Darling
Darling is a translation layer for running macOS software in a Linux environment, and it can also be used on Windows through WSL2.
What Darling is
Darling is a translation layer for running macOS software in a Linux environment, and it can also be used on Windows through WSL2. It runs software directly rather than through a hardware emulator. A Mach-O binary loader and userspace kernel server provide macOS interfaces, while its Darwin environment includes Mach, dyld, and launchd. Darling reimplements frameworks such as Foundation, AppKit, CoreAudio, and CoreFoundation. The shell is currently the main way to use it. Documentation describes installing applications from DMG images, archives, and PKG files, but MPKG installation is not supported. Graphical Cocoa app support is experimental, and most GUI applications do not work. The project lists Homebrew, Xcode command-line tools, and Python 3.11 among software tested to work. Darling is free and open source under the GNU GPL version 3. Its build instructions call for a 64-bit x86 Linux distribution, Linux 5.0 or later, and at least 4 GB of RAM. Prefix storage uses overlayfs; NFS and eCryptfs are unsupported for that purpose.
Good
- Free and open source under GNU GPL version 3.
- Runs without a hardware emulator.
- Supports DMG, archive, and PKG installation.
- Lists Homebrew and Python 3.11 among tested software.
Watch out
- Most GUI applications do not work.
- MPKG installation is unsupported.
- Requires a 64-bit x86 Linux distribution.
- NFS and eCryptfs are unsupported for prefix storage.
Who it suits
Darling may suit Linux users who want to run supported macOS software, especially command-line tools. It is less suited to users who depend on graphical applications, since GUI support is experimental and most GUI apps do not work.
Verdict
Darling offers a way to run macOS software on Linux, with its shell as the primary interface. Check the GUI limitations and listed Linux requirements before choosing it.
The facts
Each one read from Darling's own pages, with the date it was checked.
Where it runs
- App installation
- The documentation describes installing apps from DMG images, archives, and PKG files, while noting limitations mainly due to the lack of a GUI.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Graphical apps
- The website describes support for simple graphical applications as basic and experimental.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Linux requirements
- The build instructions require a 64-bit x86 Linux distribution, Linux 5.0 or higher, and at least 4 GB of RAM.checked 7 Oct 2026
What it does
- Command-line compatibility
- The project lists Homebrew, Xcode command-line tools, and Python 3.11 among software tested to work.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Community
- The project links to a community Discord and a bug tracker.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Community packages
- Community packages are maintained independently and are not maintained or vetted by the Darling core team.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Contributing
- The project invites contributors to read its documentation and blog and join it on GitHub.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Environment
- Darling implements a Darwin environment that includes Mach, dyld, and launchd.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Frameworks
- Darling reimplements frameworks including Foundation, AppKit, CoreAudio, and CoreFoundation.checked 7 Oct 2026
- GUI support
- Darling has experimental support for graphical Cocoa applications, but the documentation says most GUI applications do not work.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Installation formats
- Darling documentation describes installing software from DMG images, archives, and PKG files; package installation has limitations, including no support for MPKG files.checked 7 Oct 2026
- License
- Darling is free and open-source software distributed under the GNU GPL version 3.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Main interface
- The Darling shell is currently the primary way to use and interact with Darling.checked 7 Oct 2026
- No hardware emulator
- Darling says it runs macOS software directly without using a hardware emulator.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Open source
- Darling is free and open-source software distributed under the GNU GPL version 3.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Package limitation
- Darling does not support installing MPKG files yet.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Prefix storage
- Darling uses overlayfs for prefixes and says NFS and eCryptfs are unsupported for that storage.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- Darling is a translation layer for running macOS software on Linux.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Runtime
- Darling runs macOS software directly without using a hardware emulator.checked 7 Oct 2026
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