"Can you use Tidal on Mac?" Yes. Tidal is fully compatible with Mac computers. Whether you are using a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, Intel-based Mac, or Apple Silicon Mac, you can get Tidal app for Mac or use its web player to stream HiRes FLAC or Lossless music.
However, for those who want to download Tidal music on Mac for offline playback, it is a little difficult because Tidal Mac app does not offer a built-in 'Download' function. In this guide, we will show you how to install Tidal app on Mac, stream music online, and download Tidal music for offline listening on Mac via 2 Tidal downloaders. Also, you will learn how to fix common issues when Tidal not working on Mac.
Part 1. How to Download and Install Tidal App on Mac
Before installing Tidal app for Mac, please ensure your Mac meets the necessary requirements. Tidal supports latest macOS versions (Tahoe 26) and works on both Intel and Apple Silicon devices, including M1, M2, M3 and newer chips. Also, Tidal is compatible with devices, including MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, and Mac Studio.
If your Mac device meets the requirement, just follow the steps below to learn how to download and install Tidal for Mac app on your Mac or MacBook computer step by step.
Step 1. Open your web browser and go to the 'Download TIDAL Mac' page.
Step 2. Choose your Mac computer version and hit the 'Download' button.
Step 3. Once the download is complete, locate the downloaded file (usually in your 'Downloads folder') and double-click it to run the installer.
Step 4. Follow the on-screen instructions to install Tidal on Mac.
Step 5. After installation, launch the Mac Tidal app on your Mac. Then sign in to your Tidal account or create a new account if you don't have one.
View also: How to Get Tidal Free Trial 6 Months
Part 2. How to Stream Tidal Music on Mac Online
After installing Tidal app on Mac, you can start streaming music from Tidal on your computer. Just browse your Tidal music library, find artists, albums or playlists that you like and start listening within the Tidal Mac app. Or, you can directly visit Tidal web player on your Mac computer to begin playback without installing the desktop app.
While listening to music, you can change audio quality from Low to Max as Tidal offers Low, High and Max streaming quality. To do that, you can go to Tidal app's Settings, locate the Audio Quality section and choose the quality level you like to set. For the best listening experience, it is better to choose the highest quality if you use a fast internet network and a good audio equipment.
If you are an audiophile, you can connect an external DAC (Digital-to-Analog Converter) to your Mac to improve sound quality. You can just connect the DAC to your Mac, open macOS Audio MIDI Setup, choose the DAC as the output device, choose the right sample rate and start playing Tidal music.
Besides, you can use Tidal Connect feature to stream music from your Mac to compatible speakers, streamers, receivers and smart audio devices. Just tap the speaker or device icon in the Now Playing bar on the screen and choose your device from the list to pair.
However, it is important to note that only users subscribed to the 'TIDAL' plan and using Tidal on mobile phones can download Tidal music for offline playback. But this doesn't mean Mac users can't download music from Tidal for macOS. So, how to make it? The methods we provide in the following part can help you.
Part 3. How to Download Tidal Music on Mac for Offline Listening
From above, we know that there is no official way to download music from Tidal Mac app. If you are looking for a way to download and listen to Tidal music on Mac offline or keep songs permanently on your Mac, here are two tools for you.
1. Download Tidal Music on Mac via AudFree Tidal Music Converter
AudFree Tidal Music Converter for Mac is a great tool to try. It is dedicated to downloading music from Tidal for Mac as local files for offline listening. Unlike the Tidal mobile app, which only lets you stream or download temporary files that disappear when your plan ends, this tool lets you keep Tidal music forever on your Mac. This tool is also available for Windows computers. So, if you want to download Tidal songs on Windows, you can easily do that too.
What's more, it can remove DRM from Tidal and convert Tidal music to MP3, AIFF, Lossless, FLAC, M4A, M4B, and WAV. That means you can play Tidal music you like on any device you want. Running at up to 37X faster speed, the AudFree Tidal Music Downloader can download Tidal songs to Mac with original audio quality, even for HiRes FLAC quality songs. As for the ID3 tag information, it is also smart enough to maintain its integrity, such as title, year, genre, album cover, etc.
