Hermit 0.5.0

switch2mac is now Hermit. A hermit crab moves into a new shell; your games move to your Mac. Download Hermit-0.5.0.pkg below, or let the app update itself if you already have 0.4.6.

New

• A new name and icon. Hermit, with a pixel crab that carries a terminal prompt in its shell. Same app: your library, settings, builds and saves carry over by themselves the first time Hermit opens. This repository is now azmasm/hermit; older links still lead here.
• Read the booklet. Open a game's case and click its booklet (or Booklet) to read about the game on paper pages: its introduction and description from its eShop page, publisher, release date, players, genre and age rating, then your keyboard's keys, how the game ran on Macs like yours, and a page about your build. The shop's text is downloaded onto your Mac like the banners; none of it is in Hermit. Arrow keys, a click on a page or a controller turn the pages.
• Ready to play. Pressing Play shows the game's settings first, so a game starts the way you want it. Games opened from Finder, the Dock or Spotlight show the same window (after their next build). A switch in Settings turns it off.
• Hermit Mode is the new name of "Close while playing": Hermit closes when a game starts, so the game gets all of your Mac, and opens again when you quit the game.
• A game with no banner shows its own icon: when the shop's list has no picture for a game, Hermit shows the icon from your .nup dump.

Updating from switch2mac

• 0.4.6: the app updates itself to Hermit and replaces the old app.
• Older versions: install Hermit-0.5.0.pkg. If the old switch2mac.app is still in Applications, Hermit asks once whether to move it to the Trash.

Installing

1. Download Hermit-0.5.0.pkg and open it.
2. macOS says it could not verify the installer (Hermit is not signed with a paid Apple Developer ID): click Done, open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway.
3. The installer puts Hermit in your Applications folder. You only do this once: the app updates itself after that.

The zip below is what the app's own updater installs; to install by hand, use the .pkg.

You need a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 26 or later, Xcode with its Metal Toolchain (Xcode 27 for games built with nxnative's newest code), and the .NET 10 SDK; the app tells you what is missing. Switch games also need your own prod.keys, dumped from your own Switch.

Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 and the game names are trademarks of their owners. This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by Nintendo.

switch2mac 0.4.6

Game names without a "/" in Finder. Download switch2mac-0.4.6.pkg below, or let the app update itself if you already have 0.4.1 or newer.

Fixed

• What's New's build updates showed nxnative's whole change notes, a page each: they show three lines now, with More / Less. Hovering over text no longer pops up a box repeating it.
• A game whose name has a colon ("The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom") showed with a "/" in Finder, because macOS can't show a colon in a file name. Built games are now named with a dash ("The Legend of Zelda - Tears of the Kingdom"); building a game again replaces its old copy, so you don't end up with two.

New

• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has a new build, azmasm's build: faster foliage, fewer stutters, a first start in seconds, picture fixes and settings for Frame generation (30 drawn, 60 shown), Fast mode, Render scale and the full docked picture. Recommended on M1 and M2 Macs with 32 GB or more; Build with… offers it on every Mac.
• The performance overlay (key 1) names the build you're playing, after the game's next build.
• The overlay of MacNativeGames builds (Tears of the Kingdom and the others) now says MacNativeGames on its grey build line instead of a commit code. Its settings are unchanged. Build the game again to get it.
• switch2mac's next big release comes under a new name; this version can update itself to it.

Installing

1. Download switch2mac-0.4.6.pkg and open it.
2. macOS says it could not verify the installer (switch2mac is not signed with a paid Apple Developer ID): click Done, open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway.
3. The installer puts switch2mac in your Applications folder. You only do this once: the app updates itself after that.

The zip below is what the app's own updater installs; to install by hand, use the .pkg.

You need a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 26 or later, Xcode with its Metal Toolchain (Xcode 27 for games built with nxnative's newest code), and the .NET 10 SDK; the app tells you what is missing. Switch games also need your own prod.keys, dumped from your own Switch.

Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 and the game names are trademarks of their owners. This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by Nintendo.

switch2mac 0.4.5

The window moves only by its header. Download switch2mac-0.4.5.pkg below, or let the app update itself if you already have 0.4.1 or newer.

Fixed

• Pressing and dragging anywhere in switch2mac moved the whole window, which got in the way of swiping through the game cases on the 3D shelves. A drag there now swipes the cases; the bar at the top (with the tabs) still moves the window, and a double-click on it still does what your Mac's title-bar setting says.

New

• Mario Kart World's own build is now called azmasm's build (it was "switch2mac", the same name as the app). What's New, Performance and Share use the new name too. Your installed game, saves and reports carry on as before.

Installing

1. Download switch2mac-0.4.5.pkg and open it.
2. macOS says it could not verify the installer (switch2mac is not signed with a paid Apple Developer ID): click Done, open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway.
3. The installer puts switch2mac in your Applications folder. You only do this once: the app updates itself after that.

