There’s no YouTube app for Mac. Here’s how to make one.
Google doesn’t make a YouTube app for the Mac. You can still give YouTube an app of its own: a window with only YouTube in it, its own Dock icon, and a hotkey. It stays signed in, and it takes about a minute.
With Tilemode: press ⌃⌥N, enter https://www.youtube.com, name it YouTube, pick a hotkey such as ⌃⌥⌘Y, and click Add app.
Built in: open YouTube in Safari and choose File › Add to Dock (macOS Sonoma 14 or later).
Is there a YouTube app for Mac?
No. Google makes YouTube apps for iPhone, iPad and TV, but not for the Mac, and the iPad app isn’t offered for Mac in the App Store. On a Mac, YouTube is a website.
Giving it its own app keeps videos out of your work tabs: one window for YouTube, with its own Dock icon and a hotkey that brings it back.
How to make a YouTube app with Tilemode
- Open Tilemode (it needs macOS 14 or later) and press ⌃⌥N, or choose New web app… from the Tilemode menu.
- Address: type
https://www.youtube.com - Name: type YouTube. This is the name you’ll see in the Dock.
- Hotkey: pick keys such as ⌃⌥⌘Y (type
ctrl+opt+cmd+y) and, if you like, a Tile such asright-halfso it always opens in that part of the screen. - Click Add app, then sign in to YouTube once inside the new app.
Tilemode builds a small app for it in ~/Applications/Tilemode Apps, with a plain letter icon (no logo), its own Dock spot and its own storage. Prefer the command line? tilemode app add https://www.youtube.com --name "YouTube" --hotkey ctrl+opt+cmd+y --tile right-half does the same thing.
What works in your YouTube app
It’s YouTube’s own website, so it looks and works the way it does in a browser. On top of that:
- Its own window and Dock icon. ⌘⇥ finds it like any other app.
- It stays signed in. Each app keeps its own sign-in and storage, separate from your browser and from your other web apps.
- One key to bring it up. The hotkey opens the app, or brings it to the front if it’s already open.
- Notifications. When YouTube shows a notification while the app is open, it appears as a normal Mac notification.
- Downloads go to your Downloads folder, and links to other sites open in your usual browser.
- Mac keys: ⌘R reloads, ⌘[ and ⌘] go back and forward, ⌘L goes to an address, and ⌘⇧O opens the page in your browser.
Good for
- Watching videos, signed in, with your subscriptions, playlists and history
- Searching, liking and commenting
- Keeping a video in half the screen while you work in the other half
What it can’t do yet
- Uploading videos: Tilemode web apps can’t open the file picker yet.
- The player’s full-screen button: use theater mode (press T) and fill the screen with ⌃⌥F instead.
Tips for YouTube as an app
- Half and half: set the tile to right-half and watch a tutorial on one side while you follow along on the other.
- Bigger picture: press T in the player for theater mode, then ⌃⌥F to make the window fill the screen.
- Separate from your browser: the app has its own sign-in, so it can use a different account from the one in your browser.
The built-in way: Safari’s Add to Dock
On macOS Sonoma 14 or later, Safari can make a web app for free:
- Open YouTube in Safari:
https://www.youtube.com - Choose File › Add to Dock (or click the Share button and choose Add to Dock).
- Type a name and click Add.
The web app is saved to the Applications folder in your home folder and appears in the Dock and Spotlight. Safari usually carries your sign-in over when you make it. After that it keeps its own cookies and history, apart from Safari. It has a simple toolbar with back and forward, you can give it any name and icon, and for sites that send notifications it can show them with a count on its Dock icon. Because it’s Safari underneath, it also handles things Tilemode apps can’t yet, like choosing files to upload.
More on this, step by step: how to turn a website into a Mac app.
Why make it with Tilemode
Safari’s web app is a good start. Tilemode, our Mac app, adds the parts that make it fast to use every day:
- A hotkey for every app. Press it and YouTube comes up, whatever you’re doing. Press it again to go through its windows.
- It opens where you want it. Give the app a tile and it lands there every time, next to your other work.
- Tiling for everything else. ⌃⌥1 puts your windows side by side, and ⌃⌥F fills the screen.
- As many as you like. Each app has its own sign-in, so two accounts can be two apps with two keys.
Questions
Will I stay signed in?
Yes. The app keeps its sign-in and storage between launches, separate from your browser and from your other web apps.
Can I watch YouTube full screen in the app?
The player’s own full-screen button doesn’t work in a Tilemode app. Use theater mode (press T) and Control-Option-F to make the window fill the screen.
Can I upload videos from the app?
Not yet, because Tilemode apps can’t open the file picker. Press Command-Shift-O to open the page in your browser and upload there.
How do I remove the app?
In Tilemode, run tilemode app remove with the app’s name, or delete it from ~/Applications/Tilemode Apps. For a Safari web app, drag it from the Applications folder in your home folder to the Trash.