How to install the program on Mac. How to install Mac apps from outside the Mac App Store

The blog opens new section- “For beginners.” This section will be dedicated to those users who have recently switched to Mac OS X and are just beginning to learn the basics of working with this operating system. And the first article is “Installing programs on Mac OS X.”

Compared to Windows, installing programs in Mac OS X is several times easier :-)

Let's highlight the main ways to install programs and go through each of them:

Installing a program by copying the program to the computer (sorry for the tautology)
Installing a program using the installer
Installing the program from App Store

And so, the first point is Installing the program by copying the program to the computer.

This is the easiest way to install most programs on Mac OS X - open the dmg file, copy the program to the Applications folder and run it. Everything is simple and fast. Let's take a closer look. For example, we want to install the VLC video player.

All programs in Mac OS X are distributed as dmg files. Often developers additionally package the dmg file into an archive.
We go to the official website of the program (http://www.videolan.org/vlc/) and download the version for Mac OS X by clicking on the “Download VLC – Version 2.1.4 – Mac OS X – 33 MB” button. We download the file – vlc-2.1.4.dmg.

After the download is complete, run the file and see the following window (it starts as autorun in Windows). There are 4 elements in the window - VLC (the program itself), a shortcut to the Applications folder, Read me.rtf (program readme) and the Goodies folder (it contains text files with a description of the program, information about the authors, etc.).

To install the VLC program, simply transfer the program file to the Applications folder. In general, the program can be transferred anywhere, even to the desktop. But Mac OS X is designed in such a way that for ease of use, all programs are placed in a special area - Launchpad. Therefore, I recommend that you copy all programs only to the Applications folder. Then they will appear in the Launchpad area.

Let's move on to the second point - installing programs using the installer.

Quite often, programs for Mac OS X contain a full installation wizard. For example, such an installer is available in Oracle program VM Virtual Box. Let's look at it as an example:

As in the first case, download the Oracle VM Virtual Box version from the official website (https://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Downloads)

Run the downloaded file VirtualBox-4.3.10-93012-OSX.dmg and see the autorun window as in the first case
Click on the VirtualBox.pkg icon (it is marked with the number 1)

The program installation wizard starts. We are warned that a program will now start to determine whether it can be installed on this computer. Click “Continue”

The “Standard Installation” window will appear. As a rule, the settings “ Standard installation” is always enough. Click “Install”

Enter the password that you set when you first turned on your computer with Mac OS X and click the “Install Software” button

The program will begin to install. Installation time depends on both the performance of your Mac and the size of the program itself.
The last step remains - the finish line :-) The program has been successfully installed and is ready to work. Click the “Close” button and launch the program from the Launchpad area

And the last installation method is using the App Store.

The Mac OS X App Store appeared on January 6, 2011. By comparison, the App Store on the iPhone launched with the iPhone 3G on July 11, 2008. As on the iPhone, here you need to use Apple account ID. If you already have an Apple ID on your iPhone, then when you first launch the App Store, simply enter it and the password in the appropriate fields. If you don’t have an account yet, you need to register one. This will be written about below. The principle of the App Store on Mac is the same as on iPhone. But we will also take a closer look at it.

To launch the App Store, select its shortcut in the Dock quick launch applications located at the bottom of the screen - like the taskbar in Windows).

The App Store will launch. Here you can select applications by type, paid-free, best new, etc. Taste and color :-)

For example, let's find the game CSR Racing using a search and install it. In the search field enter the name - CSR Racing
We look at the search results and select the game CSR Racing, the price is free.

The game page will open
Here we can read the description, reviews, technical information about the game, etc.

To install, click on the “Free” button and then “Install”. We will be asked to enter data for our App Store account – Apple ID and password. If you don’t have an Apple ID, click the “Create Apple ID” button and follow the on-screen instructions of the wizard.

