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How to install Jellyfin on a Mac

Updated ยท 5 min read

A Mac mini in a cupboard makes a quiet, capable media server. Here's how to install Jellyfin on a Mac, then keep it running through restarts, sleep and the firewall.

Which download you need

Jellyfin for macOS comes as a .dmg disk image with Jellyfin.app inside. There are builds for Apple silicon (M1 and later) and for Intel Macs. Pick the one that matches the chip shown in Apple menu > About This Mac.

One wrinkle: Jellyfin's documentation says the Apple silicon build needs macOS 14 or later. On an Apple silicon Mac with an older macOS, either update macOS or download the Intel (x86) build instead.

Install it, step by step

  1. Download the .dmg. Go to jellyfin.org/downloads/server, choose macOS, and download the build for your chip.
  2. Copy it to Applications. Open the .dmg and drag Jellyfin into the Applications folder. Eject the disk image afterwards.
  3. Open Jellyfin. Double-click Jellyfin in Applications. If macOS asks whether you're sure you want to open an app downloaded from the internet, choose Open.
  4. Get past Gatekeeper if it refuses. If macOS says the app can't be opened or verified, open System Settings > Privacy & Security (on macOS 12, System Preferences > Security & Privacy > General), scroll to the message about Jellyfin and click Open Anyway. Only do this for a copy you downloaded from jellyfin.org yourself.
  5. Start the server from the menu bar. Jellyfin.app doesn't open a window. It puts an icon in the menu bar; click it and choose Launch, and it opens Jellyfin's page in your browser.
  6. Run the first-run wizard. If the browser doesn't open on its own, go to http://localhost:8096. Choose your language, create the administrator with a strong password, and set your metadata language.
  7. Add your libraries. One library per kind: Movies, Shows, Music. Folders inside your home folder work; folders on an external drive appear under /Volumes/.

Tip: from phones and TVs at home, use the Mac's address, such as http://192.168.1.30:8096. You'll find it in System Settings > Network under your connection's details.

Updating later: quit the server from the menu bar icon first, then replace Jellyfin.app in Applications with the new one. Your settings and libraries stay where they are.

Start Jellyfin when you log in

On a Mac, Jellyfin runs as an ordinary app under your user account. That's good news for permissions, because it can read whatever you can. The flip side is that after a restart nothing starts it until someone logs in and opens it. Two ways to fix that:

  • Use the launch-at-login option in Jellyfin's menu bar icon, if your version shows one.
  • Or add it yourself (macOS 13 or later): System Settings > General > Login Items, click the plus button under Open at Login, and pick Jellyfin from Applications.

For a Mac that lives in a cupboard, also turn on automatic login for the account that runs Jellyfin (in Users & Groups), and in the energy settings tell the Mac to start up after a power failure. FileVault blocks automatic login, so you'll have to choose between the two.

The macOS firewall

The macOS firewall is off by default. If you turned it on, phones and TVs can find Jellyfin's page blocked until you allow it. When macOS asks whether Jellyfin may accept incoming network connections, click Allow. If you missed the prompt, on macOS 13 or later open System Settings > Network > Firewall > Options, find Jellyfin and set it to allow incoming connections. If Block all incoming connections is ticked, nothing gets in, Jellyfin included.

Careful: to watch away from home, don't forward port 8096 on your router. It's plain HTTP: your password and your streams would travel the internet unencrypted. Use HTTPS or a private network instead; Jellyfin remote access compares the safe ways.

Stop the Mac sleeping

A sleeping Mac can't serve anything. You want it to stay awake on the power adapter while the display is free to turn off. The setting moves between macOS versions and models: on a desktop Mac look in System Settings > Energy (or Energy Saver) for Prevent automatic sleeping when the display is off; on a MacBook it's under Battery > Options, worded "on power adapter". From Terminal, this does the same for the power adapter only and leaves battery settings alone:

sudo pmset -c sleep 0

If you record TV with Jellyfin, this matters twice over; see keep the computer awake for recordings.

Media on a NAS: reconnect shares at login

Jellyfin sees a NAS share only while it's mounted. Connect once with Finder > Go > Connect to Server (for example smb://nas.local/movies), and tick the option to remember the password in your keychain. Then drag the mounted share into Open at Login in Login Items so macOS reconnects it at every login. Point the library at the path under /Volumes/. If a library comes up empty after a restart, the share wasn't mounted when Jellyfin scanned; open it and scan again.

For faster video, Jellyfin on a Mac uses Apple's VideoToolbox, which works on both Apple silicon and Intel Macs. Turn it on in the Dashboard's playback and transcoding settings; Jellyfin hardware transcoding explains which formats to tick.

Questions

Does Jellyfin run on Apple silicon Macs?

Yes. There is an Apple silicon build, which Jellyfin's documentation says needs macOS 14 or later. On an older macOS, update or use the Intel (x86) build.

Where is Jellyfin after I open it on a Mac?

In the menu bar. Jellyfin.app has no main window: click its menu bar icon and choose Launch to open the server's page in your browser.

How do I make Jellyfin start automatically on a Mac?

Add Jellyfin to Open at Login in System Settings, General, Login Items, or use the launch-at-login option in its menu bar icon if yours has one. It still needs someone logged in.

The one-click way: Reelhost

Reelhost for Mac runs on macOS 12 or later, on Apple silicon and Intel. Its free check-up runs the same ten checks as on Windows, done the macOS way. The fixes let Jellyfin through the macOS firewall, stop sleep on the power adapter only, and turn on VideoToolbox after testing it with Jellyfin's own video tools. Start at login reconnects your shares and opens Jellyfin when you log in. Applying fixes needs Core; watching away from home needs Complete or Yearly.

Run the free check-up See pricing

The check-up is free and changes nothing. Every fix is previewed, backed up and reversible.