# Hyprland for Mac: the closest macOS alternatives Source: https://chainyourmac.com/hyprland-for-mac Updated: 2026-09-18 · Author: Ahmed Gagan (maker of ChainYourMac) Hyprland is a Wayland compositor for Linux, so there's no macOS version and there can't be one. **Parts of the workflow do run on a Mac.** Here's which tool matches which part, and what you'll have to give up. > **tl;dr:** Hyprland is a Wayland compositor for Linux and can't run on macOS. For Hyprland's **dwindle** tiling, the closest Mac tool is [OmniWM](https://github.com/BarutSRB/OmniWM) (free, but it needs macOS 26 Tahoe). For Hyprland's **scrolling** layout, try OmniWM or [ChainYourMac](https://chainyourmac.com/), which runs on macOS 13 or later. What no Mac tool can match is Hyprland's compositor-level eye candy, because Apple draws the windows. ## Why Hyprland can't come to macOS [Hyprland](https://github.com/hyprwm/Hyprland) is a "dynamic tiling Wayland compositor" for Linux and FreeBSD (v0.56.2 as of September 2026). A compositor isn't an app you run on top of the desktop. It *is* the display layer: it owns every window, every frame and every effect. macOS already has a compositor, the WindowServer, and Apple doesn't let anyone replace it. So a Hyprland port would need Apple to hand over the display stack, which won't happen. Every Mac window manager, free or paid, works as a regular app that moves windows through the macOS Accessibility API while Apple keeps drawing. ## Hyprland users can scroll now, too This matters for picking a Mac tool. Since v0.54.0 (February 27, 2026), Hyprland ships a built-in `scrolling` layout ([wiki page](https://wiki.hypr.land/Configuring/Layouts/Scrolling-Layout/)). The hyprscrolling plugin was dropped from hyprland-plugins in May 2026, and dawsers/hyprscroller is archived. Scrolling went from a plugin to a first-class layout. So before choosing, check which Hyprland you actually use: - **Dwindle / BSP.** Every new window splits the space of the focused one. You want the same automatic splits on your Mac. - **Scrolling.** Windows sit as columns on a strip that extends past the screen, and you scroll through them. Nothing gets squeezed when a window opens. - **Ricing.** Blur, rounded corners, custom animations and shaders. Read the section on eye candy below first, because this is the part that doesn't carry over. ## The Mac options, compared | | Hyprland | OmniWM | yabai | ChainYourMac | |---|---|---|---|---| | Runs on | Linux, FreeBSD | macOS 26 Tahoe+, Apple silicon | macOS | macOS 13+, Apple silicon | | Dwindle / BSP | Yes | Yes (Hyprland-style Dwindle) | Yes (BSP) | No | | Scrolling layout | Yes (since v0.54) | Yes (Niri-style) | No | Yes, it's the whole app | | SIP changes | n/a | None | Only for extras | None | | Config | Text config | GUI + TOML | ~/.yabairc | GUI (TOML optional) | | Hotkeys | Built in | Built in | Needs skhd or similar | Built in, with a shortcut recorder | | Price | Free, BSD-3 | Free, GPL-2.0 | Free, MIT | $9.99 one time, lifetime license | ### OmniWM: closest to Hyprland's dwindle If you live in dwindle, [OmniWM](https://github.com/BarutSRB/OmniWM) is the most direct match on a Mac, and we'd point you there first. Each workspace can use either a Niri-style scrolling layout or a Hyprland-style Dwindle layout. It's free and open source (GPL-2.0), notarized, needs no SIP changes, and has a settings GUI plus `~/.config/omniwm/settings.toml`. It also has scratchpads, an overview, a command palette and an `omniwmctl` CLI. As of September 2026 it's at v0.7.0 and very actively developed. The catch: it requires **Apple silicon and macOS 26 Tahoe or later**. If you're on Sequoia or earlier, it's not an option yet. Full comparison: [ChainYourMac vs OmniWM](https://chainyourmac.com/chainyourmac-vs-omniwm). ### yabai: BSP for older macOS versions [yabai](https://github.com/asmvik/yabai) does automatic BSP tiling and is free (MIT). Tiling works with SIP enabled. Hotkeys come from a separate tool such as skhd. It's the ricer's Mac option, since it can do window opacity, window animations and removing shadows, but all of those need SIP partially disabled, which is a real trade-off on a work machine. See [yabai without SIP](https://chainyourmac.com/yabai-without-sip). ### ChainYourMac: scrolling, on the macOS you already run [ChainYourMac](https://chainyourmac.com/) only does scrolling. Windows sit side by side on an endless strip, opening one never resizes the others, and you move along the strip with the keyboard or a three- or four-finger swipe that follows your fingers and then glides to the nearest window. It's a SwiftUI app with a Rust engine, notarized, with no SIP changes, and it runs on macOS 13 Ventura and later on Apple silicon. That's the main practical difference from OmniWM. What a Hyprland scrolling user will recognise: - **Columns and stacks.