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FXCanvas on macOS

The macOS build of FXCanvas is in alpha. This page collects everything that works differently on a Mac: how to open the app the first time, which sources are not available, and other platform differences.

Opening FXCanvas the First Time​

The macOS build is currently not signed or notarized with an Apple Developer ID. macOS Gatekeeper will block the first launch of any downloaded app it can't verify — this is expected, and you only need to approve FXCanvas once. After an update installs, macOS may ask you to approve it again.

The steps depend on your macOS version:

macOS 15 Sequoia and later​

Sequoia removed the right-click shortcut, so approval goes through System Settings:

  1. Double-click FXCanvas in Applications. macOS shows "Apple could not verify 'FXCanvas' is free of malware…" — click Done (not Move to Trash)
  2. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security
  3. Scroll down to the Security section — you'll see "FXCanvas was blocked to protect your Mac"
  4. Click Open Anyway and authenticate with your password or Touch ID
  5. Confirm Open Anyway in the final dialog

macOS 14 Sonoma and earlier​

  1. In Applications, right-click (or Control-click) FXCanvas and choose Open
  2. In the dialog, click Open

If the right-click method doesn't offer an Open button, use the System Settings method above — it works on all versions.

If macOS says the app "is damaged"​

On some systems, Gatekeeper reports an unsigned app as "damaged and can't be opened" instead of offering an approval path. The app isn't damaged — macOS is refusing the quarantine flag it put on the download. Clear it from Terminal:

xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /Applications/FXCanvas.app

Then launch normally.

Only bypass Gatekeeper for downloads you trust

These steps tell macOS to trust this specific app. Only do this for FXCanvas copies downloaded from fxc.studio or the official GitHub releases page.

Sources Not Available on macOS​

Most of FXCanvas runs identically on both platforms, but a few built-in sources are excluded from the macOS build because they render too slowly under Apple's OpenGL implementation to be usable in a live show:

SourceStatus on macOS
CurvatureNot available (Windows only)
SwarmNot available (Windows only)
Rainbow RoadNot available (Windows only)

These sources — and their built-in presets — simply don't appear in the source list on a Mac. Shows created on Windows that use them will load on macOS, but those cues fall back to the last active source. All other built-in sources are available on both platforms.

Why not just let them run slowly?

On Apple Silicon these three render at 3–16 fps, which stutters badly enough to be unusable live and can drag down the rest of the engine. Rather than ship a bad experience, they're hidden on macOS until they're rewritten with macOS-friendly techniques.

Other Platform Differences​

  • Texture sharing — macOS uses Syphon for local texture sharing; Windows uses Spout. NDI output works identically on both.
  • Hardware — the macOS build targets Apple Silicon (M1 or newer). Intel Macs are not supported.
  • Maturity — Windows is the primary, fully supported platform. The macOS build is alpha: the core feature set works, but expect rough edges. Please report anything you run into.