Download fern for Mac
Your AI discussion copilot that listens, thinks, and acts — so you can focus on the conversation.
Download for MacRequires macOS 13.0 (Ventura) or later
Getting Started
Open the DMG
Double-click the downloaded Fern.dmg file. A window will open showing the Fern app and your Applications folder.
Drag to Applications
Drag the Fern app icon into the Applications folder shortcut. This installs Fern on your Mac.
Open Fern
Open Fern from your Applications folder. On first launch, macOS may show a security warning because the app is from an “unidentified developer.”
“Unidentified Developer” Warning
We are in the process of obtaining our Apple Developer ID certificate. Until then, macOS will show a security warning when you first open Fern. This is expected and safe.
To open Fern:
- Close the warning dialog
- Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security
- Scroll down — you should see “Fern” was blocked from use because it is not from an identified developer
- Click “Open Anyway”
- Enter your password if prompted
You only need to do this once. After that, Fern will open normally.
Sign in and grant permissions
Sign in with your Google account. Fern will ask for microphone access and screen recording (for system audio capture during silent suggestion mode). Fern lives in your menu bar and runs in the background.
Prefer the browser?
You can also try fern as a web app by clicking Login in the top right. Note that the web app has fewer features — the Mac app is our primary supported platform going forward, with capabilities like silent suggestions, background meeting detection, and automatic notifications.
Open web app