macOS Installation Guide

This guide describes how to download, install and encrypt the Dash Core wallet for macOS. The guide is written for macOS Sierra, but the steps should be similar for other versions.

Downloading the Dash Core wallet

Visit https://www.dash.org/downloads to download the latest Dash Core wallet. In most cases, the website will properly detect which version you need. Click Download Installer to download the installer directly.

The website properly detects the wallet appropriate for your system

If detection does not work, you will need to manually choose your operating system. Go to https://www.dash.org/downloads and select the macOS tab, then click Download Installer. Save the file you downloaded to your Downloads folder.

Verifying Dash Core

This step is optional, but recommended to verify the integrity of the file you downloaded. This is done by checking its SHA256 hash against the hash published by the Dash Core development team. To view the published hash, click the Hash file button on the wallet download page.

Once both the Dash Core file and the hash file have downloaded, double-click the hash file or view it in your browser and find the hash value for the Dash Core file you downloaded.

Viewing the Dash Core hash file

This hash value should correspond with the hash value of the file you have downloaded to ensure it is authentic and was not corrupted during transit. To do this, open Terminal, browse to the location where you saved the file, and run the following command, replacing the version with the specific version of the file you downloaded:

shasum -a 256 dashcore-version-osx.dmg

Generating an SHA256 hash for the downloaded file

If the hashes match, then you have an authentic copy of Dash Core for macOS.

Installing Dash Core

Open Finder and browse to your Downloads folder. Then double-click on the .dmg file you downloaded to decompress it. A window appears showing the contents of the file.

Opening the Dash Core .dmg file

Drag the Dash Core application file into your Applications folder to install Dash Core.

Installing Dash Core

Running Dash Core for the first time

To run Dash Core for the first time, either open Launchpad or browse to your Applications folder in Finder. Double-click Dash Core or Dash-Qt to start the application. You may see a warning about opening an app from an unidentified developer. To resolve this problem, simply Control-click the app icon and choose Open from the shortcut menu, then click Open again in the dialog box. The app is saved as an exception to your security settings, and you can open it in the future by double-clicking it just as you can any registered app.

Unblocking macOS from running Dash Core

The first time the program is launched, you will be offered a choice of where you want to store your blockchain and wallet data. Choose a location with enough free space, as the blockchain can reach 30GB+ in size. It is recommended to use the default data folder if possible.

Choosing the Dash Core data folder

Dash Core will then start up. This will take a little longer than usual the first time you run it, since Dash Core needs to generate cryptographic data to secure your wallet.

Starting Dash Core

Synchronizing Dash Core to the Dash network

Once Dash Core is successfully installed and started, you will see the wallet overview screen. You will notice that the wallet is “out of sync”, and the status bar at the bottom of the window will show the synchronization progress.

Dash Core begins synchronizing with the Dash network

During this process, Dash Core will download a full copy of the Dash blockchain from other nodes to your device. Depending on your internet connection, this may take a long time. If you see the message “No block source available”, check your internet connection. When synchronization is complete, you will see a small blue tick in the lower right corner.

Dash Core synchronization is complete

You can now begin to use your wallet to send and receive funds.

Encrypting your Dash wallet

After your wallet has synchronized with the Dash network, it is strongly advised to encrypt the wallet with a password or passphrase to prevent unauthorized access. You should use a strong, new password that you have never used somewhere else. Take note of your password and store it somewhere safe or you will be locked out of your wallet and lose access to your funds.

To encrypt your wallet, click Settings > Encrypt Wallet.

Encrypting the Dash wallet with a password

You will be asked to enter and verify a password.

Enter a password

Confirm you want to encrypt your wallet

When the encryption process is complete, you will see a warning that past backups of your wallet will no longer be usable, and be asked to shut down Dash Core. When you restart Dash Core, you will see a small blue lock in the lower right corner.

Fully encrypted and synchronized Dash Core wallet

You can now begin to use your wallet to safely send and receive funds.