The zip below is what the app's own updater installs; to install by hand, use the .pkg.

You need a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 26 or later, Xcode with its Metal Toolchain (Xcode 27 for games built with nxnative's newest code), and the .NET 10 SDK; the app tells you what is missing. Switch games also need your own prod.keys, dumped from your own Switch.

Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 and the game names are trademarks of their owners. This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by Nintendo.

switch2mac 0.4.4

Games show up when they start. Download switch2mac-0.4.4.pkg below, or let the app update itself if you already have 0.4.1 or newer.

Fixed

• With Close switch2mac while playing on, a game that takes a while to go full screen (Tears of the Kingdom) started hidden: it ran, but you saw your desktop until you clicked its Dock icon. switch2mac now waits until the game is on screen before it closes, and brings the game to the front itself if it hasn't shown after 45 seconds.

Also new since 0.4.3, without an app update: Tears of the Kingdom 1.0.0 built with MacNativeGames no longer crashes when loading a save near Zora's Domain and some other areas (rebuild the game to get it).

Installing

1. Download switch2mac-0.4.4.pkg and open it.
2. macOS says it could not verify the installer (switch2mac is not signed with a paid Apple Developer ID): click Done, open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway.
3. The installer puts switch2mac in your Applications folder. You only do this once: the app updates itself after that.

The zip below is what the app's own updater installs; to install by hand, use the .pkg.

You need a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 26 or later, Xcode with its Metal Toolchain (Xcode 27 for games built with nxnative's newest code), and the .NET 10 SDK; the app tells you what is missing. Switch games also need your own prod.keys, dumped from your own Switch.

Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 and the game names are trademarks of their owners. This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by Nintendo.

switch2mac 0.4.3

Faster first tries, and a Build page that tells you what each build plays. Download switch2mac-0.4.3.pkg below, or let the app update itself if you already have 0.4.1 or 0.4.2.

New

• Quick try: builds only the shaders players have used (from the game's shared shader list), in about half the time. It's offered for nxnative builds that have such a list.
• Every build says what it plays. Builds that don't fit your files are shown in red with the reason, and a MacNativeGames build known to fail is stopped before it starts. You can leave an update out, choose a firmware folder, or try Your own build… from a fork's link.
• MacNativeGames builds show their steps and the time left.
• Settings › Where your files are: every place switch2mac and your games keep files, with sizes and Show in Finder.
• Quitting while a game builds asks first.
• Builds are named after their project (nxnative, switch2mac, MacNativeGames), with no more "engine". What's New explains its dots.

Fixed

• Tears of the Kingdom and other MacNativeGames apps now show as built in the Library.
• An update file chosen as the game switches to its base game.
• In game, the settings panel (key 2) no longer hides its last rows. The overlay (key 1) shows the build's name at the right.
• Uninstall now removes all of switch2mac's own files (your games, saves and files stay).

Installing

1. Download switch2mac-0.4.3.pkg and open it.
2. macOS says it could not verify the installer (switch2mac is not signed with a paid Apple Developer ID): click Done, open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway.
3. The installer puts switch2mac in your Applications folder. You only do this once: the app updates itself after that.

The zip below is what the app's own updater installs; to install by hand, use the .pkg.

You need a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 26 or later, Xcode with its Metal Toolchain (Xcode 27 for games built with nxnative's newest code), and the .NET 10 SDK; the app tells you what is missing. Switch games also need your own prod.keys, dumped from your own Switch.

Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 and the game names are trademarks of their owners. This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by Nintendo.

switch2mac 0.4.2

Free up space, and see what's in your game files. Download switch2mac-0.4.2.pkg below, or let the app update itself if you already have 0.4.1.

New

• Settings › Storage: shows what building leaves behind on your Mac (each game's build files, engine copies no build uses) with their sizes, and one Clean up button. Your games, saves, settings, the shader caches your games keep, your dumps and your keys always stay; the next build of a game only takes longer.
• The Build page shows what's in your file: the update or DLC inside an .nsp, a card image or a .nup, or in a dump folder, read from the file's plain table of contents (nothing is decrypted).
• 133 more Switch games have pages with nxnative's tested build, shared shader lists and reports (these reach the app without an update).

Fixed

• An opened game case could get stuck and ignore every click while a game ran.
• Builds from the app stopped with "run ./switch2mac.py setup first" (already fixed for 0.4.1 through the app's own update of its build tools).

Installing

1. Download switch2mac-0.4.2.pkg and open it.
2. macOS says it could not verify the installer (switch2mac is not signed with a paid Apple Developer ID): click Done, open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway.
3. The installer puts switch2mac in your Applications folder. You only do this once: the app updates itself after that.

The zip below is what the app's own updater installs; to install by hand, use the .pkg.

You need a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 26 or later, Xcode with its Metal Toolchain (Xcode 27 for games built with nxnative's newest code), and the .NET 10 SDK; the app tells you what is missing. Switch games also need your own prod.keys, dumped from your own Switch.

Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 and the game names are trademarks of their owners. This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by Nintendo.

switch2mac 0.4.1

The download opens again. switch2mac now comes as an installer: download switch2mac-0.4.1.pkg below. If you have 0.3.x or 0.4.0 working, the app offers this update itself.

Fixed

• "switch2mac is damaged and can't be opened": macOS refused the downloaded 0.4.0 (and 0.3.4) app with no way to open it. The installer below opens the usual way (see the steps), and the app opens normally after that. If you have a "damaged" copy, delete it and use the installer.

Changed

• Settings › Close switch2mac while playing: one switch instead of three choices. On, switch2mac closes when a game starts, so the game gets all of your Mac, and opens again when you quit. Off, it stays open and comes back to the front.
• Setup: the first-start pages now talk about your Switch and Switch 2 games and what switch2mac needs for them, with no iPhone talk.

Installing

1. Download switch2mac-0.4.1.pkg and open it.
2. macOS says it could not verify the installer (switch2mac is not signed with a paid Apple Developer ID): click Done, open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway.
3. The installer puts switch2mac in your Applications folder. You only do this once: the app updates itself after that.

The zip below is what the app's own updater installs; to install by hand, use the .pkg.

You need a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 26 or later, Xcode with its Metal Toolchain (Xcode 27 for games built with nxnative's newest code), and the .NET 10 SDK; the app tells you what is missing. Switch games also need your own prod.keys, dumped from your own Switch.

Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 and the game names are trademarks of their owners. This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by Nintendo.

switch2mac 0.4.0

The biggest update yet to the switch2mac app. If you have 0.3.4 or older, the app offers this update itself.

New

• Switch games: build your Nintendo Switch games too, from their .nsp / .xci files and your own prod.keys (passed to the builder only: never copied, kept or uploaded). Their update and DLC are found beside them, or added on the Build page; a cartridge with two games builds the one you pick.
• MacNativeGames builds: a new builder, recommended for Tears of the Kingdom and Breath of the Wild, with nxnative's beside it.
• A new Library: your games as 3D game cases in a Carousel, a Flipbook or a Stack, or as Covers or the Row. Click a case to open it, click again to play; drag, scroll, the arrow keys or a controller browse. Box fronts are downloaded onto your Mac (Settings › Box art turns them off).
• Sounds: a soft glass tick as you move through your games; the speaker in the Library's bar mutes them.
• While you play (Settings): stay open, come back when the game quits, or close and open again after. switch2mac lets go of its pictures while a game runs, and offers to close if your Mac runs short of memory.
• New icon.

Fixed

• A game from the Library opened the Build page as an iPhone build.
• The app no longer asks for the iOS SDK.
• The app stays light: a long build could push it past a gigabyte of memory.

Opening it the first time

The app is not signed with a paid Apple Developer ID. The first time, macOS says it cannot verify it: click Done, open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway. You only do this once.

You need a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 26 or later, Xcode with its Metal Toolchain (Xcode 27 for games built with nxnative's newest code), and the .NET 10 SDK; the app tells you what is missing. Switch games also need your own prod.keys, dumped from your own Switch.

Nintendo, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 and the game names are trademarks of their owners. This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by Nintendo.

switch2mac 0.3.4

A small update to the switch2mac app. If you have 0.3.3 or older, the app offers this update itself.

New

• .nup files: a game packed as one .nup file can be built as it is. On the Build page, Choose folder or .nup… takes the file itself as well as a dump folder, and your dumps folder can hold one folder or .nup file per game. The app reads which game and version it is and recommends a build that opens it.

Opening it the first time

The app is not signed with a paid Apple Developer ID. The first time, macOS says it cannot verify it: click Done, open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway. You only do this once.

You need a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 26 or later, Xcode with its Metal Toolchain (Xcode 27 for games built with nxnative's newest code), and the .NET 10 SDK; the app tells you what is missing.

Nintendo, Nintendo Switch 2 and the game names are trademarks of their owners. This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by Nintendo.

switch2mac 0.3.3

A small update to the switch2mac app. If you have 0.3.2 or older, the app offers this update itself.

Fixed

• What's New: the News dates now show the day each change was published, wherever you are. West of UTC (the Americas) every date showed the day before.
• Sharing shaders: after you press Send when a game closes, only the one file to drag in is left in the folder (an emptied file beside it was easy to send by mistake). Every list sent is now checked and added within minutes, and the issue gets a thank-you: everyone's next build prepares those shaders. This reaches your games when they are next built or rebuilt.

Opening it the first time

The app is not signed with a paid Apple Developer ID. The first time, macOS says it cannot verify it: click Done, open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway. You only do this once.

You need a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 26 or later, Xcode with its Metal Toolchain (Xcode 27 for games built with nxnative's newest code), and the .NET 10 SDK; the app tells you what is missing.

Nintendo, Nintendo Switch 2 and the game names are trademarks of their owners. This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by Nintendo.