Dolphin on Mac: how to set it up
Dolphin runs on a Mac. It emulates the GameCube & Wii. One app for Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. Dolphin recommends its Metal renderer on macOS.
- Mac download
- dolphin-emu.org
- Chips
- One app that runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs
- macOS
- 11.0 or later
- Signed by Apple
- Not stated by the project
- Graphics
- Metal (recommended), Vulkan or OpenGL
- You need
- Your own GameCube or Wii game dumps. No BIOS needed.
- Latest version
- 2609a, October 8, 2026
How to install Dolphin on a Mac
- Download it from the official source. Get the Mac version from Dolphin's own site or its official repository. Sites that bundle an emulator with games or BIOS files are distributing pirated files, and often malware.
- Move it to Applications. Open the .dmg or .zip and drag Dolphin into your Applications folder.
- Get past macOS's warning. If macOS says the app can't be opened because Apple can't check it, Control-click it in Applications and choose Open. On macOS 13 or later, if there is no Open button, go to System Settings, then Privacy & Security, and click Open Anyway (it appears for about an hour after the first try).
- Add the files it needs. Your own GameCube or Wii game dumps. No BIOS needed.
- Add your games and play. Point Dolphin at the folder with your game dumps, pick a game and start it. Set up your controller in Dolphin's settings.
Other emulators on Mac
Checked October 19, 2026 against: GitHub README, GitHub tags, Dolphin wiki: Installing Dolphin (Gatekeeper section), Repo: Metal backend source, Repo: CMakeLists (ad-hoc codesign default, bundled MoltenVK).
Common questions
Does Dolphin work on a Mac?
Yes. Dolphin 2609a has an official Mac version. One app that runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs. It needs macOS 11.0 or later.
Does Dolphin run natively on Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4)?
Yes. One app that runs natively on Apple Silicon and Intel Macs.
What do I need to play games in Dolphin?
Your own GameCube or Wii game dumps. No BIOS needed.
Is Dolphin legal?
Dolphin itself is a legal, open-source emulator. The BIOS files, firmware and games it runs are copyrighted, so dump them from a console and games you own. Downloading them from the internet is piracy in most countries.
Why won't Dolphin open on my Mac?
If macOS says the app can't be opened because Apple can't check it, Control-click it in Applications and choose Open. On macOS 13 or later, if there is no Open button, go to System Settings, then Privacy & Security, and click Open Anyway (it appears for about an hour after the first try).