How to download and install CrossOver on Mac
CrossOver from CodeWeavers runs many Windows apps and games on a Mac without Windows itself. Here is how to get the 14-day trial, install CrossOver and set up your first Windows app.
CrossOver
- macOS 10.15 or later
- One app for Apple Silicon and Intel
- Paid, 14-day free trial
Or the installer straight from the developer’s server:
The links go to the developer’s website (codeweavers.com, media.codeweavers.com). MacWashing is not affiliated with the developer and keeps no installers.
Open Terminal (Applications › Utilities) and run:
brew install --cask crossoverHomebrew 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
CrossOver is paid, with a fully working 14-day trial and no card needed. The trial starts the first time you open CrossOver. To download it, enter your name and email address in the form on CodeWeavers’ site. One app works on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
CrossOver translates what Windows apps ask of Windows instead of running Windows, so not every Windows app works. Check yours in CodeWeavers’ Compatibility Center before you buy.
On Apple Silicon, CrossOver needs Rosetta. If it is missing and macOS doesn’t offer to install it, run in Terminal:
softwareupdate --install-rosetta --agree-to-licenseHow to install CrossOver
- Open the downloaded
crossover-….zipin your Downloads folder to unpack it. Safari may have done that already. - Drag CrossOver to the Applications folder.
- Open CrossOver from Applications and click Open when macOS asks about an app downloaded from the internet.
- Choose Try Now to start the trial, or enter your license if you bought one.
What to set up after the first launch
- Your first Windows app. In CrossOver, choose to install a Windows application, search for it by name and follow the steps. CrossOver puts each app into a bottle, a separate Windows environment.
- Disk space. Bottles live in
~/Library/Application Support/CrossOver/Bottlesand grow with the apps and games you install. - Permissions. If a Windows app needs the camera, the microphone or your folders, macOS asks. Allow CrossOver in System Settings › Privacy & Security.
- The installer. Move the
.zipfrom Downloads to the Trash once CrossOver runs.
If CrossOver won’t install or a Windows app won’t run
- «CrossOver is damaged and can’t be opened». The download was incomplete. Delete it and download it again from CodeWeavers’ website.
- A Windows app won’t start. Look it up in the Compatibility Center: some apps need extra settings, and some don’t run in CrossOver at all.
- The trial has ended. CrossOver stops working, but the apps you installed stay in their bottles and run again once you buy a license.
- A broken install. Remove CrossOver and install it again: see how to uninstall CrossOver on Mac.
Alternatives to CrossOver
Keep your Mac tidy
CrossOver’s bottles grow with every Windows app you install. System Junk in MacWashing finds the caches apps build up, and the Uninstaller removes CrossOver with its files if you no longer need it.
Free trial · macOS 14 or later
Questions and answers
Is CrossOver free?
No. CrossOver is paid. The 14-day trial is fully working, so you can check your Windows apps first.
Is CrossOver in the Mac App Store?
No. Get it from CodeWeavers’ website or install it with Homebrew.
Do I need a Windows license for CrossOver?
No. CrossOver runs Windows apps without Windows, so you don’t buy or install Windows. Paid Windows apps still need their own licenses.