▲ RETROMAC ▼ macOS

Turn your Mac into a time machine.

Transform your whole Mac into a retro workstation - CRT shaders, classic OS themes, retro dock, boot screens and more. One click, no restart.

Use everything, or just one piece. Built it for myself. Turns out a few thousand people wanted it too.

Full Desktop Takeover
CRT Shaders
Classic Themes
Retro Dock
Retro TV

Grab the DMG ✉ Get the retro newsletter

Free, no account · 20 shaders for free, more if you want · Whole screen or just one window - * Free to download and use. If you want the extra shader presets, custom presets or the webcam shader, you can throw me €8.88 once. No subscription, no nonsense.

~/retromac/overview.mp4

◆ AS SEEN IN ◆

Featured in.

Loved by 5,000+ Mac users▲ Featured on Product Hunt

t3n.de

↗

t3n

"The free app RetroMac lets you give your current macOS version a fresh Aqua look."

maclife.de

↗

maclife.de

"The sharp Retina panel becomes a CRT nobody missed - and suddenly everyone wants it back."

maclife.de

↗

Mac life Magazin

"RetroMac is App of the Month in Mac life Magazine."

ifun.de

↗

ifun.de

"RetroMac simulates classic operating systems."

◆ PICK YOUR RETRO ◆

One app. Five ways in.

Use everything at once, or just the piece you came for.

01 / 05
Full Theme Takeover
Wallpaper, dock, boot screen, screensaver, shader - the whole Mac becomes a Windows 98 PC, a Mac OS 9 machine or a BeOS workstation.
Best for: showcase setups, videos, nostalgia sessions.
See themes →
02 / 05
Just a CRT Shader
Leave your Mac exactly as it is - and drop a live CRT, VHS or LCD look over the whole screen or a single window.
Best for: writing, terminals, retro gaming, screen recordings.
See shaders →
03 / 05
Just the Retro Dock
Swap the macOS dock for a Mac OS 9 Control Strip, an OS X Aqua bar, or a Windows 98 taskbar. Everything else stays modern.
Best for: daily driver with a nostalgic accent.
See docks →
04 / 05
Just a Retro TV
Open a small Retro TV window on your desktop. YouTube, IPTV, M3U streams or web bookmarks - inside a real CRT frame.
Best for: lo-fi streams, music videos, TV on the side.
See Tube Mode →
05 / 05
CRT as Live Wallpaper
Use the CRT shader as an animated live wallpaper behind your desktop. Subtle phosphor glow and scanlines - without touching any of your apps.
Best for: keeping the retro vibe without the shader on top of everything.
See live wallpaper →

30+ shaders. Endless eras.

Pick one - your whole screen instantly looks like it.

CRT Royal

Sony Trinity

NTSC Composite

Retro LCD

VHS

VCR

Macintosh Classic

Game Boy

◆ THEMES ◆

A few impressions.

New: more authentic Windows 98, XP, Mac OS X, Mac OS 9 and BeOS - now with Solitaire, Minesweeper & friends.

~/themes/system6

1988

Mac System 6

1988

~/themes/nextstep

1989

NeXTSTEP

1989

~/themes/win311

1992

Windows 3.1.1

1992

~/themes/win95

1995

Windows 95

1995

~/themes/win98

1998

Windows 98

1998

~/themes/system9

1999

Mac System 9

1999

~/themes/winme

2000

Windows ME

2000

~/themes/beos

2000

BeOS

2000

~/themes/winxp

2001

Windows XP

2001

~/themes/macosx

2001

Mac OS X

2001

~/themes/snow-leopard

2009

Snow Leopard

2009

~/themes/futurama

3000

Futurama

3000

Your dock from back then. Today.

Pick your favorite dock from the classic Mac and Windows years. Custom icons, clock and transparency - exactly your way.

Mac OS 6 (monochrome)

1988

Mac OS 6 (reinvented)

1988

Windows 3.1

1992

Windows 98

1998

Mac OS 9

1999

Mac OS X

2001

Windows XP

2001

Snow Leopard

2009

Futurama

3000

Maik's FavouriteANIMATED

Animated

Maik's Favourite IIANIMATED

Animated

Build my dock →

◆ RETRO TV & TUBE MODE ◆

Watch anything through a tube.

Turn YouTube, IPTV feeds or your own web bookmarks into a little retro television. Runs on its own - no theme required.

01
TV Bookmarks
Save channels once, switch with a keystroke. Works with any web URL.
02
M3U & Web Streams
Point it at any M3U/M3U8 playlist or a live web stream. Real IPTV, real CRT frame.
03
Tube Mode Fullscreen
Double-click for immersive fullscreen. Themed bezels, shaders per channel, always-on-top when you want it.

~/retromac/tube-mode.tv

RetroMac Tube Mode fullscreen — CRT TV playing a music video

Desktop

◆ WHAT RETROMAC DOES ◆

What RetroMac does.

