Mac minis make capable signage players. Because macOS is a full desktop operating system, the ScreenCloud macOS Player runs alongside whatever else you need on the machine, including your own remote management tooling. This article covers supported hardware, how to install and configure the Player, and how to manage it day to day.
The minimum supported version is macOS 12.7 (Monterey).
macOS Hardware
Minimum requirements
macOS 12.7 (Monterey) or above
Dual-core processor or higher, quad-core preferred
4 GB of RAM or higher, 8 GB preferred
32 GB of storage or higher, 64 GB preferred
A stable internet connection, with Ethernet preferred over WiFi
Not supported
Any Mac running below macOS 12.7 (Monterey)
Any Mac that cannot be upgraded to macOS 12.7. In practice this rules out Mac minis from 2014 and earlier, which top out at older versions of macOS.
Recommended for new purchases
Model | Released | Availability |
Mac mini (M4 / M4 Pro) | Late 2024 | Available from Apple |
Mac mini (M2 / M2 Pro) | Early 2023 | Available through authorised resellers |
Supported, but not recommended for new purchases
These are discontinued but still run supported versions of macOS.
Mac mini (M1), late 2020
Mac mini, late 2018
macOS Player Setup
Preparing your Mac
If the Mac is going to be used solely for signage, two changes make a significant difference to reliability. Do these before installing the Player.
Menu names vary by macOS version. On macOS 13 and later these settings live in System Settings. On macOS 12 they live in System Preferences.
Turn off notifications
Open the Apple menu and go to System Settings, then Notifications.
Turn notifications off for each app in the list. This prevents alerts appearing over your content.
Stop the Mac sleeping
Open System Settings, then Energy Saver. On some versions the display timeout sits under Lock Screen instead.
Set the display to turn off Never while on power.
Enable the option that prevents the Mac sleeping automatically when the display is off.
Installing the Player
Go to screencloud.com/download and select the latest macOS version. The installation file downloads automatically.
Open the downloaded file and drag the ScreenCloud Player into your Applications folder.
Open the app.
On first launch you will be offered Start at boot. Enable it for a signage device. This can be changed later in the settings sidebar.
If macOS blocks the app from opening
The first time you open the Player, macOS may block it and show a security alert. This is standard Gatekeeper behaviour for apps downloaded outside the App Store, not a sign of a problem with the app.
Open the Apple menu and go to System Settings, then Privacy & Security.
Scroll to the security section, where the blocked ScreenCloud Player will be listed.
Select Open Anyway.
Return to the app and open it again. If a second confirmation appears, select Open.
Pairing your screen
The Player displays a pairing code once it launches. Log in to your ScreenCloud account, add a new screen, enter the code and give the screen a name. You can then assign content to it.
macOS Player Management
Opening the Player settings sidebar
Click anywhere on the Player and the settings sidebar slides in from the right. Alternatively, right-click the Player and select Toggle Setting Menu.
Full screen and windowed mode
Right-click the Player and select Toggle Fullscreen to switch between windowed and full screen.
Closing the Player
Clicking the close button will not keep the Player shut. The app relaunches itself by design, so that it recovers from crashes and accidental closures. To close it properly, either open the settings sidebar and select Exit player, or right-click the Player and select Close.
Resetting the pairing code
Open the settings sidebar and select Reset pairing. The Player generates a new pairing code. If the screen was already paired to an account, it will no longer appear there.
Daily restart
In the settings sidebar, toggle on Daily Restart. Select the time interval to choose when it happens, and the Player restarts within that hour. Set it to off-hours.
A daily restart clears memory leaks, applies pending updates and prevents the gradual accumulation of errors that causes screens to degrade over weeks of uptime.
Auto-update
Open the settings sidebar and make sure Auto update is enabled. The Player will then check for new versions regularly and install them automatically.
If the Player was installed manually, for example through a third-party device management service, auto-update does not apply and you will need to update it manually.
Update channel
The settings sidebar lets you choose which version of the Player the device updates to:
Stable. The production version. This is the recommended setting for any screen in service.
Canary. The unreleased version. Use this on a test screen to try upcoming builds and catch problems in your environment before they reach production.
Switching between channels requires a Player restart.
Proxy settings
Under Proxy settings in the sidebar, choose one of:
None. No proxy server.
HTTP Proxy. Enter an IP address and port, then select Save. Username and password authentication is not supported for HTTP, HTTPS or websocket proxies.
PAC file. Provide the PAC file URL, then select Save. If the URL is wrong the Player falls back to a direct connection.
Troubleshooting ScreenCloud on macOS
Work through these before contacting support.
Step | Task | How to do it |
1 | Clear the cache | Click anywhere on the Player to open the sidebar, then select Clear Cache. |
2 | Enable Daily Restart | If clearing the cache fixed it, a daily restart will stop it recurring. |
3 | Power cycle the device | Turn it off for a few minutes, then back on. |
4 | Update macOS | Check for and install the latest version available to the Mac. |
5 | Check the internet connection | Confirm the Mac has a strong, stable connection. |
6 | Remove unnecessary apps | So the Mac is dedicated to running the Player. |
7 | Reinstall the Player | Delete the app and install the latest version again. |
8 | Factory reset macOS | Reinstall the Player as a last step. |
If the problem persists after all of the above, the Mac may be faulty or too old for the content you are running.
FAQ
Why does the Player reopen after I close it?
That is deliberate. The Player relaunches itself so a crash or an accidental close does not leave a screen blank. Use Exit player in the settings sidebar, or right-click and select Close, to close it properly.
macOS says the Player cannot be opened. Is something wrong with it?
No. macOS blocks apps downloaded outside the App Store until you approve them. Go to System Settings, then Privacy & Security, and select Open Anyway next to the ScreenCloud Player.
The Player is not updating itself. Why?
Either Auto update is off in the settings sidebar, or the Player was deployed manually through a device management service. Manually deployed installations do not auto-update and need updating the same way they were installed.
My screen keeps going blank after a while. What should I check?
Almost always the Mac's sleep settings. Confirm the display is set to turn off Never while on power, and that the Mac is prevented from sleeping automatically when the display is off.