macOS Export Guide

Step-by-step guide to exporting your game for Mac computers

Overview

This guide walks you through exporting your Summer Engine game for macOS. Whether you’re targeting Steam, itch.io, or direct distribution, the export process is the same.

Time to complete: 10-15 minutes (first time)

If You See Red Export Errors

Do these 3 steps first:

1. Set a real bundle identifier

   In the macOS export preset, set Application → Bundle Identifier to something unique like com.yourstudio.yourgame.

2. Enable Mac texture compression

   Go to Project Settings → Rendering → Textures → VRAM Compression and enable Import ETC2 ASTC.

3. Choose your signing path

   For local testing, you can export unsigned. For direct downloads from your own website, you should configure code signing and notarization so Gatekeeper does not block the app.

Just trying your game on your own Mac first? Set a bundle identifier and enable Import ETC2 ASTC. You can ignore code signing and notarization until you’re ready to share the app with other people.

Prerequisites

Enable ETC2 ASTC Texture Compression

Apple Silicon Macs (M1, M2, M3 chips) require ETC2/ASTC texture format.

1. Open Project Settings

   Go to Project → Project Settings in the menu bar

2. Navigate to Textures

   Rendering → Textures → VRAM Compression

3. Enable ETC2 ASTC

   Toggle Import ETC2 ASTC to On

4. Wait for Reimport

   Summer will reimport all textures (1-5 minutes depending on project size)

   You’ll see progress in the bottom status bar. Do not close Summer during this process.

Also releasing on Windows? Enable Import S3TC BPTC at the same time. This covers both Mac and Windows with one reimport.

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Creating a macOS Export Preset

1. Open Export Menu

   Go to Project → Export in the menu bar

2. Add macOS Preset

   Click Add… → Select macOS (Runnable)

   You’ll see the export configuration panel appear.

3. Configure Required Settings

   You’ll see some warnings in red at the bottom. Let’s fix them:

Fix: Invalid Bundle Identifier

You’ll see: “Invalid Bundle Identifier (com.example.game). The Bundle Identifier should be a valid domain name in reverse…”

What is this? A bundle identifier is a unique name for your app in reverse-domain format.

Examples:

• com.yourstudio.yourgame (most common)
• com.yourname.dontpray
• io.itch.username.gamename

How to fix:

1. In the export panel, find Application → Bundle Identifier
2. Replace com.example.game with your unique identifier
3. Use only lowercase letters, numbers, dots, and hyphens
4. Must start with com., org., io., or similar

Don’t have a domain? Use io.itch.yourusername.yourgame or com.yourname.yourgame. It just needs to be unique to you.

Other Important Settings

Application Section:

• Icon: (Optional) Browse to a .icns or high-res .png file for your game icon
• Signature: Leave as default (????) unless you have a specific 4-character code
• Short Version: Leave empty to use project version
• Copyright: (Optional) Add your copyright text

Export Section:

• Distribution Type:
  • Testing (default) - For local testing and itch.io
  • Distribution - For Steam and signed releases
  • App Store - Only if publishing to Mac App Store

Why These Errors Show Up

• Invalid bundle identifier means the preset still has a placeholder or empty app ID. macOS apps need a unique identifier.
• ETC2 ASTC disabled means the project is not currently importing the texture format required for Apple Silicon (arm64) exports.
• Notarization disabled or ad-hoc signature are warnings about macOS distribution. They do not mean your project content is broken, only that Gatekeeper will complain if you distribute the app without proper Apple signing.

Binary Format:

• Architecture:
  • universal ✅ Recommended - Works on both Intel and Apple Silicon Macs
  • arm64 - Apple Silicon only (M1/M2/M3) - smaller file size
  • x86_64 - Intel Macs only (legacy, not recommended)

For Steam or itch.io, use universal architecture to support the widest audience.

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Exporting Your Game

1. Set Export Path

   Click the folder icon next to Export Path

   Choose where to save your game (e.g., ~/Desktop/MyGame.app)

2. Click Export Project

   Bottom right button: Export Project…

   Summer will create your standalone Mac app!

3. Wait for Export

   Export takes 30 seconds to 2 minutes depending on project size.

   You’ll see a progress bar. Don’t close Summer during export.

4. Export Complete!

   Your game is now a standalone .app file ready to distribute!

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Testing Your Exported Game

Critical: Always test on a clean machine before releasing to players!

Test on Your Mac First

1. Navigate to where you exported (e.g., Desktop)
2. Double-click MyGame.app
3. If you see “unidentified developer” warning:
   • Right-click the app → Open
   • Click Open in the dialog
   • This is normal for unsigned apps during testing

Test on Someone Else’s Mac

Do NOT skip this step! Your game might work on your dev machine but crash on clean systems.

What to test:

• ✅ Game launches without errors
• ✅ Graphics render correctly
• ✅ Audio plays properly
• ✅ Controls respond (keyboard, mouse, gamepad)
• ✅ Save/load works
• ✅ Game can be quit normally

Found a bug? Fix it in Summer Engine, then re-export. Exported games don’t update automatically.

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What About Code Signing?

Code signing prevents “unidentified developer” warnings on macOS. Do you need it?

Publishing To	Code Signing Required?	Notes
Steam	❌ No	Steam handles signing for you automatically
itch.io	❌ No	Indie game players expect unsigned games
Direct download (your website)	✅ Yes, highly recommended	Without it, users see scary warnings
Mac App Store	✅ Required	Cannot publish without Apple Developer account

How to Code Sign (Advanced)

If you need code signing for direct distribution:

Requirements:

• Apple Developer account ($99/year)
• Developer ID Application certificate
• Xcode Command Line Tools

In Summer Engine:

1. Export settings → Codesign → Codesign: Select Xcode codesign
2. Codesign → Identity: Enter your Developer ID certificate name
3. Notarization → Notarization: Select altool or notarytool
4. Provide Apple ID and app-specific password

This is advanced and only needed for direct downloads. If you’re publishing to Steam or itch.io first, skip code signing entirely.

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Common Issues

”No export template found”

This shouldn’t happen with Summer Engine! Templates are included.

If you see this: Contact support at [e-mail] - something went wrong with your installation.

”Cannot export for universal or arm64 if ETC2 ASTC is disabled”

Solution: Go back to Prerequisites section above and enable ETC2 ASTC texture compression.

”Invalid Bundle Identifier”

Solution: Set a proper bundle identifier (see Fix: Invalid Bundle Identifier section above).

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File Size Tips

Typical Mac export sizes:

• Small 2D game: 50-150 MB
• Medium 3D game: 200-500 MB
• Large 3D game with cinematics: 1-3 GB

To reduce size:

• Compress audio as Ogg Vorbis (not WAV)
• Use appropriate texture compression (you already enabled this!)
• Remove unused assets from your project
• Enable Embed PCK to avoid separate .pck file

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Next Steps

Publish to itch.io

Easiest way to share your Mac game (no approval needed)

Publish to Steam

Reach the largest gaming audience

Export for Windows

Add Windows support for wider reach

Troubleshooting

Common export problems and solutions