Installation

Get The Vault up and running on your Mac in minutes.

Download & Install

  1. Download The Vault

    Visit the official website or GitHub releases page to download the latest .dmg installer.

  2. Open the DMG

    Double-click the downloaded TheVault.dmg file to mount it.

  3. Drag to Applications

    Drag "The Vault.app" to your Applications folder.

  4. Launch The Vault

    Open The Vault from your Applications folder or Launchpad.

First Launch Permissions

On first launch, macOS may show a security prompt since The Vault is not distributed through the Mac App Store. To open The Vault:

  1. If you see "The Vault cannot be opened," right-click (or Control+click) the app
  2. Select "Open" from the context menu
  3. Click "Open" in the security dialog

⚠️ Security Note

The Vault requires Input Monitoring permission (System Settings → Privacy & Security) to detect controller button presses for hotkeys and running scripts. This is only used for controller input, not keyboard spying.

Required Permissions

The Vault needs a few macOS permissions to function properly:

  • Full Disk Access - To read ROM files from your chosen folders

    System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access

  • Input Monitoring - To detect controller button presses for hotkeys

    System Settings → Privacy & Security → Input Monitoring

  • File Access - You'll be prompted to grant access to ROM folders during setup

    Handled automatically via security-scoped bookmarks

Next Steps

Once installed, proceed to First Launch to complete the onboarding process and set up your first platform.