How to install Double Commander on a Mac

Double Commander runs on a Mac, Apple silicon included. Download version 1.2.10 from the project's SourceForge page (the aarch64 disk image for M-series Macs), drag the app into Applications, then run one Terminal command before the first launch. Homebrew's Double Commander package is disabled, and SFTP needs the libssh2 library.

Double Commander is a good free app. Everything below was checked on November 8, 2026. We make Leo Commander, so the section at the end measures both apps against the same 25 checks we use for our comparison.

What is Double Commander?

Double Commander is a free, open source file manager for Windows, Linux and macOS. Its homepage says it is inspired by Total Commander, and the layout shows it: two panels side by side, F3 to view a file as text, hex or binary, F4 to edit it in a built-in editor with syntax highlighting, F5 to copy, F6 to rename or move, F7 for a new folder and F8 to delete to the Trash.

It also opens archives like folders, searches inside files, runs file operations in the background, renames in bulk, has tabs and a button bar you can customize, and supports the Total Commander plugin types WCX, WDX, WFX and WLX. The current release is 1.2.10, from November 1, 2026.

How to install Double Commander on Mac

On November 8, 2026, the macOS disk images for 1.2.10 were in the project's SourceForge files. The GitHub release for 1.2.10 listed Windows and Linux files only.

1. Open the SourceForge folder Double Commander > v1.2.10.
2. Download doublecmd-1.2.10.cocoa.aarch64.dmg for a Mac with Apple silicon, or doublecmd-1.2.10.cocoa.x86_64.dmg for an Intel Mac.
3. Open the disk image and drag Double Commander.app into the Applications folder.
4. Open Terminal (in /Applications/Utilities) and run the command from the install notes inside the disk image: xattr -cr "/Applications/Double Commander.app/"
5. Launch Double Commander from Applications.
6. Give it Full Disk Access: choose Apple menu > System Settings, click Privacy & Security, then Full Disk Access (on macOS 12: System Preferences > Security & Privacy > Privacy).

The Double Commander FAQ explains the last step. Without that permission the app may not work correctly with Finder Tags, Time Machine snapshot files and iCloud Drive. Each new version needs the permission again, and switching the existing checkbox on is not enough: remove Double Commander from the list and add the new copy, because a new version has a different fingerprint.

Why the Terminal command is needed

The install notes give the command but not the reason. Homebrew's records supply one: Homebrew disabled its Double Commander package with the reason code fails_gatekeeper_check.

Gatekeeper is the macOS check on software from outside the App Store. Apple says it verifies that an app comes from an identified developer, is notarized by Apple and has not been altered, and it asks for your approval before downloaded software opens for the first time. Apps that download files, such as Safari, mark new downloads with a quarantine extended attribute, and launching a quarantined app always invokes Gatekeeper, as an Apple Developer Technical Support engineer explains on Apple's developer forums.

The xattr command edits extended attributes. Per the xattr manual page that ships with macOS, -c removes all attributes and -r applies that to everything inside a folder. An app is a bundle, a folder that Finder presents as a single file, so the command clears the quarantine marker from every file in Double Commander.app. That stops the first-launch check from blocking the app. The trade-off is that you skip the check macOS runs on quarantined apps, so take Double Commander only from the project's own links.

Double Commander on Apple silicon

The aarch64 disk image is a native Apple silicon build. The program inside is an arm64 executable, and its build information targets macOS 11 or later. Intel Macs use the x86_64 image. Measured against the 25 checks we use for the comparison, Double Commander would pass the native Apple silicon check, the same as Leo Commander.

Is Double Commander on Homebrew?

Not anymore. On November 8, 2026, Homebrew's cask record for double-commander showed it as disabled, with a disable date of September 1, 2026, the reason fails_gatekeeper_check, and version 1.2.8, two releases behind 1.2.10. Homebrew's Cask Cookbook says a disabled cask cannot be installed or upgraded and prints an error, so brew install --cask double-commander fails. The same document says official macOS casks must meet the Gatekeeper requirement.

The warning was public a year earlier. GitHub issue #2494, opened in September 2025, quoted Homebrew's notice that the package would be disabled on September 1, 2026. Install from SourceForge instead, and repeat the steps above for each update.