** Stack several windows in one column, reorder them, make them taller, shorter or equal. Or turn a column into tabs. - **Width presets.** Option+R cycles widths, Option+F goes full width, and Option+C centers the focused column. - **Vim-style keys.** Option+H/J/K/L to focus, Option+Shift to move. Every shortcut can be rebound. - **Multi-monitor.** Each display has its own strip, and windows stay on their display. - **Scripting.** A `chainyourmac` CLI, a URL scheme and Raycast script commands. You can try the model in the live demo on this page. It's a working model of ChainYourMac, not a video. ## The eye candy problem, honestly This is where Hyprland users get disappointed. Hyprland draws every frame itself, so it can blur, round, shade and animate however you configure it. On a Mac, **Apple's compositor draws all windows**, and window managers can only move and resize them. None of the tools here can add blur behind a terminal or run shaders on your windows the way Hyprland does. What you can get: smooth motion. ChainYourMac's animation is synced to your display's refresh rate, up to 120 Hz on ProMotion, and OmniWM also lists refresh-rate-synced animations. ChainYourMac adds an optional focus border and can dim inactive windows (both off by default). yabai goes further on opacity and shadows if you're willing to partly disable SIP. If ricing is the reason you use Hyprland, no Mac setup will fully replace it. ## Who should use what ### Stay on Hyprland if… - you can keep Linux for daily work; nothing on macOS matches a full compositor; - compositor-level effects are a big part of why you love it. ### Use OmniWM if… - you're on macOS 26 Tahoe and want dwindle, or want to switch between dwindle and scrolling per workspace; - you want a free, open-source tool. ### Use yabai if… - you want BSP on an older macOS, and you're fine pairing it with a hotkey daemon. ### Use ChainYourMac if… - you've moved to Hyprland's scrolling layout and want the same idea on a Mac running Ventura, Sonoma, Sequoia or Tahoe; - you want trackpad swipes, a GUI for settings, and no SIP changes; - you're happy to pay once for a focused, polished scrolling tool. **Running Hyprland's scrolling layout? Here it is on macOS.** Columns on an endless strip, trackpad swipes that follow your fingers, and animation synced to your display. On macOS 13 or later, no SIP changes. Price and checkout: https://chainyourmac.com/#pricing (one-time purchase, lifetime license; macOS 13+ on Apple silicon). ## FAQ ### Can I install Hyprland on macOS? No. [Hyprland](https://github.com/hyprwm/Hyprland) is a dynamic tiling Wayland compositor for Linux (and FreeBSD). A compositor replaces the display server, and macOS's WindowServer can't be replaced. Mac window managers work as regular apps that move windows through the Accessibility API instead. ### What is the closest thing to Hyprland on a Mac? For Hyprland's dwindle tiling, [OmniWM](https://chainyourmac.com/chainyourmac-vs-omniwm), which has a Hyprland-style Dwindle layout, but it needs macOS 26 Tahoe. For Hyprland's scrolling layout, OmniWM or [ChainYourMac](https://chainyourmac.com/) (macOS 13+). For classic BSP tiling, [yabai](https://chainyourmac.com/chainyourmac-vs-yabai). ### Does Hyprland have a scrolling layout? Yes. Since v0.54.0 (February 2026), Hyprland ships a built-in `scrolling` layout, documented on the [Hyprland wiki](https://wiki.hypr.land/Configuring/Layouts/Scrolling-Layout/). The older hyprscrolling plugin was dropped from hyprland-plugins, and hyprscroller is archived. ### Can I get Hyprland's blur and animations on macOS? Not in the same way. Apple's compositor draws every window on a Mac, so no window manager gets Hyprland-style compositor effects. Some tools animate window movement: ChainYourMac and OmniWM both sync their animations to the display's refresh rate. yabai can do window opacity and animations, but only with SIP partially disabled. ### Do Mac tiling window managers need SIP disabled? Usually not. ChainYourMac and OmniWM never need SIP changes. yabai's tiling works with SIP on; only extras like space management, opacity and animations need it partially off. See [yabai without SIP](https://chainyourmac.com/yabai-without-sip). ## Related - [ChainYourMac vs OmniWM](https://chainyourmac.com/chainyourmac-vs-omniwm) — Two no-SIP scrolling tilers. Which macOS you run decides it. - [Niri for Mac](https://chainyourmac.com/niri-for-mac) — Every way to get the Niri workflow on macOS, compared. - [ChainYourMac vs yabai](https://chainyourmac.com/chainyourmac-vs-yabai) — Scrolling strip vs BSP tiling — and the SIP question. - [Scrolling window managers, explained](https://chainyourmac.com/what-is-a-scrolling-window-manager) — The strip model, and how scrolling differs from tiling.