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Installing Docker on Mac

David Anderson edited this page Feb 5, 2026 · 4 revisions

BOINC uses Podman, an open-source replacement for Docker. To install Podman on Mac OS:

  • Go to https://github.com/containers/podman/releases.

  • Scroll down until you see a version that says 'Latest' (not 'Pre-release'). Downloads are shown under Assets.

  • For Apple Silicon Macs, download podman-installer-macos-arm64.pkg

  • For Intel Macs, download podman-installer-macos-amd64.pkg

  • Double-click on the file, and step through the installation.

  • Quit and relaunch the BOINC Manager.

Note: Ignore the Podman installer message to run podman machine init and podman machine start These commands will create a virtual machine that BOINC can't use, and that consumes CPU time and memory. The BOINC client will run those commands for its own use the next time it is launched.

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