diff --git a/.coveragerc b/.coveragerc
index 9aa183ac..59d4eb86 100644
--- a/.coveragerc
+++ b/.coveragerc
@@ -6,3 +6,6 @@ source = src
 [report]
 exclude_lines =
   if __name__ == .__main__.:
+  if sys.platform == "win32":
+  if sys.platform != "win32":
+  if sys.platform != "darwin":
diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
index 894a44cc..e4f2e03b 100644
--- a/.gitignore
+++ b/.gitignore
@@ -24,6 +24,14 @@ wheels/
 .installed.cfg
 *.egg
 MANIFEST
+*.dmg
+
+# OS litter
+.DS_Store
+Desktop.ini
+._*
+Thumbs.db
+.Trashes
 
 # PyInstaller
 #  Usually these files are written by a python script from a template
diff --git a/cq_editor/__main__.py b/cq_editor/__main__.py
index cf0aa7ba..c0b200ef 100644
--- a/cq_editor/__main__.py
+++ b/cq_editor/__main__.py
@@ -6,12 +6,17 @@
 NAME = 'CadQuery GUI (PyQT)'
 
 #need to initialize QApp here, otherewise svg icons do not work on windows
-app = QApplication(sys.argv,
-                   applicationName=NAME)
+if sys.platform == "win32":
+    app = QApplication(sys.argv, applicationName=NAME)
 
 from .main_window import MainWindow
 
 def main():
+    # if this is not a windows platform, initialize QApp here.
+    # This also silences the warning from qt about initializing
+    # pyqtgraph after QApplication
+    if sys.platform != "win32":
+        app = QApplication(sys.argv, applicationName=NAME)
 
     win = MainWindow()
 
diff --git a/cq_editor/main_window.py b/cq_editor/main_window.py
index 8048c8a4..6a68abee 100644
--- a/cq_editor/main_window.py
+++ b/cq_editor/main_window.py
@@ -46,8 +46,11 @@ def __init__(self,parent=None):
 
         self.prepare_statusbar()
         self.prepare_actions()
-        
-        self.components['object_tree'].addLines()
+
+        # on macOS adding the axis lines this early causes a crash
+        # since OpenGL does not get initialized in time. 
+        if sys.platform != "darwin":
+            self.components['object_tree'].addLines()
 
         self.prepare_console()
 