Every part is optional. Turn on what you want, when you want.

01
CRT & Shader Effects
30+ live shaders - CRT, VHS, LCD, Trinitron, amber terminal - on your whole screen, one display or a single window.
02
Classic Themes
Windows 98, XP, Mac OS 9, Mac OS X, BeOS, Snow Leopard and more. Period-correct desktops, icons, chrome - and matching cursors and pointers swap in with every theme.
03
Retro Dock
Replace or extend the macOS dock. Mac OS 9 Control Strip, XP Taskbar, or Maik's Favourite with Pac-Man patrolling the icons.
04
Boot Screens & Screensavers
Real .saver modules and boot splashes per theme. 3D Pipes, Flying Toasters, Flurry - the whole 90s energy.
05
Desktop Widgets & Classic Surfaces
Clocks, CPU monitors, notepads, Program Manager and Deskbar-style shells. Small pieces of the past on your modern desktop.
06
Retro TV & Tube Mode
Turn any web or M3U stream into a retro TV window. Themed bezels, per-channel shaders, immersive fullscreen.
07
Launcher, Menu Bar & Hotkeys
Menu bar app with floating launcher, quick-access flyout and hotkeys for every mode. Stays out of the way until you need it.
08
Safe & Reversible
Health Check, wallpaper restore, dock restore. Your Mac is always one click away from its normal self.
09
Retro Game Library
Launch shareware classics and emulated favorites from the era - DOOM, Quake, Commander Keen, Wolfenstein 3D and more. Each game comes pre-matched with the right CRT filter.
10
Retro Glitches & Crashes
Add harmless, random emulated system moments - a blue screen here, a kernel panic there, a classic error dialog. Pure nostalgia, zero actual crashes.

Also included: Virtual Camera for Zoom, Meet, Teams & OBS · Custom presets · Per-app rules · Classic screensavers and boot screens.

~/system/restore.sh

◆ YOUR MAC STAYS A MAC ◆

One click, everything back to normal.

Health Check, wallpaper restore, dock restore and menu-bar recovery are built in. Try any theme without fear - your Mac is always one click away from its normal self.

◆ FROM THE BLOG ◆

Guides, tutorials, retro field notes.

How to get an authentic CRT look, how to turn a Mac into Windows 98, and which retro tools actually hold up in 2026.

See all posts →

◆ FROM USERS ◆

What people are saying.

Real reactions from r/macapps and friends.

u/Ok_Improvement5621

"Wow. Just wow. Love the idea and the styles… Back 2 the future!"

Woosuk Park

user

"damm... feel like very old. like a adult in Crayon Shin-chan: The Storm Called: The Adult Empire Strikes Back. without further ado, SHUT UP TAKE MY MONEY!"

u/North-Active-6731

"Absolutely love the shaders on this app, it's excellent and couldn't have come better. Bought and paid to support further development."

paul eric lagace

user

"Well worth investing in. The application provides a visual change that doesn't break the security below. Can't wait to see refinement to shaders. Impressive work"

u/OhSirrah

"Wow it's almost like you reimplemented the dock. I've never seen that done before."

Mac Sound Solutions inc.

user

"Love RetroMac, brings back memories of vintage Mac OS days gone by and the virtual camera effects are super cool for creating content. Not to mention playing some old video games like Doom and Duke Nukem."

u/Wif001

"Nice one! Windows XP looks hilarious on my MacBook."

◆ HI ◆

Made by one person

Hi, I'm Maik - an indie dev from Germany.

I built RetroMac because I missed the warm CRT glow of the computers I grew up with. It started as a tiny weekend hack just for me, and quietly turned into the thing on this page.

I also build Reframe, a free open-source browser with the chrome of 1999 - from the same workshop. RetroMac itself is free; the optional Pro unlock is a one-time payment - no VC, no subscription, no roadmap meetings.

☕ buy me a coffee

klotzbrocken.deLinkedIn

~/about/at-a-glance.txt

RetroMac at a glance

Platform: macOS 14+ (Apple Silicon & Intel)
Type: Menu bar app
Effects: 30+ live CRT / VHS / LCD shaders
Themes: Win 98/XP, Mac OS 9/X, BeOS, Snow Leopard
Price: Free, optional €8.88 one-time Pro
Privacy: No account, no subscription, no tracking

Stuff people ask.

What is RetroMac?

RetroMac is a small macOS menu bar app that paints a live retro look on top of your screen. One click swaps between CRT, VHS, LCD and full classic-OS themes like Windows 98 or Mac OS 9. It's a one-time purchase, no subscription, and runs entirely on your Mac.

Does it change my apps or files?

No. RetroMac only paints a shader over what's already on screen. Your apps, files and system settings stay completely untouched. Quit RetroMac and everything looks exactly like macOS did before.

