Group chat, VoIP & video calling, file transfer and bridge networks!

Element for Mac

September, 2nd 2026 - 263 MB - Demo

Download

Safe & Secure

Latest Version

Element 1.12.27 LATEST
Review by

Juan Garcia
Operating System

Mac OS X 10.9 or later
User Rating

Click to vote
Author / Product

Element Team / External Link
Filename

Element-1.12.27-universal.dmg

Element (formerly Riot) for Mac allows teams to communicate across a wide range of collaboration apps. If some team members use the app while others use IRC, Slack or Gitter, the app will allow these team members to seamlessly work together.

The program offers the richest network of communication bridges.

No one should control your communication and data but you. The tool lets you run your own server, and provides users and teams with the most advanced crypto ratchet technology available today for a decentralized secure Internet.

Own and control your data
Decentralised end-to-end encryption
Cross-signed verification
Open network
Messaging, voice and video

Element for macOS is entirely open source: all the code is published on GitHub (Apache License) for anyone to see and extend. This means teams can customize or contribute to the code and everyone can benefit from the speed of community innovation.

Riot for Mac is built on top of Matrix. Matrix is an open network for secure, decentralized communication delivering a community of users, bridged networks, integrated bots and applications plus full end-to-end encryption.

No limits on features, group size or usage for public rooms!

Features and Highlights

Developers
Born from IRC; built by developers for developers. Enjoy the integrations (Jira, Github), benefit from new ones from the Matrix community, or add your own!

Creative Agencies
Efficient. Clutter free. The tool knows how to go unnoticed. Free your mind, relax, and let your creativity express itself. Integrations (coming soon) for Basecamp, Invision, Zeplin and more bring updates right into your team room for easy tracking. Guest access, interoperability with Slack and other networks let you easily reach your customers through one simple, elegant interface.

Small/Medium Businesses
We all know the communication problems you can find in even the smallest businesses. With the software, get everyone painlessly on the same page - without them having to give up their existing tools!

Adhoc Teams
Need to get a bunch of different people quickly on the same page? It might be collaboration between teams, companies, families, clubs... The app's guest access and interoperability lets them plug into their preferred tools and get up and running rapidly.

How to Use

Install the app by dragging it into Applications

Open the app and create or sign in with a Matrix ID

Join public rooms or start private chats

Use end-to-end encryption for secure messaging

Enable cross-device sync in settings

Customize notifications and themes

Manage account and security settings

System Requirements

OS: macOS 10.12 Sierra or later
RAM: 4 GB minimum
Disk Space: 200 MB free
Internet: Broadband connection required
Architecture: Intel or Apple Silicon (via Rosetta or native build)

PROS

End-to-end encrypted chats
Cross-platform Matrix protocol support
Customizable UI and themes
Supports group chats and file sharing
Open-source and regularly updated

CONS

Interface may feel cluttered
Occasional performance slowdowns
Notifications can be inconsistent
Limited integrations compared to Slack
Learning curve for Matrix newcomers

Note: Additional features available in the paid editions. For a fully managed service and the fastest messaging performance choose Element Matrix Services (EMS).

Also Available: Download Element for Windows

Download Element for Mac Latest Version

Why is this app published on FileHorse? (More info)

What's new in this version:

Features:
- Timeline MVVM 2 - RoomTimelineViewModel
- Promote Custom Themes labs feature to devtools
- Update bundled URL preview implementation to reflect MSC updates
- Render knock membership events in notifications
- Room list: add room selection on section creation/edition
- Room list: add settings to consider activity as unread
- Reworked composer URL previews
- Add new module API to allow setting User Verification CAs
- Tooltip and cursor enhancements for the left panel separator
- Allow settings status directly from menu
- Wire up recent emoji to user status emoji picker

Fixed:
- [Backport staging] Fix bug where manually set status would get lost
- Render textual events as plain text in chat exports
- Fix user levels being edited when going into room setting role tab
- RoomList: wire up "Show People" Space settings Space
- Don't let a failed screen-share source query hang the picker, and consume the display-media callback once
- Always show the current room, even when the Unread filter is active
- Show the same unreads on Home as the spaces show
- Stop notification states emitting an update when nothing has changed
- Always pad the minutes of a duration if the hours place is occupied
- Show the promotion warning when your own power level comes from the room default
- Ensure "Manage account" button in user menu opens a new tab
- Re-evaluate the unread state of a room when one of its events is decrypted
- Let the next and previous room shortcuts work before a room is opened
- Strip a UTF-8 byte order mark before parsing JSON files on desktop
- Only offer permission levels the user can actually set
- Show the unsent symbol on the All rooms badge
- Use correct emoji font on the custom status emoji button
- Stop messages flickering through the file panel as they are sent
- Fix illegible text on hovered Spotlight results in high-contrast theme
- Format relative timestamps using the locale's own date order
- Stop showing an unread count on a room you have left
- Avoid destroying a still-valid session when the OS keychain is temporarily unreadable
- Restore the read marker fade by using a valid CSS easing function
- Stop one finished sound from cutting off another
- Add Sentry frame rewriting for Element Desktop integration
- Replace the selected text when inserting a new line in the composer
- Open the quick settings theme menu upwards so every theme is reachable
- Keep the original URL when deserialising markdown links
- Stop reporting a search you cancelled yourself as a failure
- Respect retry_after_ms and stop retrying rate limited invites forever