Install Jan on Mac

Goal

Jan installed on an Apple Silicon Mac, its engine ready, and a deliberate choice about where its data folder is. On Windows, go back to chapter 03.

Keep the internet on for this whole chapter. Intel Mac? Jan cannot run local models there (chapter 02).

1. Download

1. Open jan.ai and click Download for macOS.
2. The file is called something like Jan_0.8.8_universal.dmg.

Only download from jan.ai or Jan's GitHub releases.

2. Install

1. Double-click the .dmg.
2. Drag Jan into the Applications folder.
3. Open Jan from Applications (or press Cmd + Space and type "Jan").
4. If macOS says the app cannot be opened, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway. Only do this for a file you downloaded from jan.ai.

3. First-time setup

Jan shows "Jan needs to set up on your system". Click Let's start.

1. Help improve Jan. Anonymous usage statistics, off by default. Click Deny to keep them off.
2. Setting up the local engine. Jan downloads the engine and a small model for file search. On Apple Silicon it uses the Mac's graphics (Metal) automatically.
3. Wait for "Engine ready".
4. If it offers a first model, wait until you have decided on the data folder.

4. Decide where the data lives

The default is ~/Library/Application Support/Jan/data on your Mac's internal drive. Most Macs have only one internal drive, so you have two sensible choices:

Choice	Do this	Good for
Keep the default	nothing	most people
External SSD	create a folder like Jan on the SSD, then Settings → General → App Data → Change Location	low internal storage, or keeping AI data separate

If you choose the external SSD:

1. Plug it in and create the folder in Finder, for example /Volumes/MySSD/Jan.
2. In Jan: Settings → General → App Data → Change Location → pick that folder → confirm.
3. Jan copies the data there and restarts. It may show its setup screen again. That is normal: go through it once more.
4. From now on, plug the SSD in before opening Jan.

Jan refuses a drive's top level and system folders, so always pick a folder inside the drive.

5. Clean up the old copy (optional)

Jan copies, it does not move. After checking below, quit Jan (Cmd + Q). In Finder press Shift + Cmd + G, go to ~/Library/Application Support/Jan, and move only the data folder to the Trash. Leave everything else; it holds the setting that points Jan to the new folder.

Check it works

• Settings → General → App Data shows the folder you expect.
• Open it in Finder. You should see threads, extensions and logs.

Exercise

Find your data folder without using Jan: in Finder press Shift + Cmd + G and type the path from App Data. Bookmark it in the Finder sidebar (drag it there). You will open it again in chapter 08.

If something goes wrong

• "Cannot relocate data folder to root directory": pick a folder inside the drive, not the drive itself.
• Jan opens empty after unplugging the SSD: quit, plug the SSD in, reopen.
• A ggml_metal error later on: the model is too big for your Mac's memory. Use the small model from chapter 05.

Sources: Install on Mac, Data folder, Troubleshooting.