Plus, you can download whole Tidal playlists or albums in batches, which makes it super convenient. Whether you want to enjoy your favorite Tidal tracks offline, build a personal music collection, or just listen without limits, AudFree Tidal Music Converter makes it easy.
AudFree Tidal Music Converter for Mac
- Download music from Tidal on Mac with zero-quality loss
- Convert Tidal Music to MP3, AIFF, WAV and others
- Keep original ID3 tag information like album covers, etc.
- Run at a fast speed to download Tidal on Mac in bulk efficiently
Before we start, make sure you have the AudFree Tidal Downloader installed on your computer. After that, we will explain how to download Tidal music on Mac for offline playback step by step with this tool.
- Step 1. Add Tidal Music to AudFree Tidal Downloader
- First, run AudFree Tidal Downloader on your Mac OS system. Now, you can log in to your Tidal account and discover your favorite Tidal music from the built-in Tidal web player on AudFree tool. Once you have decided which tracks, albums or playlists you want to download, click on them and tap '+ ♫' at the right. Next, hit the 'Add to list' button in the pop-up window to import the Tidal song.
View also: Best Tidal Playlists
- Step 2. Define Output Settings for Tidal on Mac
- The second step is to find the 'AudFree Tidal Music Converter' from the top left menu bar of your Mac, then select 'Preferences' > 'Conversion' in the settings window. Here, you can choose from seven output formats. If you want to save storage on your Mac, you can define the output format as MP3. To maintain the best quality of Tidal Music, it is recommended that you go for FLAC. As you can see in this window, you can customize other output audio parameters such as channel, sample rate and bit rate.
- Step 3. Start to Download Tidal Music on Mac
- Once all the settings are ready, simply go to the Converting section and press the 'Convert' button to start the download process. AudFree Tidal Music Downloader will download Tidal Mac music in no time. When the downloads are complete, you can find them by clicking the 'Converted' list. At last, you can listen to Tidal music on Mac offline. Also, you can move them to other platforms for offline playback with ease. You can directly drag the local Tidal music to the Apple Music app for listening.
View also: How to Download Songs from Tidal to Computer
AudFree Streaming Audio Recorder is another tool to help you download Tidal music to Mac computer in lossless quality. Besides, it helps download music from Spotify, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Qobuz, Line Music, Apple Music, SoundCloud and so on on your Mac computer.
2. Download Tidal Music on Mac via GitHub Tidal-dl
In this part, we will introduce another tool to you to download music from Tidal on Mac: Tidal-dl, an open-source application on GitHub. Tidal-dl is a command-line version of Tidal-Media-Downloader project and allows users to download both audio and video content from the Tidal music streaming service on Mac.
However, Tidal-dl is difficult to use though it offers more flexibility. If you know something about Python, maybe it is a nice tool for you.
Now, let's check how to download music from Tidal on Mac via Tidal-dl.
Step 1. First, ensure you have installed Python on your computer.
Step 2. Go to GitHub Tidal-dl and click the green '< > Code' option.
Step 3. Then, hit the 'Download ZIP' tab to download the software on your Mac computer. Now, you can unzip and install it.
Step 4. To download music from Tidal on Mac, you need to type the corresponding text.
Step 5. Find your wanted tracks from the Tidal web player, then copy its URL or ID. Next, go back to Tidal-dl, you should enter the Url/ID to make Tidal-dl download Tidal music.
Please log in with your secondary Tidal account. Since Tidal-dl bypasses official API restrictions, download large music files frequently may trigger Tidal's anti-abuse mechanisms, posing a risk of your account being banned.
So, if you're looking for a more user-friendly and safer solution to get Tidal downloads, we recommend going with the AudFree Tidal Music Downloader. It offers a simple interface and powerful features, making it ideal for listeners who just want to download Tidal music on Mac safely and easily.
Part 4. How to Fix Tidal Not Working on Mac
While Tidal generally works well on macOS, it does encounter some issues sometimes. Here are some common issues you may meet and the responding solutions.
Problem 1: Tidal Not Opening on Mac
Fix: First, it is recommended that you reset your system state by performing a complete restart of your Mac. If the app still does not return to normal after restarting, follow the steps below to try to resolve the issue.
