Mac TV

Mac TV turns a Mac into a TV-style front end. Its home screen follows the Apple TV layout, with a Top Shelf of recent shows, a dock of app tiles and a grid of everything else. Streaming services such as Netflix, YouTube and Prime Video open in their official web players, and any website, Mac app or Steam game can be added as a tile. It also plays local video files, including MKV, and Jellyfin servers, and a phone can browse them through a web remote opened by scanning a QR code, so nothing needs to be installed on the phone.

It requires macOS 14 or later, on Apple silicon or Intel. The download is not notarized by Apple, so the first launch has to be allowed under System Settings > Privacy & Security > Open Anyway. When macOS asks whether Mac TV may accept incoming network connections, allow it, or the phone remote will not reach the Mac. Anonymous usage statistics are sent only if you answer yes to the one-time question. The app can also open websites in Brave instead of its built-in player.