Install & update

Download Loomscreen Lite or Pro, get past Gatekeeper on first launch, grant only the permissions you need, and update in place.

Loomscreen ships as a DMG on GitHub Releases. Lite and Pro are separate downloads with separate app names. Both editions update in place with Sparkle.

Requirements

Edition	Download	Requirements
Lite	`Loomscreen-x.y.z.dmg`	macOS 14.6+. Apple Silicon or Intel. The Intel build has not been tested on Intel hardware.
Pro	`Loomscreen-Pro-x.y.z.dmg`	macOS 14.6+. Apple Silicon only.

Not sure which edition you need? See Lite vs Pro.

Install from the DMG

Download your edition from the latest release.
Open the DMG.
Drag Loomscreen.app (Lite) or Loomscreen Pro.app (Pro) to /Applications.
Launch the app. Loomscreen lives in the menu bar.

If macOS refuses to open the download

Current public packages use Apple Development signing, not Developer ID signing. They are not notarized. Gatekeeper may block a copy you downloaded manually.

Open Terminal in the folder that contains both the DMG and its .sha256 file.
Compare the DMG with the published checksum. For Pro, use the Pro filename.
```
shasum -a 256 -c Loomscreen-x.y.z.dmg.sha256
```

If the verified copy is still blocked, clear quarantine on the app you installed.

Lite:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Loomscreen.app

Pro:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/Loomscreen Pro.app"

Reopen the app.

Clearing quarantine is a fallback for a trusted, verified manual download. It does not fix every launch failure. In-app Sparkle updates normally handle quarantine during installation. A fresh manual download may need this step again.

System permission prompts

macOS asks for a permission only when a feature needs it. Denying one leaves that feature unavailable. It does not force you to enable unrelated features.

Permission	Used for
Files and folders / selected directory	Importing media, local web projects and scene folders, or authorizing a Steam library. Bookmarks keep the access you selected.
Location	Weather widgets and weather response with System location. You can choose a manual location or Off instead.
System audio recording Pro	Audio Response for scenes and music visual effects. Lite does not capture system audio.
Automation: Spotify / Music	Playback control, seeking and reading a missing playhead for Now Playing. macOS may prompt when these first run.
Keychain access	Saving or reading the Steam Web API key. A signing change or an existing item can require approval.

First-run onboarding

A floating Welcome Tour highlights controls in the management window. Close it to start right away. Reopen it from Settings → About → Welcome Tour.

In Overview, drag a supported file or project onto a display, or click a display to choose a source. Wallpaper Library brings your saved content together. Apple Aerials use videos already downloaded on your Mac.

Continue with the Quick start and the Workspace guide. Workshop setup is separate; see Steam Workshop.

Updates

Both editions use Sparkle. Each edition has its own HTTPS appcast.

Sparkle checks for updates and can show its update dialog.
The menu-bar Update button and Settings → About also open the update flow.
Sparkle downloads the update, verifies the signed payload, installs it and relaunches the app.
Settings → General controls automatic checking. Manual checking stays available in About.
Download, install and skip choices belong to Sparkle's dialog. An enabled check is not consent to install.
The menu-bar badge can stay visible while the current update session is retained.

You can also update manually. Download the DMG for the same edition and replace the app.

For launch, permission or update problems, see Troubleshooting.