RetroMac
VerifiedTurn your Mac into a time machine.. RetroMac turns your modern Mac into a live retro machine: CRT, classic Macintosh, VHS, Game Boy and more.
Tool overview
Overview
RetroMac is a macOS menu-bar application that turns a Mac into a retro computer. It combines two independent features: a real-time CRT shader drawn over the screen, and desktop themes that recreate classic operating systems. The project describes itself as "Turn your Mac into a retro computer." and states that it offers "A real-time CRT shader over your screen, and the desktops we grew up with on top of it:". The shader layer uses ScreenCaptureKit and Metal to draw a click-through overlay and run shaders through it, including curvature, scanlines, phosphor bloom, NTSC dot crawl, VHS tracking, Trinitron and PVM looks, and the Game Boy's green. It can be applied over the whole screen, one display, one window, or the desktop only, with application windows left sharp. A Live Wallpaper Plus mode runs the shader over wallpaper, desktop icons, dock and Start menu in one pass while windows stay untouched, and per-app rules and custom Metal presets are supported. The theme layer is delivered as a .retromactheme bundle that brings its dock or taskbar, Start menu, wallpapers, icons, cursors, window chrome, boot screen and screensaver, and the toys of its era. Themes cover Windows 3.1 through 7, System 6 through Snow Leopard, BeOS, OS/2 Warp 4, SGI IRIX, AmigaOS Workbench 4.1 and NeXTSTEP, among others. Additional
features
include retro crashes that are simulated rather than real, boot screens and screensavers, a Retro TV for YouTube and IPTV streams, bundled game engines, a virtual camera for video-call apps, and a one-click Retro Mode. RetroMac requires macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later, Apple Silicon or Intel (the release is a universal binary). It is free to use, with an optional Pro unlock that supports development and lifts the limits on premium themes and effects. The project states "No account, no tracking, no subscription." and is released under the GNU GPL v3.0.
Screenshots
Features
- AI assistant
- Natural language interface
- Workflow automation
Tags
Use Cases
Users apply a CRT shader over the whole screen, one display, one window, or the desktop only, while keeping application windows sharp.
Users run a retro desktop theme that supplies its own dock or taskbar, Start menu, wallpapers, icons, cursors and window chrome.
Users put the shader on their webcam for video-call and streaming applications such as Zoom, Meet, Teams and OBS.
Users watch YouTube, IPTV streams and bookmarks inside a television with the CRT effect on.
Users play classic games such as Doom, Heretic, Quake, Quake II and Duke Nukem 3D through their free engines.
Users install retro screensavers such as Pipes, FlowerBox, Flying Toasters and Flurry as real macOS savers.
Users switch the whole Mac into Retro Mode with one click and bring the modern Mac back with another.
Users create their own themes from a folder containing a theme.json file and some pictures.
User Reviews
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