The Definitive Guide to Installing Downloaded Mac Apps

Macs make many things easy to do right out of the box and they come preloaded with a lot of great software.  However, you may want an application that is not included with your Mac.  You then have the option of buying and installing a program from a CD or downloading from the good ol' internet.  Today we will cover the journey of a program from the internet to your Mac's Dock.

Some new users are understandably confused when it comes to installing downloaded applications.  Many people run the program from the downloaded disk image every time they want to run the application.  This can lead to problems because once the mounted disk image (your new program) is ejected, you will no longer be able to access that application.  It is similar to having to insert a CD every time you want to listen to a song versus copying it over to your hard drive.

There are two basic ways to install a downloaded application. For both, the program can be packaged in several different file types. Some common ones include Disk Image(.dmg), Package(.pkg), Zip compressed(.zip), and Stuffit compressed(.sit).  Mac OS X can handle the first three file types without any additional software. The .sit compressed file type will need a program called Stuffit Expander available free online.

Once the file has downloaded to the location specified by the web browser, usually the desktop by default, it will show up as an icon with a picture of a hard drive on it.  Double click the icon and the disk image will mount and open a new window.  A disk image is similar to loading a CD in a CD drive. 

In the first option, this window includes the application and as well as any "read me" files which may include any installation instructions or last minute changes to the program. For these programs that simply show the program icon, you drag the program icon over to the Applications folder in the Sidebar or in another open window. Sometimes smart developers even include a shortcut to your Applications folder right in the window, such as the Firefox example. This may take a few seconds as the program moves over to its new home.

In the second option, the downloaded applications will come with an installer program (e.g.  iTunes). It looks like a box with some yellow cubes in it. The installer program is very similar to the way programs are installed on a PC.  Double clicking the package icon will install all components of the downloaded program. This process is done for more complex programs which need to store files in different places.

The next step will help reduce clutter on your desktop.  Drag the disk image and original downloaded file to the trash.  The mounted disk image will eject just like a CD.  That's it – You're done!  Now the program is installed in the Applications folder and ready to use.

Now, if you want to add the new application icon to the Dock, find it in the Applications folder and drag it down to the dock for quick access.

Did this guide help you understand what to do with downloaded programs? Share your opinions and tips in the Comments section below.

DIG DEEPER

Apple.com Downloads

Installing Mac Applications from Switching to Mac

File Extension Information
Wikipedia Filename Extension
The File Extension Source
File Extension Lookup Dashboard Widget

Stuffit Expander

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Your Comments:

You need a person on your staff who can translate the semi-complexities into easy-to-follow steps that "non-geeks" like me can understand. The pictures were a great start; some steps in words would've helped.

 alan tanenbaum
 07/31/2007  at  08:18 AM

Alan, IMHO, I felt the article was well written and illustrated very clearly. What "words" would have helped?

 Mister G
 07/31/2007  at  09:22 AM

Hi Alan, it's good to know where we can improve. We are trying to hit the mark you are describing. You can normally find a summary in the Quick Scan box and there is more information to discover in the Dig Deeper links. Those might help, especially if you are looking for more info on file types.

 Chris K
 07/31/2007  at  10:30 AM

It may be OK for new users; it's not "definitive" as claimed.

Missing:

1. Links to Apple Documentation.

2. A note that .sit is a legacy "Mac OS" format and this is why it is not supported on Apple's new Unix-based OS X -- and also why you should ask yourself whether developers using it are up-to-speed in other ways.

3. A note on Internet-enabled .dmg files. A user downloading these will not experience the above (unless he's unchecked the relevant box in Safari).

4. A note to say Internet-enabled .dmgs are now deprecated, and Apple is indicating that Leopard will manage packages differently.

5. How a user could, and should, use Terminal to check the sha1 or md5 hash for a download before installing it. Not all developers give one; but they should and conscientious ones do.

 Nick
 08/01/2007  at  03:36 AM

Here you are -- here's one useful and informative link on SDIs:

http://developer.apple.com/documentation/DeveloperTools/
Conceptual/SoftwareDistribution4/Concepts/sd_disk_images.html

Note with these, unless he changed Sfari's preferences, the user never sees the .dmg because it is self-mounting.

Note also this is labelled as a legacy document. Things will be different under Leopard. It's interesting to see that some recent software -- e.g., Panic's Coda -- is merely zipped. Change is in the wind -- but still under NDAs.

 Nick
 08/01/2007  at  03:42 AM

Hey Alan, it works. I'm nowhere near Geekdom, but I followed the Quick Scan box that Chris suggested . . . downloaded Firefox, etc. I waited until it was on the desktop, didn't hit the 'agree' thing right away; I right-clicked on the dmg file, saved it, went into the Applications Folder and pasted it. Next, I trashed the dmg file on the desktop. Gone. I double-clicked the copy in the Applications, THEN hit the agree thing. Up came Firefox, and it automatically posted on the Dock. Nothing on the desktop, Firefox a-okay to use. Hope this wasn't crazy to follow.

 Michael
 08/01/2007  at  07:59 PM

Hi Chris

I find your explanation above just fine and easy to understand.
Have you by any chance written anything about erasing/ removing/ deleting programs from a mac?
I'm still green in the game

Ras

 Rasmus
 11/24/2007  at  02:17 PM

Ras, take a look here:

http://www.myfirstmac.com/index.php/mac/articles/hard-restarts-uninstalling-applications-and-launching-programs-on-schedule

 Chris Kerins
 11/24/2007  at  03:18 PM

Thanks a lot,,i jus bought the macbook and i felt like am an alien in this pcworld..this site is wonderful, the articles are very helpful.

 Rocky
 01/20/2008  at  07:23 AM

Hey all, great site for mac neophytes. Here's my installer question that I can't seem to find an answer to:

When I get to the box/yellow cube icon and double click on it, nothing happens. Well, not quite nothing; the installer icon pops up, but doesn't do anything.

On my old mac, once I double-clicked on the box everything would appear in applications as normal. I bought this mac secondhand -- could there be some stealth setting on it that might need to be turned off/on?

I'm running 10.4.11. I did just find an OS 9 folder in my hard drive, so I trashed it and restarted thinking that might help, but it didn't.

One more thing -- it's not just one download that's giving me this prob. Flip4Mac won't download, a barcode software won't download, etc.

thanks!

 Lia
 01/23/2008  at  12:13 PM

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