You can control the installation process by opening Launchpad. The program icon and the installation status bar below it will be shown here. As we can see in the screenshot below, the CSR Racing game has already been installed :-). Let's launch it and enjoy the game :-)

The principles of operation in OS X are somewhat different from Microsoft Windows, so users who recently bought a Mac are experiencing some difficulties as a replacement for a computer with Redmond OS. If in the USA and Europe people begin their acquaintance with computers with both PCs and Macs, then in our country and the CIS there is no particular alternative. There is a 99% chance that your first computer experience will be Windows. Relearning, as we know, is much more difficult than learning again, but following our simple tips, you can reduce all the difficulties of the transition to a minimum.

Installing and uninstalling applications

Your first search query in Safari it will most likely be: “How to install programs on a Mac?” This simple operation that you will inevitably encounter is radically different from that in the Microsoft OS. And what’s remarkable is that installing the application will take less time than you will spend on a search query.

Most programs are distributed in dmg archives (images) and are installed in just a couple of clicks:

open the downloaded .dmg file (it will be visible in Finder as a removable disk);
drag the directory with the application into system folder"Programs";
The application will appear on Launchpad in a couple of seconds (pinch gesture to open) and will be immediately ready for use;
You can now extract the distribution image in the Finder sidebar and delete the .dmg file;

You can install the application from a .dmg file in any folder convenient for you, but then the program icon will not appear in Launchpad. Therefore, I recommend using the “Programs” folder, especially since this is what it is intended for.

Some applications have their own installer and are installed through it. In this case, you will see a dialog box with buttons “Accept”, “Next”, “Install” (hello, Windows!).

Starting with version 10.7, a store appeared in OS X Mac applications App Store, similar to the App Store on iOS. It’s even easier to work with; to install, just click the “Install” button on the application page.

By analogy with installation, uninstalling an application consists of removing it from the “Programs” folder. We drag the catalog with the application into the “Trash” - and the job is done. If the program has its own installer, then uninstallation also occurs through it.

Interaction with windows. Close or collapse?

Windows users are shocked at first: not only are the window control buttons on the left, but they also work differently. In fact, the “x” button does not close the program, but only closes its window. This is due to the fact that in OS X applications can have several windows and after we close the window the program continues to work. The “+” button does not expand the window to full screen, but scales it to the size of the displayed content.

In order to completely terminate the application, press “Cmd+Q” or right-click on the icon in the dock and select “End”.

It is convenient to monitor running programs using the indicator in the dock. This feature is enabled in system settings, in the “Dock” section.

Also, as of version 10.7, OS X applications can run in full screen mode when the dock and menu bar are hidden. To activate this mode, you need to click the arrow icon in the upper right corner of the screen.

Using multi-touch gestures

One of the main features of OS X is support for multi-touch gestures. There are a lot of them here (I counted more than 10 gestures), and most importantly, thanks to the wonderful trackpad, they work just great.

Opening system settings and go to the “Trackpad” (“Mouse”) section, enable the necessary gestures and watch a demonstration of their operation. In addition to the banal imitation of the right mouse button, scrolling and dragging windows, using gestures we can: search for the highlighted word; rotate, scale images; open Launchpad, Mission Control, Notification Center.

Taking a few minutes to learn the gestures will make your work in OS X more productive and much more enjoyable.

Useful functions of the Fn key

Using the Fn button you can get quick access to many system functions. Here are some useful shortcuts:

Fn+Ctrl+F2 allows you to navigate through the menu without using a mouse;
Fn+Backspace replaces the Delete button;
Fn+F11 show desktop;
Fn+up arrow replaces the Page Up button;
Fn+down arrow replaces the Page down button;
Fn+left arrow replaces the Home button;
Fn+right arrow replaces the End button;

These shortcuts are very easy to remember and I recommend using them in daily work. By the way, there is a tiny utility called CheatSheet that will help you remember and use all the available abbreviations. After installation, it is built into the system and when you press the “Cmd” key, it displays full list abbreviations, available in the open application.

