This guide is for Mac and Windows users installing Shadowrocket. Check your processor architecture, choose the matching installer from this site’s download page, then follow your system’s prompts the first time you launch the app. Choose Apple Silicon or Intel based on your hardware—not the year you bought your computer. Security prompts vary: distinguish an identity check from a malware warning or an organization policy restriction. Don’t approve every prompt by default.
1. Check your device and download options
Shadowrocket for Mac is available for Apple Silicon and Intel; the Windows version uses the 64-bit installer listed on the download page. Go to the all-platform downloads page and choose your platform. Don’t guess which installer to use from a filename in search results or rename an installer intended for another device.
There are two ways to get Shadowrocket: the iPhone / iPad version costs $2.99 as a one-time App Store purchase, from Shadow Launch Technology Limited. Check the App Store listing for system requirements. The Mac (Apple Silicon and Intel), Windows, Android, and Linux versions are free. The one-time app purchase does not include a service plan. The connection checks below assume you already have your own provider and subscription. This site does not provide, sell, or recommend nodes or subscriptions.
Check your Mac’s architecture
- Where to look
- Apple menu → About This Mac
- Chip
- If it shows Apple Silicon, choose the Apple Silicon version
- Processor
- If it shows Intel, choose the Intel version
- Installer
- The DMG for your architecture from the download page
Check the Chip or Processor field. Don’t rely on appearance, size, or purchase year.
Check your Windows architecture
- Where to look
- Settings → System → About
- Check this field
- Device specifications → System type
- What it means
- 64-bit operating system、x64-based processor
- Which installer to choose
- The 64-bit Windows installer from the download page
An ARM-based processor is not the same as x64. If Windows shows ARM, check the download page’s compatibility details first.
A “64-bit operating system” and an “x64 processor” are not the same thing. Windows on ARM can report a 64-bit operating system, which doesn’t mean an installer is natively compatible. If your system information doesn’t match the download page’s supported platforms, stop and check the requirements instead of trying installers from different sources.
2. Install on Mac: download the right version and move it to Applications
Choose the Apple Silicon or Intel version based on the hardware field above. Even though Apple Silicon Macs can run some Intel apps, choose the Apple Silicon version when available. Intel Macs should use the Intel version. Mounting the disk image and copying the app are separate steps; opening the DMG alone doesn’t complete the installation.
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Check your chip
Open Apple menu → About This Mac and note the Chip or Processor field. Then open the Mac section of this site’s download page and choose the DMG for the same architecture. The Apple Silicon and Intel buttons are for different processors.
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Open the disk image
Once the browser has finished downloading, open Finder → Downloads and double-click the DMG. If macOS says the disk image can’t be opened, first make sure the download is complete. Don’t change permissions while the file is still downloading or if the download was interrupted.
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Copy the app
In the mounted disk image, drag Shadowrocket to Applications. Wait for the copy to finish. To replace an existing copy, quit Shadowrocket first, then follow the system prompts.
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Launch for the first time
Open Shadowrocket from Finder → Applications rather than running it from the disk image. Once the app opens, eject the disk image from the Finder sidebar. Handle any network permission prompts for the first connection separately.
3. Mac says it cannot verify the developer: check the warning before proceeding
“Cannot verify the developer” is different from a warning that the app “will damage your computer” or that malware was detected. The first may relate to how macOS assesses an app’s identity or notarization status; the latter indicates a more serious risk. Consider using macOS’s one-time approval option only if you downloaded the complete file from this site’s download page and the warning is one you’re allowed to approve.
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Check the source
Check your browser’s download history and confirm you started the download from this site’s all-platform downloads page. If you can’t confirm the source, someone forwarded you the file, or the warning is unexpected, cancel, delete the file, and download it again.
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Check the block message
Try opening the app, dismiss the prompt, then go to Apple menu → System Settings → Privacy & Security. Look under Security for a message about Shadowrocket.
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Approve once
If you see Open Anyway in that section, check the app name and click it. Authenticate with your password or Touch ID if prompted, then choose Open in the confirmation dialog. On older macOS versions, look in System Preferences → Security & Privacy → General.
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Try again
Open the app again from Applications and check that it reaches the main window. If Open Anyway isn’t available, the file is reported as damaged, or malware is detected, stop. Download the app again and check the system requirements, or contact your device administrator.
These steps use only macOS’s built-in approval options. You don’t need to disable Gatekeeper or remove quarantine attributes from downloaded files in Terminal. Work or school devices may prevent users from approving apps; follow your organization’s policy rather than changing system protections to bypass it.
4. Install on Windows and handle SmartScreen prompts
First, check for an x64 processor under Settings → System → About, then download the Windows installer from this site’s download page. Save your work before launching it. If the installer needs administrator access, Windows may show User Account Control. That prompt requests elevated permissions; it is separate from a SmartScreen reputation warning.
