Download Blender for Mac

Blender 5.1 is available as a free download for macOS. There are two versions — one for Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) and one for Intel Macs. Both are free and include the full feature set.

macOS System Requirements for Blender 5.1

How to Install Blender on Mac

1. Download the correct .dmg file for your Mac (Apple Silicon or Intel)
2. Open the .dmg file from your Downloads folder
3. Drag Blender into your Applications folder
4. On first launch, right-click Blender → Open (required due to macOS Gatekeeper)
5. Click Open in the security dialog
6. Blender will launch and ask for your Quick Setup preferences

GPU Rendering on Mac — Metal

Blender uses Apple's Metal API for GPU rendering on Mac. This means both integrated and dedicated GPUs are supported — including the Neural Engine on Apple Silicon. Metal rendering is enabled by default.

For rendering with Cycles: Edit → Preferences → System → Cycles Render Devices → Metal

Apple Silicon vs Intel Mac — Which is Faster for Blender?

Apple Silicon (M1 and newer) is significantly faster for Blender than Intel Macs in most tasks. The unified memory architecture means no VRAM bottleneck for rendering. An M2 Pro Mac can outperform many high-end Intel workstations in Cycles rendering benchmarks.

• M1 Pro / M1 Max — excellent for 3D modeling and animation
• M2 Ultra — competitive with desktop GPU workstations for rendering
• M4 Max — one of the fastest single-machine Blender render setups available

Blender on Mac — Common Issues

"Blender can't be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software"

Right-click the Blender app → Open → click Open in the dialog. This only happens once. Blender is signed and notarized by the Blender Foundation.

Blender is slow on older Intel Mac

On Intel Macs without a dedicated GPU, Blender renders using the CPU only. Consider using EEVEE instead of Cycles for faster viewport interaction.