diff --git a/icons/cadquery_logo_dark.icns b/icons/cadquery_logo_dark.icns
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..f3f3b799
Binary files /dev/null and b/icons/cadquery_logo_dark.icns differ
diff --git a/macos/CQDiskImageIcon.icns b/macos/CQDiskImageIcon.icns
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..b2c1f2c9
Binary files /dev/null and b/macos/CQDiskImageIcon.icns differ
diff --git a/macos/CQDiskImageIcon.png b/macos/CQDiskImageIcon.png
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3565c1af
Binary files /dev/null and b/macos/CQDiskImageIcon.png differ
diff --git a/macos/CQInstallerBackground.png b/macos/CQInstallerBackground.png
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..27563d0c
Binary files /dev/null and b/macos/CQInstallerBackground.png differ
diff --git a/macos/README.md b/macos/README.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4d29d39a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/macos/README.md
@@ -0,0 +1,84 @@
+## macOS CQ-Editor Build Files
+
+This directory contains build scripts and resources to build a standalone macOS application bundle of the CQ-Editor.
+
+## Requirements
+
+- XCode - Apple Developer IDE, compilers, and build utilities.  Available from the macOS App Store.
+- [brew](https://brew.sh) - a popular macOS package manager
+- conda - virtual python environments with packaging. The  [miniconda](https://docs.conda.io/en/latest/miniconda.html) variant of conda is recommended for a minimal installation without unnecessary libraries and packages.
+
+## conda environment
+
+The `macos_env.yml` file specifies a conda environment which can be used to build and/or run the CQ-Editor. This command will create a new conda environment named `cqgui` containing the necessary tools and libraries:
+
+```shell
+$ conda env create -f macos_env.yml -n cqgui
+$ conda activate cqgui
+```
+
+## pyinstaller
+
+The `pyinstaller.spec` file contains the build specification to build all platform variants of the CQ-Editor.  The macOS specific section of this file is as follows:
+
+```python
+app = BUNDLE(
+    coll,
+    name="CQ-Editor.app",
+    icon="icons/cadquery_logo_dark.icns",
+    bundle_identifier="org.cadquery.cqeditor",
+    info_plist={
+        "CFBundleName": "CQ-Editor",
+        "CFBundleShortVersionString": "0.1.0",
+        "NSHighResolutionCapable": True,
+        "NSPrincipalClass": "NSApplication",
+        "NSAppleScriptEnabled": False,
+        "LSBackgroundOnly": False,
+    },
+)
+```
+
+The `CFBundleShortVersionString` key in the `info_plist` dictionary can be changed to the desired version number of the build.
+
+## Building the Application Bundle
+
+To build the application bundle using pyinstaller, a convenient build script is contained in this folder and can be executed as follows:
+
+```shell
+$ ./makeapp.sh
+```
+
+Alternatively, pyinstaller can be run directly from the repository root directory as follows:
+
+```shell
+$ pyinstaller --onedir --windowed --clean -y pyinstaller.spec
+```
+
+The resulting application bundle `CQ-Editor.app` will be found in the `dist` directory.  Verify that it works by either launching the `CQ-Editor.app` file in the Finder or double-clicking the standalone executable `dist/CQ-Editor/CQ-Editor`.  
+
+## Building a DMG Installer
+
+To distribute an application bundle, a disk image file (.DMG) is typically used as a convenient single file container format. A DMG file also allows the application bundle to be compressed for efficiency.  A DMG file can be created from the application bundle using the build script in this folder:
+
+```shell
+$ ./makedmg.sh
+```
+
+The `makedmg.sh` script file has a variable called `version` which can be changed to match the `CFBundleShortVersionString` key in the `pyinstaller.spec` file.
+
+This script requires the following helper components:
+
+- [dmgbuild](https://github.com/al45tair/dmgbuild/blob/master/doc/index.rst) : python utility which creates `dmg` files with a great deal of customization (install using pip)
+- [fileicon](https://github.com/mklement0/fileicon) : a small utility which can assign custom icons to macOS files and/or folders (install using brew)
+
+## Resource Files
+
+| Resource | File | Description |
+| --- | --- | --- |
+| ![alt text](../icons/cadquery_logo_dark.svg) | `icons/cadquery_logo_dark.icns` | `CQ-Editor.app` application icon |
+| ![alt text](./CQDiskImageIcon.png) | `CQDiskImageIcon.png` | DMG file icon |
