🧰 Cross-Compile macOS Apps on Windows — C, Objective-C, Qt, Cocoa (No Mac Needed)

Build native macOS applications — including Cocoa and Qt-based GUI apps — entirely on Windows, using Clang, CMake, and Ninja.

xar archive coming to windows soon

✅ No Mac required to build. Just transfer and run the output on a real Mac.

🖱️ New: Use the built-in Toolchain GUI to select your macOS SDK, configure deployment targets, and generate CMake projects.

📂 Find the Toolchain GUI in the tool/ folder of this repo.

✨ Features

• Build real macOS .app and CLI binaries from Windows
• Full support for C, Objective-C, and Qt (QtWidgets)
• Cocoa GUI support (AppDelegate, XIB-style)
• Works with CMake + Ninja or Visual Studio
• Automatically detects macOS SDK from SDK/ folder
• Includes working examples: CLI, Cocoa, and Qt GUI
• No VM or Hackintosh required

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📦 Overview

This project provides a cross-compilation toolchain that allows you to build native macOS executables — including GUI apps — from a Windows system. It supports:

• Clang + macOS SDK
• Objective-C, C, and C++ (Qt)
• Cocoa GUI (with AppDelegate)
• Qt Widgets-based GUI

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📁 Project Structure

MacCross/
├── CMakeLists.txt
├── SDK/
│   └── MacOSX14.5.sdk/             # <--- Place SDK here
├── C-Example/
│   └── hello.c
├── ObjC-Example/
│   ├── main.m
│   ├── AppDelegate.h
│   └── AppDelegate.m
├── Qt-Example/
│   ├── main.cpp
├── macosx-toolchain.cmake
├── build-Qt.bat                    # Optional manual script
├── build/

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🔧 Requirements

• LLVM/Clang for Windows
• Ninja build system
• CMake (v3.10+)
• macOS SDK (place in SDK/ folder)
• QtMacos-SDK
• Qt Example on GitHub

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🛠️ How to Build

You can build using either CMake + Ninja (CLI) or Visual Studio (GUI). Both methods work with this project.

🔧 Option 1: CMake + Ninja (Recommended for automation or scripting)

mkdir build
cd build
cmake -G Ninja -DCMAKE_TOOLCHAIN_FILE=../macosx-toolchain.cmake ..
cmake --build .

🖥️ Option 2: Visual Studio (Recommended for GUI users)

1. Open Visual Studio
2. Select "Open a local folder"
3. Choose the project root (where CMakeLists.txt is located)
4. When prompted, select a CMake configuration (e.g., x64-Release)
5. Visual Studio will detect the CMake project and automatically configure it
6. Ensure macosx-toolchain.cmake is being used:
   • Go to CMake Settings or CMakePresets.json
   • Set the toolchain file path under CMake toolchain file
7. Build via Build > Build All

✅ Make sure the toolchain file is set, or builds will fail.

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📌 Environment Variables (Static Qt Builds Only)

If you're using Qt (especially static builds), set the following environment variables before building:

set QT_DIR=F:\Qt\6.7.3\macos
set QT_FRAMEWORKS=%QT_DIR%\lib

✅ MACOSX_SDK_PATH and MACOSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET are automatically handled by the toolchain (SDK is detected from the SDK/ folder, deployment target is set to 11.0 by default).

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✅ Verifying the Output

Transfer the built binaries to a Mac and run:

./hello         # From C-Example
./ObjCExample   # From Cocoa app
./QtExample     # From Qt app

Expected output:

Hello, world!

⚠️ Note: Binaries are unsigned. You may need to bypass Gatekeeper to run them.

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📚 Examples Included

• ✅ CLI C Hello World
• ✅ Cocoa GUI App (Objective-C + AppDelegate)
• ✅ Qt Widgets GUI App

Want Swift support? Coming soon.

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🛠️ Tools

• Image to ICNS: Convert PNG or JPEG images to macOS .icns files on Windows.

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📜 License & Legal Note

This project is licensed under the MIT License (with a non-commercial use clause).
See the LICENSE file for more details.

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💬 Feedback

If you found this project helpful, please open an issue with suggestions or improvements.
Contributions are welcome — feel free to submit a pull request!

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