# macOS Installation Guide ### Overview This guide provides information to download and install StrongDM on macOS. The primary download package includes the StrongDM Desktop application and a command-line interface (CLI). You can optionally download the CLI independently from the Admin UI. {% hint style="info" %} **Installation Recommendation:** On macOS, StrongDM recommends installing the application in the `/Applications` directory when possible. Installing in a standard system location ensures the app benefits from macOS security protections and is available to all users on the machine. {% endhint %} ### Download StrongDM Use the following steps to download the desktop app and CLI on macOS. To bypass the desktop app, you can [download the CLI](#download-the-strongdm-cli-only) independently. 1. Open the invitation email you received for your StrongDM account and follow the directions to set up your account. 2. '![](/files/9ds5QdApHI6qa5MeDxuc)\ Log in to StrongDM and go to the **Download & Install** page in the Admin UI. 3. Under **macOS**, click **Download StrongDM for macOS** to download the desktop app and CLI immediately, or click **Show download options** for other options. * **PKG**: This universal installer version includes the desktop app and CLI together and provides easy prompts that guide you through the installation process. If used with admin privilege, the PKG installer installs StrongDM and the StrongDM System Service (which enables you to access [Virtual Networking Mode](/admin/clients/client-networking/virtual-networking-mode.md) resources that may be available to you). Note that the system service is also required on macOS when using a non-default [loopback IP range](/admin/clients/client-networking/loopback-ip-ranges.md). If used without admin privilege, the PKG installer installs StrongDM but not the system service. StrongDM is installed in the home directory (`/Users//Applications`). * **DMG**: This universal full version includes the desktop app and CLI together and is installed manually. The DMG version does not install the StrongDM System Service. Choose DMG if you want to install the desktop app without the adapter. * **CLI**: The StrongDM CLI option includes only the CLI (not the desktop app) for x86-64 or ARM64 architectures. [Download and install the CLI only](#download-the-strongdm-cli-only) if you don't want to install the desktop app. Once the download is successful, the file name appears as **SDM-\.dmg** or **SDM-\.universal.pkg**, depending on the selected kind. 4. Optionally check that the downloaded binary is legitimate and verify the checksum, as in the following example: ```shell $ sha256sum SDM-21.54.0.dmg 9436778e0c922f621e0456b2694e0ad7dd50de8501632ee784b8add38bac5c5a SDM-21.54.0.dmg ``` The checksum should match the value in the **SHA256 Checksum** section of the Admin UI. ![](/files/AplHb1Pa0Bz90PQquPFd) ### Install StrongDM #### PKG To install StrongDM with the installer version (PKG), follow these steps. 1. Double-click the downloaded PKG file (**SDM-\.universal.pkg**). A dialog opens with guided prompts. 2. On the introduction screen, read the information given and click **Continue**. 3. Click **Install**. 4. After installation is complete, view the success message and click **Close**. To install StrongDM as an admin, use the built-in command-line program called `installer`. Use `sudo` and enter the PKG file as an argument (using the correct PKG file name), as in the following example: ```bash sudo installer -pkg SDM-21.58.0.universal.pkg -target / ``` {% hint style="info" %} When run with admin privilege, the PKG installs the StrongDM System Service, which enables you to access [Virtual Networking Mode](/admin/clients/client-networking/virtual-networking-mode.md) resources that may be available to you. If you want to install the desktop app without the adapter, don't run it as an admin. {% endhint %} That's it! You've installed StrongDM. Go ahead and try a connection! #### DMG To install StrongDM with the DMG, follow these steps. 1. Double-click the downloaded DMG file (**SDM-\.dmg**). 2. Drag the **SDM** app to the **Applications** folder using the provided shortcut. If you do not have admin rights on your computer, you can copy the **SDM** app to the **Applications** folder in your home directory or the desktop. These options work without requiring admin privileges, but installing in the system `/Applications` folder is preferred when available. {% hint style="info" %} Do not run SDM directly from the DMG file. This results in degraded functionality. {% endhint %} That's it! You've installed StrongDM. Go ahead and try a connection! ### Launch StrongDM Use these steps to launch the desktop app on macOS. When connected to resources via the desktop app, all resource access gets routed through StrongDM. 1. To launch the desktop app, double-click the **SDM** icon in your list of applications. 2. The **sdm** icon appears in the menu bar. Click this icon to log in. 3. Enter the email and password for your StrongDM account. If your company uses single sign-on (SSO), you may also be redirected to your SSO provider. 4. After logging in, go to the **Resource Center** to view a list of resources you have permission to access. ![](/files/v02HUQhtD9p00nB99yx9) 5. Click one of these resources to enable a connection and gain access. A green lightning bolt icon appears next to the connected resource. 