SFTP needs an extra library

Double Commander's FTP plugin also handles SFTP. For SSH connections, which include SFTP, the plugin uses libssh2.dylib on macOS, and the plugin documentation names the Homebrew package to install. With Homebrew set up:

1. Run brew install libssh2 in Terminal for SFTP. Homebrew listed libssh2 1.11.1 on November 8, 2026.
2. For FTP over SSL/TLS, also run brew install openssl, which provides the libssl and libcrypto files the plugin uses.

So the cask is gone, but you may still need Homebrew itself for SFTP.

Known Double Commander macOS issues

On November 8, 2026, the project's GitHub tracker had 17 open issues with the macOS label. Several were filed against older versions, so some may already behave differently in 1.2.10. The reports that matter most for file work:

• A full freeze while copying a 1.1 GB file to an SD card, reported on a 1.2.0 alpha build on macOS 14 (issue #2526).
• Files pasted from the Windows App (the App Store version, connected to a remote Windows PC) arrive at the right size but contain only zero bytes, reported on 1.1.21 (issue #2094).
• Move Item Here (⌥⌘V) does not work (issue #1480).
• An error when opening /Applications (issue #3142) and a Mac toolbar that forgets its customization (issue #3137), both opened in October 2026.

The other reports cover Finder tags, icons, auto-refresh, language settings and a crash after cancelling a large copy (issue #2168). Read the open macOS issues before you trust Double Commander with large copies to removable media.

Where Double Commander is strong

• Every tool is free. Multi-rename, folder sync and the flat view of all subfolders (Ctrl+B in its key list) cost nothing, while Leo Commander puts Multi-Rename, Synchronize Directories and Branch View in Pro.
• Plugins. It supports the Total Commander plugin types, and its plugin documentation lists a MacCloud plugin marked macOS only.
• Archive formats. The homepage lists ZIP, TAR, 7Z, RAR and DEB among the supported formats. The plugin documentation marks the SevenZip plugin as Windows and Linux only, so check the formats you need on the Mac build.
• A real editor. F4 opens a built-in editor with syntax highlighting.
• One app on three systems. If you also use a Windows PC or a Linux machine, the same program and habits work there.

Double Commander vs Leo Commander

Measured against the 25 checks we use for the comparison (November 7, 2026), Double Commander 1.2.10 would pass 19 and Leo Commander passes all 25. Double Commander misses six checks:

• Total Commander menu names. Double Commander's menus are close but not identical, with Network, Tabs and Favorites menus. Leo Commander uses Files, Mark, Commands, Net, Show, Configuration, Start and Help.
• FTP and SFTP built in. Double Commander needs libssh2 for SFTP. Leo Commander Pro has FTP, SFTP and WebDAV servers in a panel, for copying files.
• Made only for the Mac. Double Commander is one app for Windows, Linux and macOS, built with a cross-platform toolkit. Leo Commander is a Mac app compiled for Apple silicon.
• Built with Apple's own app frameworks. The 1.2.10 Mac download is written in Free Pascal with the Lazarus toolkit. Leo Commander is an AppKit app.
• Passes Apple's Gatekeeper check. Homebrew disabled its Double Commander package on September 1, 2026 because the app fails the check.
• Opens without a Terminal command. The install notes ask you to run xattr before the first launch.

Pick Double Commander if you want every power tool free, plugin support, or the same app on Windows and Linux. Pick Leo Commander if you want the exact Total Commander menus and layout, a Mac-only app and SFTP built into Pro. Leo Commander's gaps are real too: no plugins, ZIP as the only archive format, and server panels that copy but cannot move or edit files.

To compare the keys side by side, see our Total Commander shortcuts on Mac map, or the full Total Commander alternative for Mac guide. You can get the free version from the download page.

Sources

• Double Commander 1.2.10 downloads (SourceForge)
• Double Commander FAQ, macOS section
• Resolving Trusted Execution Problems (Apple Developer Forums, Apple DTS)
• Homebrew cask record for double-commander (formulae.brew.sh)
• Open Double Commander issues labeled macOS (GitHub)

Checked November 8, 2026. Leo Commander is an independent app, not affiliated with Ghisler Software GmbH or Apple Inc.