FAQ - Setting Up Roon on MacOS

FAQ: Setting Up Roon on MacOS

Roon is a powerful music management and playback platform that works beautifully on macOS, and there are a few important things to know before you dive in. This guide will walk you through the essentials for setting up Roon on your Mac.

Let’s first understand Roon’s architecture

Roon isn’t just an app, it’s a system with three components:
  • Server: The “brain” of Roon, where your music library lives and all the heavy lifting happens. This is your Roon Server.
  • Control: The interface you use to browse and play music (Roon app on your Mac, iPad, or phone).
  • Output: Where the music plays (your Mac speakers, DAC, or network streamers).
On macOS, you can run Server, Control, and Output all on the same machine, which is common for personal use. 
Info
Note that the Mac must be powered on and connected to your local network anytime you want to use Roon and listen to music. If your Mac goes into sleep mode, Roon Server stops.

Minimum macOS Requirements

  • macOS Version: Roon requires macOS 10.15 Catalina or later.
  • Hardware: At least 4GB RAM, but 8GB or more is strongly recommended for large libraries or DSP use.
  • Processor: Intel Core i3 or better (Apple Silicon works great via native or Rosetta 2).
For large libraries (100k+ tracks), consider a faster SSD and more RAM.

Downloading and Installing Roon

  • Go to roonlabs.com/downloads and choose 'Install Roon for Mac”
  • Save the Roon.dmg file to your downloads folder.
  • Once downloaded, open the Roon.dmg file and drag it to your Applications folder.
  • Open Roon (macOS will likely ask to confirm since it’s downloaded from the internet).


First Launch: Roon Server Setup

  • When you launch Roon for the first time, it will ask you to set up a Roon Server.
  • For most users: Select “Use This Mac” as your server.
  • Sign in with your Roon account or start your trial.

Having trouble getting Roon Server to launch? Head to the bottom of this page for first steps in troubleshooting. 

Adding Music to Roon via macOS

Roon gives you three different ways to add music, and you’re free to use any or all of them together:

Having trouble getting your local folder recognized in Roon? Head to the bottom of the page for the first steps in troubleshooting.

  • Streaming Services: Log in to TIDAL or Qobuz under Roon Settings > Services.


  1. Live Radio: access the 'Live Radio' tab on the left-hand navigation bar and explore all the live radio options within Roon. 
Now that you’ve added your music to Roon, let’s get it playing out your audio zones!

Audio Device Setup

  • Roon automatically scans your system for all available audio outputs:
    • Mac built-in audio (speakers, headphone jack).
    • USB DACs (Digital-to-Analog Converters you’ve connected).
    • Networked devices (Roon Ready endpoints, AirPlay, Chromecast, Sonos, etc.).
  • You’ll find these listed under Settings > Audio. Learn more about Roon Zones here.

Enabling Audio Devices

  • By default, detected devices are shown as “Available” but not enabled.
  • To use one, click Enable, give it a friendly name (e.g. “Living Room DAC” or “Office Mac”), and it will show up as a playback zone.

  1. Here is a view of the same audio device as the enabled playback zone:

Managing Volume Control

To access your volume control settings, click the volume icon  > settings cogwheel > device setup



Once in Device setup, you can review the following Volume control options:
  • Device Volume: Controls volume at the DAC level (if supported).
  • Fixed Volume: Best for external preamps or amps. Roon sends audio at full resolution, no digital volume applied.
  • DSP Volume: Let's Roon handle volume digitally in the software, useful when device volume isn’t supported.



To learn more about sound quality options using macOS as both a Server and Roon Remote, click here.