Adding applications to Startup

When installed, some applications are immediately added to the list of programs that will be automatically loaded when the system starts. You can edit this list as you wish for more fine tuning for yourself.

Open “Settings” - “Users and groups” and on the “Login Objects” tab, edit the list using the “+” and “-” buttons. On elderly poppies it makes sense to remove extra elements, this will speed up the system boot.

Detailed information about your Mac

IN Windows environment in order to get full information about the computer hardware you have to use third party utilities, like AIDA 64. operating system from Apple, in this regard, compares favorably with its competitor. OS X includes the System Information utility, which gives us a detailed report of absolutely all hardware and software. Here we can see the processor frequency, number of slots and memory type, wifi and bluetooth MAC address, as well as a lot of other service information.

You can find System Information in the Utilities folder on Launchpad or by clicking the Apple icon in the menu bar and selecting About This Mac.

Quickly view files

My favorite built-in feature in OS X is Preview. In the Finder, on any file or folder, pressing the spacebar will open a window quick view. All file types supported known to the system: images, videos, documents. Close the viewing window by pressing the space bar again. Fast, simple and convenient.

Force termination of applications

It happens that programs stop responding to requests or, more simply put, freeze. For example, you opened large number tabs in Chrome or launched several “heavy” applications. Windows users They are familiar with the shortcut “Ctrl+Alt+Delete”, which they use regularly. In OS X, to bring up the application termination dialog, you need to press “Command + Option + Esc”, here we select the frozen program and click “End”.

This may rarely happen on Mac OS, but if it does happen, you will know what to do.

We enable support for all video formats

Built-in QuickTime supports major video formats and is sufficient for the needs of most users. But if you have a diverse video collection, you will have to expand the list of supported formats. This can be done using the Perian codec pack or by installing a third-party media player such as VLC. Both solutions are free.

Don't forget to make backups

The last piece of advice is banal and hackneyed, but nevertheless constantly ignored. To ensure that your data is always completely safe, use backup, and make regular backups using Time Machine. This will also allow you to experiment with the system without fear, which will be inevitable at first.

In this beginner's guide, we'll look at the most common ways to install applications on Mac computers.

How to install apps and games from the Mac App Store

The main way to install apps on a Mac is still the Mac App Store. First of all, to download any software from the Mac App Store you will need an account. Apple entry ID. Detailed instructions O creation of Apple You will find the ID.

In the Mac App Store, everything is simple “Apple-style” - launch a branded store, log in account and found the application of interest in the tabs "Selection", "Top Charts", "Categories" or through the search and clicked the " Install».

After the download and installation process is completed, the application will appear in Launchpad (screenshot below), as well as in the folder "Programs" Finder Explorer.

How to install third-party apps and games on Mac

The process of downloading programs from the Mac App Store is the very ideal that Apple strives for. But the problem is that, just like with the iOS platform, before a program appears in the app store, it is reviewed by Mac App Store censors. A huge list of rules often does not allow developers to implement even half of the intended functions (don’t be surprised when you see a program both in the Mac App Store and on the developer’s website. Most likely, the version from the Mac App Store is “cut down” in functionality). Fortunately, unlike the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, it is possible to download games and programs from any source with subsequent installation.

A file in DMG format (image) is downloaded from the developer’s website, torrents or other sources. By double-clicking on it, the image will be mounted and if the autorun menu does not open, the corresponding item will appear in the “Devices” section of the left side menu Finder.

There are two types of installation here. The first is a banal dragging of the application icon into a folder "Programs". All! The application is ready to use.

The second is installing applications through the installer and performing dialog box actions. Click “Next”, agree to the terms of the license agreement, select additional options and install the software.

Why won't my third-party app launch?

Sometimes, when trying to install a program from a third-party developer, the user may encounter a notification: "The program cannot be opened because its author is an unidentified developer".

For users of OS X Mavericks and older versions of the operating system, access is provided from the menu "Protection and Security" in System Settings. Go to the tab "Basic", click on the lock to make changes (administrator password will be required), and then in the field "Allow the use of programs" put a dot in the checkbox from "Any source".