Can I apply the look to just one window?

Yes. You can run the CRT or VHS shader on the whole screen, on a single display in a multi-monitor setup, or on just one window - per-app rules included. Finder stays sharp while your editor or emulator goes full tube.

Does it work with multiple displays?

Yes. Each connected display can have its own theme and shader settings, and shaders render on every screen, not just the main one. Great if you have an old monitor on the side you want to feel really old.

Is it good for retro games?

Honestly, it's the best part. CRT, VHS and Game Boy shaders make pixel art look the way it was meant to - phosphor masks, scanlines, NTSC composite bleed. Works on top of emulators and the built-in retro game launcher.

Can I customize everything?

Pretty much. Intensity, colors, dock style, icons, per-display and per-app rules. You can also import your own Metal shaders and build custom presets if you want to go deeper.

Will it slow my Mac down?

On a modern Mac you really won't notice. Built-in eco modes throttle the shader when you're on battery, so fans stay quiet and your battery doesn't suffer.

Which macOS do I need?

macOS 14 or newer. RetroMac is a universal binary, signed and notarized by Apple, so it opens without Gatekeeper warnings on a clean Mac.

Is it a subscription?

No. RetroMac is free to download and use. The optional Pro unlock is a one-time €8.88 - it adds extra shader presets, custom presets and the webcam shader. No recurring charges, no account required.

Does RetroMac work on Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4)?

Yes. RetroMac ships as a universal binary and runs natively on Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4) and Intel Macs. Metal shaders are GPU-accelerated, so on Apple Silicon it stays smooth even at full screen.

How is RetroMac different from a wallpaper or screensaver?

A wallpaper sits behind your windows; a screensaver only appears when you're idle. RetroMac is a live shader that sits on top of everything you do - your terminal, browser, editor, games. It's the difference between a sticker on the monitor and an actual CRT.

Can I use the CRT effect for screen recordings and streaming?

Yes. Screenshots and screen recordings capture the shaded picture as you see it. For video calls and streaming, the optional webcam shader exposes a virtual camera ("RetroMac") that works in Zoom, Meet, Teams and OBS - great for retro-styled streams and lower-thirds.

Can I use just one feature (e.g. only the dock, only the shader)?

Yes - RetroMac is modular. Turn on only the retro dock, only a CRT shader, only a Retro TV window, or the full theme takeover. Every part works on its own; you decide how much of your Mac changes.

Is it safe? Can I go back to normal macOS?

Yes. Nothing is permanent. RetroMac ships with a Health Check plus one-click restore for wallpaper, dock, menu bar and desktop icons. Quit the app and your Mac looks exactly like it did before.

From the same workshop

Reframe

Surf the modern web with the browser chrome of 1999. Free & open source, the perfect companion to RetroMac.

Explore Reframe →

Reframe browser with Safari 1.0 brushed-metal theme

Turn your Mac into a time machine.

Featured in.

One app. Five ways in.

Full Theme Takeover

Just a CRT Shader

Just the Retro Dock

Just a Retro TV

CRT as Live Wallpaper

30+ shaders. Endless eras.

CRT Royal

Sony Trinity

NTSC Composite

Retro LCD

VHS

VCR

Macintosh Classic

Game Boy

A few impressions.

Mac System 6

NeXTSTEP

Windows 3.1.1

Windows 95

Windows 98

Mac System 9

Windows ME

BeOS

Windows XP

Mac OS X

Snow Leopard

Futurama

Your dock from back then. Today.

Watch anything through a tube.

TV Bookmarks

M3U & Web Streams

Tube Mode Fullscreen

What RetroMac does.

CRT & Shader Effects

Classic Themes

Retro Dock

Boot Screens & Screensavers

Desktop Widgets & Classic Surfaces

Retro TV & Tube Mode

Launcher, Menu Bar & Hotkeys

Safe & Reversible

Retro Game Library

Retro Glitches & Crashes

One click, everything back to normal.

Guides, tutorials, retro field notes.

Sneak preview: Windows Me turns 26, retro crashes, new streams and a new Game Library

Windows 95 turns 31 and RetroMac 2.7 brings back the Fun Stuff folder

Getting the Most Out of Customizing: External Apps Worth Adding to Your Toolkit

What people are saying.

Made by one person

RetroMac at a glance

Stuff people ask.

What is RetroMac?

Does it change my apps or files?

Can I apply the look to just one window?

Does it work with multiple displays?

Is it good for retro games?

Can I customize everything?

Will it slow my Mac down?

Which macOS do I need?

Is it a subscription?

Does RetroMac work on Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4)?

How is RetroMac different from a wallpaper or screensaver?

Can I use the CRT effect for screen recordings and streaming?

Can I use just one feature (e.g. only the dock, only the shader)?

Is it safe? Can I go back to normal macOS?

New shaders drop monthly

Reframe