Step 1. Go to Mac App Store to check for any app updates for Tidal. Also, you can verify the macOS compatibility requirements and download the latest version of the Tidal app directly from the official Tidal website.
Step 2. If nothing works, drag the Tidal app to the Trash, empty the Trash and reinstall Tidal app on Mac.
Problem 2: Tidal Keeps Buffering on Mac
Fix: Try to lower the streaming quality from Max or High to Low in the Tidal app Settings to see if playback becomes smoother. Also, disconnect your Mac from the WiFi network and reconnect, or switch to a wired Ethernet connection to get a stable network connection.
Problem 3: Can't Log into Tidal on Mac
Fix: If you use a VPN on your Mac, just disable it temporarily and then try to log into Tidal again. Or, try to clear your browser's cache and cookies before trying again if you are using the Tidal web player. What's more, you can use the 'Forget Password' link to initiate a password reset if you are unsure of your login details.
View also: Clear Tidal App Cache
Problem 4: Tidal Not Playing Music on Mac
Fix: First, you can try to restart the Tidal app to reset the audio engine. Then play the music to see if it works. If not, try the steps below.
Step 1. On the Tidal app, check the Volume control located in the bottom-right corner of the Playing bar to ensure the app is not muted.
Step 2. Open macOS System Settings, go to the Sound section, and ensure that your intended audio output device is selected and the system volume is turned up.
Step 3. Check the physical connections of your wired speakers, or review your Bluetooth settings to ensure that your wireless headphones are paired successfully.
Problem 5: Tidal No Sound Through External DAC on Mac
When your DAC is connected but produces no audio output, the macOS audio subsystem often requires a "wake-up" sequence to properly recognize the hardware switch. Also, if the hardware was not initialized correctly, the "Exclusive Mode" setting within the Tidal application may sometimes trigger conflicts.
Step 1. Disconnect the DAC, restart both the DAC device and the Tidal app, and then reconnect the device firmly.
Step 2. Go to Playback > Sound Output in the Tidal app and choose the external DAC as the default audio output device.
Step 3. Open the Mac system's built-in 'Audio MIDI Setup' tool, and ensure that the sample rate and audio format settings are set to match the performance specifications of your specific DAC device correctly.
Part 5. FAQs about Tidal on Mac
Is Tidal Better than Apple Music on Mac?
This depends on your audio equipment and listening habits. Apple Music seamlessly integrates High-Resolution Lossless Audio and Spatial Audio features directly into the macOS system; this is not only incredibly convenient but also highly cost-effective for everyday listening. However, audiophiles often prefer Tidal, as it offers an 'Exclusive Mode', a feature that bypasses the Mac's system mixer to transmit a pristine, 'bit-perfect' audio signal directly to an external Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC).
View also: Tidal vs Apple Music
Can I Play Tidal on Multiple Macs?
No, you cannot play Tidal music simultaneously on multiple Macs using a standard account. If you start playing music on a second Mac, playback on the first device will automatically pause. To play Tidal music on multiple devices at the exact same time, you need to upgrade to a Family Plan.
Can I Listen to Dolby Atmos Music on Tidal for Mac?
No, you cannot natively play Dolby Atmos directly through the Tidal desktop app for Mac. Currently, Tidal only supports playing Dolby Atmos content on compatible smart TVs, soundbars, streaming boxes, and mobile devices such as iOS and Android. If you wish to experience Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos directly on your Mac, Apple Music would be a better choice.
Part 6. In Conclusion
There's no denying that we all want to enjoy our favorite Tidal music for personal use anytime and anywhere. So, downloading Tidal songs to Mac locally with the tool above is a smart choice. After comparing AudFree Tidal Music Converter and GitHub Tidal-dl, we find that AudFree Tidal Music Converter stands out as the more user-friendly and reliable option, especially for listeners.
With AudFree, you can easily keep your favorite Tidal songs on your Mac computer forever, even if you cancel your subscription. You also don't have to worry about Tidal's format limitations. Once your Tidal music is downloaded, you can transfer Tidal songs from your Mac to other devices for use for free. For example, you're free to play Tidal music on MP3 players, USB drives, SD cards and more portable devices offline without any problems.
Staff Editor
