Community supported update to X11

XQuartz for Mac

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XQuartz for Mac

  -  116.38 MB  -  Freeware
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  • Latest Version

    XQuartz 2.8.6 LATEST

  • Review by

    Michael Reynolds

  • Operating System

    Mac OS X 10.9 or later

  • User Rating

    Click to vote

  • Author / Product

    XQuartz Team / External Link

  • Filename

    XQuartz-2.8.6.pkg

  • MD5 Checksum

    c9967a977be7c6fd13b3a796c1cc44f4

XQuartz for Mac is an open-source effort to develop a version of the X.org X Window System that runs on Mac OS X. Together with supporting libraries and applications, it forms the X11.app that Apple shipped with OS X versions 10.5 through 10.7.

The updates available on this site are not official Apple releases. They are a convenient way for users to stay up to date with progress made in the open source community (in which Apple is participating).

Official Apple releases will come from Apple (most likely through OS and Security Updates via Software Update). These updates will likely incorporate many of the changes made in releases when and if Apple deems them appropriate.

X11 is no longer included with Mac, but X11 server and client libraries are available from the app project. X11 server and client libraries for macOS are available from the XQuartz project!

Apple created the app project as a community effort to further develop and support X11 on Mac. The XQuartz project was originally based on the version of X11 included in Mac OS X v10.5.

There have since been multiple releases of XQuartz for macOS with fixes, support for new features, and additional refinements to the X11 experience. Apple is a contributor to the XQuartz project and has worked to ensure that X11 works as expected with macOS and latest available versions of the tool.

How do I use XQuartz on Mac?
  • Install the app on your macOS, which is the official X server software for Mac
  • Run Applications > Utilities > XQuartz.app
  • Right click on the X Quartz icon in the dock and select Applications > Terminal.  This should bring up a new xterm terminal windows.
  • In this xterm windows, ssh into the linux system of your choice using the -X argument (secure X11 forwarding).  For example, to log into hulk.soic.indiana.edu you would run something like ssh -Y [email protected]
  • Once you are logged into the linux system, you can just run the GUI program of your choice (ie. matlab, mathematics, etc) and it will display on your Mac.
PROS
  • Enables X11 Apps on macOS
  • Free & Open-Source
  • Lightweight & Efficient
  • Supports Remote Desktop Use
  • Regular Community Support
CONS
  • Limited macOS Integration
  • Occasional Compatibility Issues
  • Requires Manual Configuration
  • No Official Apple Support
  • Performance Can Be Sluggish


Download XQuartz for Mac Latest Version
Why is this app published on FileHorse? (More info)

What's new in this version:

- Update component projects to newer upstream version, addressing multiple CVEs from the past few years
- glxinfo and glxgears now contain arm64 slices
- Automatically migrate SUFeedURL to the latest URL for the selected reslease type
- Addressed an issue that could cause some X11 surfaces to appear black on Apple Silicon hardware
- Addressed a rendering regression introduced in 2.8.5
- Fixed a crash in xrandr

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