Installation (macOS)

Install BarkVisor using the prebuilt .pkg. You need macOS 26 or later on an Apple Silicon Mac. Intel Macs are not supported by this package.

For other computers, use the Linux or Windows guide.

1. Install the VM runtime

BarkVisor uses QEMU to run virtual machines. Install the runtime packages with Homebrew as your regular user:

brew install qemu swtpm socket_vmnet

Do not run Homebrew with sudo. These packages provide the VM runtime, TPM emulation, and bridged networking. You do not need Xcode, Swift, or Bun to install BarkVisor.

Allow space for both downloaded OS images and VM disks. Each running VM also uses the memory you assign to it.

2. Install the package

Download the macOS .pkg from Releases, open it, and follow the installer.

The installer starts BarkVisor in the background. There is no terminal command to run after each reboot.

For a remote Mac or a terminal installation:

sudo installer -pkg BarkVisor-<version>.pkg -target /

Replace <version> with the downloaded package’s version.

3. Complete setup

Open http://localhost:7777 on the Mac. Follow First launch to add a passkey and choose an image Library folder.

If you are using another computer’s browser, follow remote setup. An HTTP address such as http://192.168.1.10:7777 cannot register a passkey.

Then create your first VM.

Updates

Open Settings → Updates, click Check, then Apply when a newer release is available. BarkVisor verifies and installs the package, then checks BarkDaemon, BarkServer, and the public health endpoint. Your data stays in place and running VMs stay up. A failed restart stays failed after the console reconnects.

Update BarkVisor through this page, not through Homebrew. Homebrew manages the separate runtime packages.

Data and service

The installed data directory is /var/lib/barkvisor. It holds your database, VM disks, images, logs, and database backups. You can choose a different image folder under Settings → Library, and a default VM disk folder on the Device page.

BarkDaemon runs as root and owns local management. BarkServer runs under the barkvisor UserName and serves the console on port 7777. NAT networking works without bridge configuration; for a bridge, see Networks.

Uninstalling

The removal script is in the source repository at scripts/uninstall.sh. From a checkout, run:

sudo ./scripts/uninstall.sh

This removes the service and application files but keeps your data. Add --purge only if you also want to delete /var/lib/barkvisor, including its VM disks and images.

Homebrew runtime packages remain installed unless explicitly removed. The script supports --uninstall-socket-vmnet to remove socket_vmnet too.

Automated installation

For repeated or unattended installs, the bootstrap script downloads the matching package and verifies its checksum. Download and inspect it before running:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/pmdroid/barkvisor/main/scripts/get-barkvisor.sh -o get-barkvisor.sh
less get-barkvisor.sh
sudo bash get-barkvisor.sh

Use --yes for a non-interactive install, --version v1.2.3 to select a release, or --dry-run to inspect the plan.

Contributor instructions are in Building releases.