+| ![alt text](./CQInstallerBackground.png) | `./CQInstallerBackground.png` | DMG folder background image |
+
+
+
+
diff --git a/macos/brew.sh b/macos/brew.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..a1ee5c76
--- /dev/null
+++ b/macos/brew.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+# Make sure we’re using the latest Homebrew.
+brew update
+# Upgrade any already-installed formulae.
+brew upgrade
+
+brew install fileicon
diff --git a/macos/cq_dmg_settings.py b/macos/cq_dmg_settings.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..695b6bcb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/macos/cq_dmg_settings.py
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+from __future__ import unicode_literals
+
+import biplist
+import os.path
+
+#
+# Example settings file for dmgbuild
+#
+# Use like this: dmgbuild -s settings.py "Test Volume" test.dmg
+
+# You can actually use this file for your own application (not just TextEdit)
+# by doing e.g.
+#
+#   dmgbuild -s settings.py -D app=/path/to/My.app "My Application" MyApp.dmg
+
+# .. Useful stuff ..............................................................
+
+application = defines.get("app", "../dist/CQ-Editor.app")
+appname = os.path.basename(application)
+
+# Volume format (see hdiutil create -help)
+format = defines.get("format", "UDBZ")
+
+# Volume size
+size = defines.get("size", "1.0g")
+
+# Files to include
+files = [application]
+
+# Symlinks to create
+symlinks = {"Applications": "/Applications"}
+
+# Volume icon
+#
+# You can either define icon, in which case that icon file will be copied to the
+# image, *or* you can define badge_icon, in which case the icon file you specify
+# will be used to badge the system's Removable Disk icon
+#
+badge_icon = "../icons/cadquery_logo_dark.icns"
+
+# Where to put the icons
+icon_locations = {appname: (130, 190), "Applications": (470, 185)}
+
+# .. Window configuration ......................................................
+
+background = "CQInstallerBackground.png"
+show_status_bar = False
+show_tab_view = False
+show_toolbar = False
+show_pathbar = False
+show_sidebar = False
+sidebar_width = 180
+
+# Window position in ((x, y), (w, h)) format
+window_rect = ((200, 120), (600, 400))
+
+# Select the default view; must be one of
+#
+#    'icon-view'
+#    'list-view'
+#    'column-view'
+#    'coverflow'
+#
+default_view = "icon-view"
+
+# General view configuration
+show_icon_preview = False
+
+# Set these to True to force inclusion of icon/list view settings (otherwise
+# we only include settings for the default view)
+include_icon_view_settings = "auto"
+include_list_view_settings = "auto"
+
+# .. Icon view configuration ...................................................
+
+arrange_by = None
+grid_offset = (0, 0)
+grid_spacing = 100
+scroll_position = (0, 0)
+label_pos = "bottom"  # or 'right'
+text_size = 16
+icon_size = 88
diff --git a/macos/macos_env.yml b/macos/macos_env.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..5e0b9ca0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/macos/macos_env.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+name: cqgui
+channels:
+  - CadQuery
+  - defaults
+  - conda-forge
+dependencies:
+  - pyqt=5.9.2
+  - pyparsing
+  - pyqtgraph=0.10.0
+  - python=3.7
+  - spyder=3.3.4
+  - pythonocc-core=0.18.2
+  - path.py
+  - logbook
+  - qtconsole=4.4.4
+  - requests
+  - pyinstaller
+  - pip
+  - pip:
+    - "git+https://github.com/CadQuery/cadquery"
+    - PyQt5
+    - spyder==3.3.4
+    - pyobjc-framework-Quartz
+    - dmgbuild
diff --git a/macos/makeapp.sh b/macos/makeapp.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..980cc8df
--- /dev/null
+++ b/macos/makeapp.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+cd ..
+pyinstaller --onedir --windowed --clean -y pyinstaller.spec
+cd macos
diff --git a/macos/makedmg.sh b/macos/makedmg.sh
new file mode 100755
index 00000000..8c49d7a8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/macos/makedmg.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+version="0.1"
+appname="CQ-Editor"
+appbundle="../dist/CQ-Editor.app"
+dmgfile="${appname} v${version}.dmg"
+test -f "$dmgfile" && rm "$dmgfile"
+# xattr -cr $appbundle
+dmgbuild -s cq_dmg_settings.py "${appname} App v.${version}" "$dmgfile"
+fileicon set "$dmgfile" CQDiskImageIcon.png
diff --git a/pyinstaller.spec b/pyinstaller.spec
index 077f8fb3..50c467d0 100644
--- a/pyinstaller.spec
+++ b/pyinstaller.spec
@@ -4,52 +4,64 @@ import sys, site, os
 from path import Path
 