6. You can now connect to the resource on your machine using your preferred tool. When prompted for connection information, you can typically use **localhost** for the hostname/IP, leave the username and password blank, and specify the port listed next to the resource in StrongDM Desktop. If the connection fails using these defaults, check the [Connect to Resources](/users/connect/connect-databases.md) section for more information. {% hint style="info" %} If you click a website resource, it launches in your default browser. To disconnect from any resource, click the named instance in the desktop app and the green connection icon disappears. Any existing connections from your local machine to the resource are immediately disabled. {% endhint %} #### Set up the StrongDM CLI To set up the CLI that is included with the desktop app, you can use the following steps. 1. After installing the **SDM** application, click the **sdm** icon in the menu bar. Make sure you are logged in by checking that the **SDM** application is online and your available resources display. 2. Open the **Actions** menu and select **Install sdm in PATH**. You can also open a terminal and type `sudo ln -s /Applications/SDM.app/Contents/Resources/sdm.darwin /usr/local/bin/sdm`. Either of these options adds the sdm command line application to your PATH. 3. Verify that the CLI is working properly by running `sdm --version`, which should return a version number similar to the following ```bash $ sdm --version sdm version 35.3.0 (99a5d1a71d4eccaf171449e33bc0826132b05165 #503) ``` If instead you see something like `-bash: sdm: command not found`, it may mean that the path `/usr/local/bin/` is not included in your system search path. Edit the shell configuration file your system is using. For macOS, that is sometimes `.bash_profile`, but since macOS Catalina, zsh is the default shell. Open the shell configuration file and append `export PATH=/usr/local/bin/:$PATH` to it. Then run: ```bash $ source ~/.zshrc $ sdm --version sdm version 35.3.0 (99a5d1a71d4eccaf171449e33bc0826132b05165 #503) ``` #### Direct Download and Validation *The URL in the following instructions differs based on the region of your organization's StrongDM control plane, not your own location. The default control plane region is US.* {% tabs %} {% tab title="US" %} You may also download the package directly. In this example, we will use the curl method to get the AMD64 binary (for an x86-64 architecture) and complete the download. Open a terminal and download the Linux binary: ```sh curl -J -O -L https://app.strongdm.com/releases/cli/linux ``` For an ARM-based architecture, you must use the [Release endpoint](/admin/clients/release-endpoint.md) with parameters to download an ARM64 binary: ```sh curl -s 'https://app.strongdm.com/release?software=sdm-cli&os=linux&arch=arm64' ``` {% endtab %} {% tab title="UK" %} You may also download the package directly. In this example, we will use the curl method to get the AMD64 binary (for an x86-64 architecture) and complete the download. Open a terminal and download the Linux binary: ```sh curl -J -O -L https://app.uk.strongdm.com/releases/cli/linux ``` For an ARM-based architecture, you must use the [Release endpoint](/admin/clients/release-endpoint.md) with parameters to download an ARM64 binary: ```sh curl -s 'https://app.uk.strongdm.com/release?software=sdm-cli&os=linux&arch=arm64' ``` {% endtab %} {% tab title="EU" %} You may also download the package directly. In this example, we will use the curl method to get the AMD64 binary (for an x86-64 architecture) and complete the download. Open a terminal and download the Linux binary: ```sh curl -J -O -L https://app.eu.strongdm.com/releases/cli/linux ``` For an ARM-based architecture, you must use the [Release endpoint](/admin/clients/release-endpoint.md) with parameters to download an ARM64 binary: ```sh curl -s 'https://app.eu.strongdm.com/release?software=sdm-cli&os=linux&arch=arm64' ``` {% endtab %} {% endtabs %} ### Download the StrongDM CLI Only On macOS, you can bypass the desktop application and download the CLI independently. Use the following steps to install the CLI only. 1. Open the invitation email you received for your StrongDM account. 2. Click the link included in the email to set your password. 3. Log in to StrongDM and go to the **Download & Install** page in the Admin UI. 4. Under **macOS**, click **Show download options**. 5. From the **Download the StrongDM CLI** section, download the StrongDM CLI for your architecture. The files are downloaded to a zipped folder on your computer. This depends on your architecture, but the folder name appears as **sdmcli\_\\_darwin\_amd64.zip**. 6. Unzip the file: ```bash unzip sdmcli__darwin_amd64.zip ``` 7. Move the unzipped file to your `usr/local/bin/` directory. We suggest this location since it is usually part of the PATH variable, ensuring you can run `sdm` commands from any folder in the terminal. 8. To connect to resources with the standalone binary, you must run a listener manually. Use `sdm listen` to run the listener in the background. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://docs.strongdm.com/users/client/macos.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.