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Wait for the download to finish
Confirm in your browser’s downloads list that the download is complete, then open the installer from Downloads. If your browser or Windows Security reports a threat, stop and review the details. Don’t add a blanket drive exclusion just to install the app.
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Identify the prompt
If you see “Windows protected your PC,” verify the file’s source first, then select More info to review the app and publisher details. A SmartScreen reputation warning doesn’t prove a file is safe, and an Unknown publisher isn’t a reason to trust it.
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Choose whether to run it
Continue only if the source and file details match what you expect and Windows offers Run anyway. If that option isn’t available or an administrator has blocked the app, cancel and contact your device administrator. Don’t turn off reputation-based protection for the whole system.
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Finish installation
Choose an installation folder in the setup wizard and complete the installation. If User Account Control appears, check the program and publisher details again before approving. Launch Shadowrocket from the Start menu; don’t keep rerunning the installer to open the app.
Handle first-launch prompts by system
Mac
- Check whether your Mac has Apple Silicon or Intel, then copy the app to Applications.
- For a developer verification prompt you’ve checked, look for Open Anyway under Privacy & Security.
- Treat malware, damaged-file, and organization restriction warnings differently from a standard identity prompt.
Windows
- Check for an x64 processor and a 64-bit operating system.
- If SmartScreen offers More info, check the app and publisher details first.
- If Run anyway isn’t available or an organization policy blocks the app, contact your administrator.
Approve only the specific file you’ve checked. Don’t disable system-wide protections or treat every security warning as a routine installation step.
5. After installation: check startup, connection, and routing separately
A working main window confirms that installation and startup succeeded; it doesn’t mean your existing service can connect. Check three layers separately: whether the app starts, whether a connection is established, and whether requests follow the intended routing rules. Change one thing at a time to identify where the problem occurs.
- Startup: Open the app from Applications or the Start menu. If it quits immediately, note the system message and recheck the architecture and system requirements. Don’t start by changing subscription contents.
- Configuration: Import only a configuration or subscription you already have permission to use. Subscription URLs may contain credentials; don’t include the full link in screenshots, public logs, or support requests.
- Connection: If your first connection triggers a network extension, VPN, or firewall permission prompt, confirm it’s from Shadowrocket before following the system instructions. Don’t disable the entire firewall just to test a connection.
- Routing: Check the current Global Routing mode. Direct sends traffic directly; Proxy uses the proxy mode; Config follows the configuration; Scene follows the selected scene. When troubleshooting a rule, make sure the active mode is relevant to what you’re testing.
If your configuration includes [Rule], use the minimal example below to understand routing behavior. It demonstrates rule syntax only; it is not a complete connection configuration and contains no server, account, or subscription details. PROXY must refer to an available policy in the current configuration. Copying a rule alone won’t provide a connection.
[Rule]
DOMAIN-SUFFIX,example.com,PROXY
IP-CIDR,192.168.0.0/16,DIRECT,no-resolve
GEOIP,CN,DIRECT
FINAL,PROXYRules are evaluated from top to bottom. DOMAIN-SUFFIX matches example.com and its subdomains. This IP-CIDR entry covers only 192.168.0.0/16, not every private address. GEOIP matches against an IP geolocation database. Put FINAL last as the fallback. Check the match log when testing; a webpage loading doesn’t show which rule matched.
6. Common installation issues
Downloaded the wrong Mac version—can you replace it directly?
Quit Shadowrocket first. Check Chip or Processor in About This Mac, then choose the right version from this site’s download page. When copying the correct version to Applications, follow the system prompt to replace the existing app. Don’t open both the disk image copy and the Applications copy, and don’t delete your personal configuration to fix an architecture mismatch.
No Open Anyway option in Privacy & Security?
First, confirm you tried to open the app from Applications, then check the related block message. The one-time approval option may not apply to a damaged-file or malware warning, or an organization policy restriction. Download the app again from the download page and check compatibility. Ask your administrator about managed devices; don’t use Terminal commands to force past the restriction.
Clicked More info in Windows, but still can’t continue?
Record the full message and identify whether it’s from SmartScreen, a Windows Security threat alert, Smart App Control, or an organization’s app control policy. These protections work differently. If Run anyway isn’t available, don’t keep double-clicking the installer or disable protections. For a work device, give your administrator the file source and a screenshot of the prompt. Before sharing it, hide account details in personal file paths.
The app opens but won’t connect—should you reinstall it?
Usually, check the configuration before reinstalling. Confirm your existing subscription imported successfully, the selected server is available, and Global Routing matches what you’re testing; then note the error. Timeouts, authentication failures, and rules matching Direct require different troubleshooting steps. Reinstalling won’t correct server-side settings or restore an expired subscription.
After installation, check in this order: verify the architecture → launch the app from its installed location → approve any required permissions → import your own configuration → connect manually → verify the rules. Keeping the original error message and noting the result of each step makes troubleshooting easier than changing several settings at once. For the next configuration steps, see the Getting Started guide and Configuration Reference.