Install a password manager on Mac

Which install method to use

All three are the same open-source desktop app, signed and notarised by Bitwarden Inc. and published from the bitwarden/clients repository. The Homebrew cask downloads exactly the .dmg you would fetch by hand and verifies its checksum. The App Store build differs in one respect: it runs inside Apple’s app sandbox, which is why it can carry the Safari web extension.

Intel or Apple Silicon does not matter. The current release is a universal binary, so one download runs natively on both. Current builds require a recent macOS; macOS 12 Monterey or later is the usual floor, but check the release notes if your Mac is older, because Electron-based apps drop old systems periodically. Pick one method and stick with it; two copies of Bitwarden confuse Safari and the browser integration.

Method 1: Homebrew (one command)

Homebrew is the de facto package manager for macOS. If it is already on your Mac, the whole install is one line.

1. Press Command-Space, type Terminal and press Return.
2. If you do not have Homebrew yet, paste the official installer from brew.sh and press Return.

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

3. The script lists what it will do, asks for your login password once (it uses sudo to create /opt/homebrew or /usr/local), and installs Apple’s Command Line Tools if they are missing.
4. On Apple Silicon the script ends with Next steps and two lines that add Homebrew to your PATH. Run them, or simply close Terminal and open a new window.
5. Paste the install command and press Return.

brew install --cask bitwarden

6. Homebrew downloads the .dmg, checks its SHA-256 against the cask, and moves Bitwarden.app into /Applications. Open it from Launchpad or Spotlight.

--cask tells Homebrew this is a graphical app rather than a command-line formula. Casks install into /Applications under your own account, so no sudo is involved.

Method 2: the .dmg from GitHub

1. Open the current release on GitHub (the install panel on this page links to it) and download Bitwarden-<version>-universal.dmg, roughly 100 MB.
2. Double-click the file to mount it. A Finder window shows the Bitwarden icon next to an Applications shortcut.
3. Drag Bitwarden onto Applications.
4. Click the eject icon next to the disk image in the Finder sidebar, then delete the .dmg from Downloads.
5. Open Bitwarden from Applications.

Get the file only from GitHub or bitwarden.com. Copycat “Bitwarden for Mac” download sites exist and some of them wrap the real app in adware. The checklist in how to download a password manager safely takes a minute and covers the signature check.

Method 3: Mac App Store

Open the App Store, search for Bitwarden, click Get and confirm with Touch ID or your Apple Account password. The app lands in Applications and the App Store keeps it updated.

The App Store build is sandboxed. It is the build most reliably paired with Safari, because Safari extensions must ship inside a signed, sandboxed app. Functionally it is otherwise identical to the Homebrew and .dmg builds and syncs the same vault.

First run: Gatekeeper, account, Touch ID

1. The first time you open a Homebrew or .dmg install, macOS shows “Bitwarden” is an app downloaded from the internet. Are you sure you want to open it? Click Open. Gatekeeper is confirming a notarised app; the prompt appears once. The App Store build skips it.
2. Choose Create account (free) or Log in. The free plan has no limit on passwords or devices.
3. Pick a master password of four or more random words. Bitwarden never sees it; it derives the key that encrypts your vault on this Mac.
4. Open Settings, Security and switch on Unlock with Touch ID. macOS asks you to confirm with your fingerprint once. From then on Touch ID unlocks the vault and the master password is only needed after a restart. On a Mac without a sensor, such as a Mac mini with a plain keyboard, turn on Unlock with PIN instead.
5. Set Vault timeout to something like 15 minutes, or On system lock, and set the action to Lock, not log out, so Touch ID keeps working.

Enable the Safari extension (and other browsers)

The desktop app stores and generates passwords; the extension fills them into websites. On a Mac the Safari extension is bundled with the desktop app, so there is nothing separate to download.

1. Open the Bitwarden desktop app once, then quit Safari fully with Command-Q and reopen it.
2. Choose Safari, Settings, Extensions and tick Bitwarden.
3. Click the Bitwarden icon in the toolbar, log in, and when Safari asks, choose Always Allow on Every Website so autofill works everywhere.
4. Turn off Safari’s own saving under Safari, Settings, AutoFill, untick User names and passwords, so you get one save prompt rather than two.

For Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Brave and Arc, install the extension from each browser’s store, log in with the same account, then in the extension open Settings, Account security and turn on Unlock with biometrics. The extension talks to the desktop app so Touch ID unlocks both. If the toggle complains, enable Settings, Options, Allow browser integration in the desktop app first. The full walkthrough, including passkeys and autofill shortcuts, is in the browser extension guide. If you have been relying on iCloud Keychain, the Bitwarden vs Apple Passwords comparison explains what changes, and import from Chrome covers moving passwords a browser already holds.

Update and uninstall

Updating a Homebrew install is one line, and it also refreshes the cask definition first:

brew upgrade --cask bitwarden

The .dmg and Homebrew builds also update themselves: Bitwarden, Check for Updates in the menu bar. The App Store build updates through the App Store.

To uninstall a Homebrew install:

brew uninstall --cask bitwarden

Add --zap to remove preferences and caches as well. For a .dmg install, drag /Applications/Bitwarden.app to the Trash, then delete ~/Library/Application Support/Bitwarden, which holds the encrypted local cache and settings. The App Store build keeps its data in ~/Library/Containers/com.bitwarden.desktop instead. Nothing readable is stored on the Mac, and your vault is synced, so reinstalling and logging in brings everything back.

Troubleshooting

• zsh: command not found: brew. On Apple Silicon, Homebrew lives in /opt/homebrew/bin, which is not on the PATH until its shell setup runs. Paste eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)" and, to make it permanent, add that line to ~/.zprofile. On Intel Macs the binary is /usr/local/bin/brew.
• “Bitwarden” is damaged and can’t be opened. You should move it to the Trash. The download was truncated or came from a mirror that broke the notarisation. Delete the app and the .dmg and download again from GitHub. Do not strip quarantine attributes with xattr to force a suspicious file open.
• Extension cannot connect to the desktop app. In the desktop app enable Settings, Options, Allow browser integration, then quit and reopen the browser. Check that only one copy of Bitwarden is installed; a leftover App Store copy next to a Homebrew copy is the usual cause.
• Touch ID option is missing or greyed out. The Mac needs a Touch ID sensor, and macOS must have granted Bitwarden permission. Look under System Settings, Privacy & Security if you denied the first prompt, and make sure the vault timeout action is Lock, not Log out.
• Safari does not list Bitwarden under Extensions. Quit Safari, open the desktop app, reopen Safari. If it is still missing, install the App Store build, which registers the extension reliably.