack leaves the docker commands from Docker Desktop or Homebrew alone. Remove those to switch to OrbStack’s versions.
• An old copy gets in the way. Quit OrbStack, move it from Applications to the Trash and install it again from OrbStack’s website.

Alternatives to OrbStack

• DockerDocker’s own app, the most common choice.
• Rancher DesktopFree and open source, with Kubernetes built in.
• Podman DesktopFree, runs containers without a daemon.