Can you install IDM on a Mac?

Is there a Mac version of IDM?

No. Tonec’s FAQ says the current version of IDM doesn’t support Mac, iPhone, Android or Linux, and says only that it may release versions for other systems in the future. The latest IDM, 6.43 build 11 (September 23, 2026), runs on Windows 7, 8, 10 and 11. So every way of using IDM on a Mac means running Windows software on it: in Windows itself, or through a compatibility layer.

Your options, side by side

List prices in US dollars, checked on September 28, 2026. “Mac browsers” means Safari, Chrome, Brave or Arc running on macOS.

Option 1: Windows 11 in Parallels Desktop

Microsoft’s own page on Macs with Apple silicon names Parallels Desktop as an authorized way to run Windows 11 on them, and Tonec’s FAQ covers IDM in Parallels. This is the setup most likely to just work.

1. Install Parallels Desktop. Version 27 was current when we checked; on Apple silicon it needs macOS 11 or later. There’s a free trial; after that, the Standard Edition is $99.99 a year or $219.99 as a one-time purchase.
2. Let Parallels get Windows. On first launch it offers to create a Windows 11 virtual machine and downloads Windows from Microsoft for you. If you already have a virtual machine, it’s in Control Center › + › Get Windows 11 from Microsoft.
3. Activate Windows. Parallels doesn’t include a license, and Microsoft says each virtual machine needs its own Windows 11 Pro license: $199.99 from Microsoft’s US store. Product keys work for Arm and x64 alike.
4. Install IDM inside Windows from internetdownloadmanager.com, then add the IDM extension to a browser inside Windows. Windows 11 on a Mac with Apple silicon is the Arm version: it runs IDM through emulation, and IDM has supported browser integration on Windows on Arm since version 6.42 (November 2023). If integration doesn’t work, Tonec’s FAQ says to install the latest IDM.
5. Optional: share your Mac’s folders. In the virtual machine’s settings, Options › Sharing › Share Mac, turn on Mirror Mac and Windows user folders. Windows’ Downloads folder becomes your Mac’s, so IDM’s files land where you expect.

What doesn’t work:

• Your Mac browsers. IDM only sees browsers running in the same Windows. Downloads you start in Safari, Chrome, Brave or Arc on the Mac side never reach it. You browse inside Windows, or paste links into IDM.
• Resources. Windows takes its share of memory and disk space whenever it runs.
• Cost. About $325 in the first year at list prices (Parallels $99.99, Windows 11 Pro $199.99, IDM’s lifetime license $24.95), then $99.99 a year for Parallels. With Parallels’ one-time license it’s about $445.

Option 2: VMware Fusion or UTM

VMware Fusion has been free for personal, educational and commercial use since November 11, 2024. It runs Windows 11 for Arm on Apple silicon and has a built-in Get Windows option. You download it from Broadcom’s support portal (you’ll need to register), you still need a Windows license, and Microsoft’s page on Apple silicon Macs names only Parallels as authorized. Once Windows is running, install IDM as in step 4 above; the same browser limit applies.

UTM is free and open source (an identical version sells for $9.99 on the Mac App Store) and can run Windows 11 for Arm too. Its FAQ says it has no 3D acceleration for Windows, and Microsoft doesn’t list it either. That’s fine for a download manager, less so for anything graphical.

Option 3: CrossOver or Wine

CrossOver, from CodeWeavers, runs Windows apps on a Mac without installing Windows, so you don’t need a Windows license. It costs $34 with 12 months of updates and support, or $494 for life, and there’s a 14-day free trial. On Apple silicon it needs macOS 11.1 or later; macOS Tahoe needs CrossOver 25.1.1 or later.

The catch: CodeWeavers’ compatibility database rates Internet Download Manager on a Mac “Will Not Install”, last tested with CrossOver 25.0.1, and Tonec doesn’t support IDM under it. If you still want to try, use the 14-day trial before you pay. Even if IDM ran, its browser extension works from a Windows browser, so your Mac browsers wouldn’t hand it downloads; you’d paste links into IDM yourself.

Wine, the free open-source project CrossOver builds on, is now for tinkerers on a Mac: Homebrew disabled its Wine packages on September 1, 2026 because they fail macOS’s Gatekeeper check, and Whisky, a popular free Wine app, has been unmaintained since 2025.

What about Boot Camp?

Boot Camp only exists on Macs with Intel processors, and Apple’s instructions install Windows 10, which Microsoft stopped supporting on October 14, 2025. You also restart the Mac to switch between macOS and Windows, so IDM and your Mac apps never run at the same time. On a Mac with Apple silicon there’s no Boot Camp at all; use a virtual machine.

Skip “IDM for Mac” downloads

Because Tonec makes no Mac version, anything offered as IDM for Mac isn’t Tonec’s IDM, whether it’s an installer on a download site, an app with a similar name or a “free” or “cracked” copy. Tonec’s own site warns that cracked copies and unofficial patches are dangerous. Get IDM only from internetdownloadmanager.com, and only for Windows.

A Mac download manager instead

What most people miss from IDM is its habits: big downloads caught from the browser, split across several connections and resumed after a drop. Mac download managers do that without Windows, a Windows license or a virtual machine.

Lynx is the one we make. It splits each file across up to 32 connections, picks up where it stopped after a dropped connection or a restart, and its extension sends big downloads from Chrome, Edge, Brave and Arc to Lynx automatically. You add the extension from Lynx › Settings › Browser. It also downloads just the part of a long video you need and shows download progress in the MacBook’s notch. It doesn’t have IDM’s download scheduler. Lynx runs on Macs with Apple silicon (M1 or later) and macOS 11 or later. The Intel version isn’t out yet.

The free version has no time limit; Pro is $29.99 a year, $4.99 a month or $99 once. The full side-by-side is on IDM for Mac, and free and paid alternatives are compared in the best download managers for Mac.

Internet Download Manager (IDM) is a product of Tonec. Lynx is not affiliated with Tonec.