Starting from macOS Sierra this option is gone, but you can allow access through the Terminal (Finder → Programs → Utilities) using the command ():

sudo spctl --master-disable

For ease of installation and removal Mac programs The OS is vastly superior to Windows. Here you do not need to run one program to install another program and another one to uninstall it. But such simplicity also has some disadvantages. In this article we will look at all the nuances of installing Macsoftware and its subsequent safe removal. In Windows, very few programs work on their own, without first entering a bunch of all sorts of parameters into system registry and writing files to a variety of folders on the disk. In Mac OS X, each program is a self-contained package that the user can work with as if it were a single file. But alas, even on Mac OS, not all programs can do without additional components.

Based on this, there are two main ways in which new software gets onto your Mac.

First way the most common one is that the program is distributed in the form of the same package file, which you just need to launch by double-clicking. But, since almost all programs today are downloaded via the Internet, software manufacturers are faced with the task of reducing file sizes.

Most often this issue is resolved using disk images. When you click on the link to download the program, a file with the extension .dmg.

To see the contents of such an image, it must be mounted. This is done simply by double click on the file, after which it will appear on the Desktop new disk. It usually contains the program itself and a link to the programs folder on your computer.

All you have to do is drag the program to its new location. After this, it can be launched. However, many programs don’t even care where they are launched from - they are ready to work from any folder.

After copying the program, the disk image must be extracted - either using the button on the sidebar, or by dragging the disk from the Desktop to the Trash.

Second way needed for more serious programs that require additional system files, kernel extensions or executing some scripts during installation. In this case, the program is distributed as an installer with the .pkg or .mpkg extension.

Double-clicking on such a file launches the installation wizard:

First the master will introduce himself, then ask you to agree with license agreement, then prompts you to select a location for installation and a list of required program components (not always), after which you will be required to enter a password.

Sometimes both methods are combined, and the installer is packaged inside a disk image.

Question uninstalling a program on a Mac it’s quite simple - you need to go to the “Programs” folder and drag the software you don’t need into the Trash (or press Cmd-Delete on the keyboard). But problems may arise here. During the course of their life, programs create many temporary files. For example, the /Library/Preferences and /Users/~/Library/Preferences folders contain .plist files containing the settings of your programs. By deleting the program itself, you will not affect these files; they will remain on the disk as garbage. And having reinstalled the program due to some kind of malfunction, you may find that nothing has changed - accumulated garbage is also to blame for this.

Few programs have a special uninstall script (similar to Windows), which is usually located in the program's disk image, next to the installer. But this is quite rare, so there is various programs, allowing you to clean up garbage left over from other programs. As an example, let's give AppZapper- it is very easy to use:

The program condemned to be deleted must be dragged into the AppZapper window. It will immediately analyze all dependencies and show you a list of additional temporary files associated with the program being removed:

By clicking “Delete”, you are guaranteed to get rid of the program once and for all, without any traces.

The principles of operation in OS X are somewhat different from Microsoft Windows, so users who have recently purchased a Mac experience some difficulties as a replacement for a computer with the Redmond OS. If in the USA and Europe people begin their acquaintance with computers with both PCs and Macs, then in our country and the CIS there is no particular alternative. There is a 99% chance that your first computer experience will be Windows. Relearning, as you know, is much more difficult than learning again, but by following our simple tips, you can reduce all the difficulties of the transition to a minimum.

Installing and uninstalling applications

Your first search query in Safari will likely be: “How to install programs on Mac?” This simple operation that you will inevitably encounter is radically different from that in the Microsoft OS. And what’s remarkable is that installing the application will take less time than you will spend on a search query.