Setting Up Backups with macOS 

  • Roon’s database stores your playlists, edits, and preferences. The more changes you make to further customize your Roon experience, the more you'll want to save a backup in case something goes wrong. 
    • Go to Settings > Backups and schedule automatic backups to an external drive or local network/cloud location.
      • For best practice, it's ideal to never save a backup on the same drive that hosts your Roon Server. In the case of using your Mac as a Roon Server, it's best to save your backups to a separate drive location, like an external USB drive or local shared network drive. 
    • Click here to learn more about Backups

Troubleshooting Basics

  • If Roon can’t see your DAC:
    • Verify the USB cable, power, and port; confirm the DAC appears in macOS Audio MIDI Setup; then check Settings > Audio to ensure it’s listed under “This Mac” and toggle it off/on or restart Roon if needed.
  • If endpoints aren’t showing: 
    • Open Roon Settings > Audio and make sure the device is enabled; then check that your server and endpoints are on the same subnet, no VPN/firewall is blocking discovery, and your router isn’t isolating devices.
  • For streaming login issues: 
    • Test your credentials directly on the service’s website, then log out/in inside Roon to refresh tokens; also, ensure your Mac’s clock is set automatically and that DNS/VPN/firewall settings aren’t interfering.

I can’t open Roon Server on my Mac

  • Let’s first zero in on macOS security settings that often prevent Roon Server from opening. When you download Roon Server, macOS may flag it as coming from an “unidentified developer” or mark it as unsafe.

    • Symptoms:

      • Nothing happens when you double-click the app.
      • You get a pop-up saying Roon “can’t be opened because it is from an unidentified developer.”

    • Fix:

      • Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security.
      • Scroll down, you’ll often see a message like “RoonServer was blocked because it is not from an identified developer” with an Allow Anyway button. Click it, then try reopening.
      • If that doesn’t appear:
        • Head to your applications folder and find Roon → Right-click (or Control-click) →Show Package Contents → RoonServer → Right-click (or Control-click) → Open → click Open again in the warning dialog. This should both open Roon Server and whitelist it.

  • Firewall Blocking - If macOS Firewall is on, it may block Roon’s inbound connections at startup, preventing it from launching fully.

    • Fix:
      • Go to System Settings → Network → Firewall → Options…
      • Add RoonServer and RAATServer and set them to Allow incoming connections.

  • Full Disk Access - Roon needs access to your Music folder, external drives, and its own database location under ~/Library. If macOS blocks this, Roon Server may fail silently.

    • Fix:
      • Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access.
      • Unlock with your masOS password/Touch ID.
      • Make sure RoonServer is checked. If not, add them manually by clicking + and selecting the app from Applications.

Roon doesn’t recognize my local music folders

  • First, run through the steps outlined here: Adding a Local Folder to your Roon Library
  • If the folder doesn’t appear:
    • Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access.
    • Ensure Roon (or RoonServer) is checked.
    • Restart Roon.
  • Check to ensure you're using supported audio formats - learn more here.

If you're stuck and need additional help, get in touch with our Technical Support team here. 

    • Related Articles

    • Installing Roon

      Operating Systems covered in this article: macOS Windows Linux iOS and Android Minimum Requirements See the FAQ: What are the minimum requirements for more information about the hardware and software platforms supported by Roon. Installing Roon on ...

    • FAQ: What's the best way to configure my NAS for Roon?

      If your media storage or backup location isn't directly connected to your server machine, you'll need to add that location over the network. Whether you're using a NAS, Windows, or Mac machine for storage, adding these locations is easy as long as ...

    • Audio On macOS

      Overview Roon supports two output mechanisms on macOS: CoreAudio and ASIO. CoreAudio is Apple's native audio framework. ASIO support on Mac is extremely limited--currently the only devices we are aware of are manufactured by exaSound. If you don't ...

    • FAQ: How do I create a shared folder on Mac and add it as a watched folder in Roon?

      Before Roon will be able to access your music library that's stored on your Mac OS device, you'll need to first ensure that the folder is properly shared. Once the folder has the proper share settings applied, it can be added as a watched folder in ...

    • Roon 1.8 <-> 2.0 Migration FAQ

      If you are on this page, it means you are not quite ready to use Roon 2.0, but would like to know what your options are. We answer questions like "How long can I use Roon 1.8", "Will I be able to upgrade to Roon 2.0 later?" and more in this article. ...
    Visit the Roon Community!
    Need help? Thousands of Roon subscribers and audio enthusiasts are chatting over on our community site right now, join them! You don't even need a Roon subscription to sign up.