Apple's compact Mac Mini computers, running macOS, are fantastic multipurpose digital signage devices and can handle even the most demanding content with ease. As macOS is a fully-featured desktop operating system, you have a wide variety of apps that you can choose from to run alongside ScreenCloud, including several remote device management options. You also have the option to power multiple screens from only one main device.

For instructions on how to set up your Mac Mini specifically, check out our detailed article here and view the video above.

Because macOS comes preinstalled with every Apple Mac Device, including the Mac Mini, the setup process will be similar for all macOS devices. However, included below are additional important configurations we recommend you do if you are going to use your macOS device solely as a digital signage media player. Follow the steps below to learn how to set up ScreenCloud on your macOS hardware.

1.1.1. First, we recommend you disable all notifications. You can do this by clicking on the Apple logo at the top left corner of your screen. Select "System Preferences", then select "Notifications", and on the left-hand side menu go ahead and turn off notifications for each app. This will reduce the chances of an interruption during your digital signage use.

1.1.2. Next you want to ensure that your Mac Mini does not go into sleep mode during operation hours. You can do this by going back in to your System Preferences and select "Energy Saver", then select "Power Adapter" and move the slider option to "Never" where it says "Turn display off after".

Secondly you will want to select the "check box" to prevent the computer from automatically going into sleep mode when the display is off, as well as "unchecking" the box to put the hard disks to sleep when possible like so:

1.1.3. Now that you are ready in install the ScreenCloud Player App, please visit our download page at screen.cloud/download from your browser.

Select the latest version listed for macOS and your browser should automatically start downloading the installation file. After the file is finished downloading, select the file and proceed to install the ScreenCloud Player app by moving it to the Applications folder.

1.1.4. When you open the app for the first time, you may be presented with an alert from macOS like so:

If this happens, select the Apple logo on the top left corner of your screen, enter your System Preferences, and select "Security and Privacy". Under General you will see that the ScreenCloud Player app is blocked, go ahead and select "Open Anyway". Don't worry, the app is not harmful.

1.1.6. After selecting Open Anyway, go back to the ScreenCloud app and open it. If you are presented with another alert from macOS like so:

Go ahead and select Open.

1.1.7. When the app starts up for the first time you will have the option to launch the ScreenCloud Player app every time the system starts up. If you prefer this, select the option to "Start at boot".

If you're not sure what to do yet, don't worry, you can change this later in the settings menu.

Now you'll see the custom pairing code, you can then use this to pair your macOS device by logging into your ScreenCloud account here from the web browser on your computer.

Once you log into your account, select the New Screen button on the top right corner, input the unique pairing displayed on your TV, and enter the name of your device.

And that's it, you are now ready to set any content you'd like to show on your screen. Learn how to use ScreenCloud with our full walkthrough article, follow step-by-step to get started on how to use ScreenCloud for digital signage. This will help you become comfortable with the setup process and the main features of using ScreenCloud.

3.1.1. Click anywhere on the app to open the settings sidebar (it will slide in from the right).

3.1.2. Right-click on the app and select Toggle Setting Menu.

If you want to pair your macOS device with a different ScreenCloud account, or if you need to reset the pairing for any other reason;

3.2.1. Open the settings sidebar and select Reset pairing.

3.2.2. This will reset the player pairing and give you a new code to pair with.

3.3.1. Right-click on the player and select Toggle Fullscreen. This will switch the app from windowed mode to full-screen mode and vice versa.

Simply exiting the app by clicking the close button on the top right corner won't keep the app closed due to the app's 'resurrection' feature, as the app will just continue to relaunch. This setting is to ensure that the app re-opens after crashes or 'accidental' closes. There are two ways to close the app for good:

3.4.1. Open the settings sidebar and then select Exit player.

3.4.2. Right-click on the app and select Close.

To ensure you get the latest features and security improvements, you'll want to make sure that auto update is enabled. Please note that if you have installed the ScreenCloud player app manually (for example via a 3rd party device management service) you will need to update it manually.

3.5.1. Open the settings sidebar.

3.5.2. Ensure the Auto update option is enabled. Once it is the player app will regularly check if there are any new updates and if they are they will install them automatically.

Good job! You have successfully set up your macOS devices with ScreenCloud.

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