Most programs are distributed in dmg archives (images) and are installed in just a couple of clicks:

open the downloaded .dmg file (it will be visible in Finder as a removable disk);
drag the application directory into the “Programs” system folder;
The application will appear on Launchpad in a couple of seconds (pinch gesture to open) and will be immediately ready for use;
You can now extract the distribution image in the Finder sidebar and delete the .dmg file;

Some applications have their own installer and are installed through it. In this case, you will see a dialog box with buttons “Accept”, “Next”, “Install” (hello, Windows!).

Starting with version 10.7, OS X introduced the Mac App Store, similar to the App Store on iOS. It’s even easier to work with; to install, just click the “Install” button on the application page.

Interaction with windows. Close or collapse?

In order to completely terminate the application, press “Cmd+Q” or right-click on the icon in the dock and select “End”.

It is convenient to monitor running programs using the indicator in the dock. This feature is enabled in system settings, in the “Dock” section.

Also, as of version 10.7, OS X apps can run in full-screen mode, hiding the Dock and menu bar. To activate this mode, you need to click the arrow icon in the upper right corner of the screen.

Using multi-touch gestures

Open the system settings and go to the “Trackpad” (“Mouse”) section, enable the necessary gestures and watch a demonstration of their operation. In addition to the banal imitation of the right mouse button, scrolling and dragging windows, using gestures we can: search for the highlighted word; rotate, scale images; open Launchpad, Mission Control, Notification Center.

Taking a few minutes to learn the gestures will make your work in OS X more productive and much more enjoyable.

Useful functions of the Fn key

Using the Fn button you can quickly access many system functions. Here are some useful shortcuts:

Fn+Ctrl+F2 allows you to navigate through the menu without using a mouse;
Fn+Backspace replaces the Delete button;
Fn+F11 show desktop;
Fn+up arrow replaces the Page Up button;
Fn+down arrow replaces the Page down button;
Fn+left arrow replaces the Home button;
Fn+right arrow replaces the End button;

These shortcuts are very easy to remember and I recommend using them in everyday work. By the way, there is a tiny utility called CheatSheet that will help you remember and use all the available abbreviations. Once installed, it integrates into the system and, when you press the “Cmd” key, displays the full list of abbreviations available in the open application.

Adding applications to Startup

When installed, some applications are immediately added to the list of programs that will be automatically loaded when the system starts. You can edit this list at your discretion to fine-tune your settings.

Open “Settings” - “Users and groups” and on the “Login Objects” tab, edit the list using the “+” and “-” buttons. On older Macs, it makes sense to remove unnecessary elements; this will speed up the system boot time.

Detailed information about your Mac

In a Windows environment, in order to obtain complete information about the computer’s hardware, you have to use third-party utilities, like AIDA 64. Apple’s operating system compares favorably with its competitor in this regard. OS X includes the System Information utility, which gives us a detailed report of absolutely all hardware and software. Here we can see the processor frequency, number of slots and memory type, wifi and bluetooth MAC address, as well as a lot of other service information.

You can find System Information in the Utilities folder on Launchpad or by clicking the Apple icon in the menu bar and selecting About This Mac.

Quickly view files

My favorite built-in feature in OS X is Preview. In the Finder, pressing Spacebar on any file or folder will open a Quick View window. All file types known to the system are supported: images, videos, documents. Close the viewing window by pressing the space bar again. Fast, simple and convenient.

Force termination of applications

It happens that programs stop responding to requests or, more simply put, freeze. For example, you have opened a large number of tabs in Chrome or launched several “heavy” applications. Windows users are familiar with the “Ctrl+Alt+Delete” shortcut, which they use regularly. In OS X, to bring up the application termination dialog, you need to press “Command + Option + Esc”, here we select the frozen program and click “End”.

This may rarely happen on Mac OS, but if it does happen, you will know what to do.

We enable support for all video formats

Don't forget to make backups

The last piece of advice is banal and hackneyed, but nevertheless constantly ignored. To ensure that your data is always completely safe, use backup and regularly make backups using Time Machine. This will also allow you to experiment with the system without fear, which will be inevitable at first.