 block_cipher = None
+spyder_data = Path(site.getsitepackages()[-1]) / "spyder"
+parso_grammar = Path(site.getsitepackages()[-1]) / "parso/python/grammar36.txt"
 
-spyder_data = Path(site.getsitepackages()[-1]) / 'spyder'
-parso_grammar = Path(site.getsitepackages()[-1]) / 'parso/python/grammar36.txt'
-
-if sys.platform == 'linux':
-    oce_dir = Path(sys.prefix) / 'share' / 'oce-0.18'
+if sys.platform == "linux" or sys.platform == "darwin":
+    oce_dir = Path(sys.prefix) / "share" / "oce-0.18"
 else:
-    oce_dir = Path(sys.prefix) / 'Library' / 'share' / 'oce'
-
-a = Analysis(['run.py'],
-             pathex=['/home/adam/cq/CQ-editor'],
-             binaries=[],
-             datas=[(spyder_data ,'spyder'),
-                    (parso_grammar, 'parso/python'),
-                    (oce_dir , 'oce')],
-             hiddenimports=['ipykernel.datapub'],
-             hookspath=[],
-             runtime_hooks=['pyinstaller/pyi_rth_occ.py',
-                            'pyinstaller/pyi_rth_fontconfig.py'],
-             excludes=['_tkinter',],
-             win_no_prefer_redirects=False,
-             win_private_assemblies=False,
-             cipher=block_cipher,
-             noarchive=False)
-
-pyz = PYZ(a.pure, a.zipped_data,
-             cipher=block_cipher)
-exe = EXE(pyz,
-          a.scripts,
-          [],
-          exclude_binaries=True,
-          name='CQ-editor',
-          debug=False,
-          bootloader_ignore_signals=False,
-          strip=False,
-          upx=True,
-          console=True,
-          icon='icons/cadquery_logo_dark.ico')
-          
-exclude = ('libGL','libEGL','libbsd')
+    oce_dir = Path(sys.prefix) / "Library" / "share" / "oce"
+
+
+a = Analysis(
+    ["run.py"],
+    pathex=[],
+    binaries=[],
+    datas=[(spyder_data, "spyder"), (parso_grammar, "parso/python"), (oce_dir, "oce")],
+    hiddenimports=["ipykernel.datapub"],
+    hookspath=[],
+    runtime_hooks=["pyinstaller/pyi_rth_occ.py", "pyinstaller/pyi_rth_fontconfig.py"],
+    excludes=["_tkinter",],
+    win_no_prefer_redirects=False,
+    win_private_assemblies=False,
+    cipher=block_cipher,
+    noarchive=False,
+)
+
+pyz = PYZ(a.pure, a.zipped_data, cipher=block_cipher)
+exe = EXE(
+    pyz,
+    a.scripts,
+    [],
+    exclude_binaries=True,
+    name="CQ-Editor",
+    debug=False,
+    bootloader_ignore_signals=False,
+    strip=False,
+    upx=True,
+    console=True,
+    icon="icons/cadquery_logo_dark.ico",
+)
+
+exclude = ("libGL", "libEGL", "libbsd")
 a.binaries = TOC([x for x in a.binaries if not x[0].startswith(exclude)])
 
-coll = COLLECT(exe,
-               a.binaries,
-               a.zipfiles,
-               a.datas,
-               strip=False,
-               upx=True,
-               name='CQ-editor')
+coll = COLLECT(
+    exe, a.binaries, a.zipfiles, a.datas, strip=False, upx=True, name="CQ-Editor"
+)
+
+app = BUNDLE(
+    coll,
+    name="CQ-Editor.app",
+    icon="icons/cadquery_logo_dark.icns",
+    bundle_identifier="org.cadquery.cqeditor",
+    info_plist={
+        "CFBundleName": "CQ-Editor",
+        "CFBundleShortVersionString": "0.1.0",
+        "NSHighResolutionCapable": True,
+        "NSPrincipalClass": "NSApplication",
+        "NSAppleScriptEnabled": False,
+        "LSBackgroundOnly": False,
+    },
+)
+
diff --git a/run.py b/run.py
index 74c18ff4..24c8c606 100644
--- a/run.py
+++ b/run.py
@@ -1,10 +1,28 @@
-import os
+import os, sys
 import faulthandler
 
 faulthandler.enable()
 
-if 'CASROOT' in os.environ:
-    del os.environ['CASROOT']
+# macOS implements a security sandbox policy to executable
+# programs when they are launched from the launchd context, e.g. 
+# when double clicked from the Finder or launched from the shell
+# with the 'open' OS command.  Therefore, the macOS build requires
+# the path to the environment variable 'CSF_ShadersDirectory'
+# to be specified as an absolute path rather than a relative one.
+# 
+# The following code performs a runtime substitution of the
+# 'CSF_ShadersDirectory' environment variable if it is discovered.
+# It introspects this program's absolute path and appends the
+# relative path discovered from the environment.
+
+if sys.platform == 'darwin':
+    basedir = os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(sys.argv[0]))
+    if 'CSF_ShadersDirectory' in os.environ:
+        new_path = basedir + os.sep + os.environ['CSF_ShadersDirectory']
+        os.environ['CSF_ShadersDirectory'] = new_path
+else:
+    if 'CASROOT' in os.environ:
+        del os.environ['CASROOT']
 
 from cq_editor.__main__ import main