OpenTag on macOS¶
Choose the build for your Mac, open music through Finder or OpenTag, and learn which shortcuts use Command versus the physical Control key. This page describes the desktop application; it does not turn a simulator preview into an iPhone/iPad app.
Choose and install the Mac download¶
The examples below use the published v0.2.13 release. Check a newer release's own assets and notes before substituting its version. In About This Mac, distinguish Apple silicon from Intel.
Scroll the download table sideways on a narrow screen to read complete filenames.
| Mac | Download choices |
|---|---|
| Apple silicon / arm64 | OpenTag-v0.2.13-macos-arm64.dmg, OpenTag-v0.2.13-macos-arm64.app.tar.gz |
| Intel / x64 | OpenTag-v0.2.13-macos-x64.dmg, OpenTag-v0.2.13-macos-x64.app.tar.gz |
These are separate processor builds, not one universal app. A source-code
ZIP is not the desktop download. Use the DMG for a disk-image copy workflow,
or extract the app archive to obtain OpenTag.app. Copy the application to
Applications before opening your practice files; do not use the mounted
image as a permanent home for the app.
Compare the downloaded package with the SHA256SUMS entry from that same release. For the Apple-silicon DMG, run this in its download folder:
Change the filename for the package you actually chose. Compare the whole hash, not just its beginning. A matching checksum detects a mismatched or damaged download; it does not identify a trusted publisher by itself.
v0.2.13 is ad-hoc signed and not Apple notarized. If macOS blocks a trusted, verified download as an unidentified/non-notarized app, Apple's app-specific opening instructions explain the System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway route after an opening attempt. Managed Macs can restrict that choice. Treat a malware or damaged-app alert according to Apple's guidance instead of assuming every alert means the same thing.
The release's packaging and version metadata do not establish a tested minimum-macOS matrix. Use the build for your processor and include the exact OS/version message if it cannot start. See installation for the shared download and recovery checklist.
Open a copied album¶
- Start the copied/installed OpenTag.app and choose File → Change directory… to open a copied album. Keep the original audio elsewhere.
- Select a track and inspect its tags before editing. Opening files does not itself save a new title or rename the file.
- For later additions, use File → Add directory… or Add files…. An ordinary folder/open-document request replaces the working list; finish pending edits before switching albums.
Finder Open With, dropping supported audio, playlist or folder items on
OpenTag's Dock icon, and the ordinary open -a route feed the app's document
opening queue. The packaged associations offer OpenTag as an alternate;
they do not deliberately make it the default music player.
For an existing copied folder, this Terminal example uses the open-document route. Replace the example user/folder with your own path:
That requests a replacement list, not /add. To pass explicit OpenTag
switches, use the installed bundle executable as described in the
command-line reference. Do not assume
open --args delivers new arguments to an already running app. Inspect
OpenTag's resulting file list and any pending-edit decision before proceeding.
Within the window, an ordinary file/folder drop replaces the list; holding Command while dropping adds to it. Native launch requests are queued for the current instance rather than being a headless batch-editing interface.
Use the right modifier key¶
Most shared Primary shortcuts use Command on macOS: Command+S saves selected pending edits, for example. Some keys keep Control because macOS already uses the Command combination. Option is the Mac key named Alt in cross-platform instructions.
The table's “text field” means the cursor is typing in a field; “file list” means focus is outside text entry. Use visible menu commands when a system shortcut intercepts a key.
| Chord | Focus | OpenTag result |
|---|---|---|
Command+T |
File list | Reload tags |
Control+H |
File list | Add directory |
Control+M |
File list | First favorite directory |
Control+Q |
File list | Toggle tag panel |
Option+T |
File list | Extended tags |
Option+T |
Text field | Text entry |
Control+Option+T |
Text field | Extended tags |
Control+Tab |
File list | Next pane |
Command+Q remains the Mac quit command; it is not the tag-panel toggle. Command+H/M are not substitutes for Control+H/M in OpenTag. While typing, Option+letter can produce a character, so Control+Option activates the corresponding application Alt shortcut instead. Function keys may also require your keyboard's Fn key. See the complete shortcut reference for focus, helper menus and dialog-specific keys.
Finder, paths and external drives¶
File → Open in Finder reveals selected files or the working folder. It is different from Play, which asks the system's default application to open the selected audio. Use Finder's information/properties controls for filesystem details; OpenTag's tag fields are metadata inside the audio.
In filename format strings, a literal backslash still separates folder
components even on a Mac. For reviewed ARTIST = Juniper Vale,
ALBUM = Harbour Lights, TRACK = 3/8, TITLE = Paper Boats:
This describes Juniper Vale/Harbour Lights/03 - Paper Boats beneath the
source file's containing folder, with the original audio extension retained.
It is a naming expression, not a Terminal command. Preview full paths before
applying it. Tag-derived slashes are handled differently from literal folder
boundaries; filename rules
explain that distinction.
Case sensitivity depends on the actual volume. For a spelling-only rename, try one copy and inspect the result; do not assume another volume behaves the same way. An external drive must be mounted and writable for writes to succeed. Reading a tag successfully is not proof that a later write has permission. Use the actual operation error and keep the source copy.
Window, credentials and configuration¶
OpenTag's Windows/Linux notification-area controls are unavailable on macOS. Minimized Mac windows use the Dock; there is no equivalent tray option to turn on in this build.
The Discogs token dialog can optionally use the system Keychain. Saving to Keychain is separate from ordinary options and from a configuration backup; the UI reports whether a token is set, rather than returning the secret. If a Keychain operation fails, read the error and inspect its saved-location status before repeating it. Do not paste the token into an issue report.
Use File → Open configuration folder for this user's actual settings location, and Save configuration… for a settings bundle. An app copied from an archive does not automatically get a portable, beside-the-app profile. Saving configuration does not save pending tags or back up music.
If a Mac-specific operation fails¶
Record the release filename, Mac processor, macOS version and exact error. Distinguish an app-opening/security problem, a file-access failure, a shortcut intercepted while typing and a remote-provider error. Try the visible command on one copied local file before expanding the selection. These instructions combine inspected release metadata with source/model checks; they are not a claim of installation or hardware testing on every Mac.