Download Mac-Rat

Old-school size! Fits on a floppy 💾, macOS 14 Sonoma or later

Mac-Rat is free. It’s signed by MacinMind Software, Inc. and notarized by Apple.

Which Mac do I have?

Not sure which one you’ve got? Apple menu → About This Mac. If it says Chip: Apple M-something, get the Apple silicon one. If it says Processor: Intel, get the Intel one. Grab the wrong one and nothing explodes: an Intel Mac just won’t open the Apple silicon one, and an Apple silicon Mac runs the Intel one anyway, only slower. Then come back and get the right one. I’ll wait.

Moving Me In

  1. Open the Mac-Rat DMG you downloaded.
  2. Drag me to your Applications folder. Gently.
  3. Open me. I’ll say hi, then move into your menu bar: look for the cheese wheel. I don’t do the Dock.

How to work me

  • Press Control-Option-Command-R anywhere and I’ll say something. Press it again and I’ll hush. Rude, but fine.
  • Copy some text and press Control-Option-Command-V. I’ll read it to you.
  • Click me to poke me. Click me while I’m talking and I’ll stop, mid-word. You’ll get a look. Drag me wherever you want. Right-click me for a menu.
  • Settings is in the cheese wheel menu: the cheddar dial, my look, my voice, your shortcuts.
  • Want me there when your Mac starts up? Settings → General → Open Mac-Rat at login. I’d like that.

Moving Me Out

Fine. I get it.

  1. Choose Quit Mac-Rat from the cheese wheel menu.
  2. Drag me from Applications to the Trash. I won’t say a word. I’ll be quit. That’s kind of the point.
  3. To take my stuff too (my settings, and any phrase sets you wrote): delete ~/Library/Application Support/Mac-Rat and ~/Library/Preferences/com.macinmind.MacRat.plist.

What I Know About You

Nothing. No account, no internet, no data collected, no permission prompts. To know when to keep quiet, I check whether sound is playing and whether your microphone or camera is on. Not what’s playing. Not what you’re saying. When something goes in the Trash, I know the Trash changed. Not what’s in it. It all stays on your Mac.

Version Notes

Mac-Rat 1.1

  • I’ve got a speech therapist now. If I’m saying your name wrong, or some app’s name, or whatever you’ve copied for me to read, write down how it’s supposed to sound and I’ll say it that way. Settings → Speech Therapist. No judgment. Okay, a little judgment.
  • Quit circling me with the pointer. My eyes follow it. I get dizzy. You’ve been warned.
  • I don’t talk at the lock screen anymore. Nobody’s there. I checked. And when you unlock, I give you a minute. Well, a few seconds.
  • I went on a diet. Separate downloads for Apple silicon and Intel now, a third the size. Same rat.

The plain version

  • Speech Therapist: a new Settings pane for words he says wrong, such as your name, app names, or text you copy for him to read. The balloon keeps the normal spelling.
  • Dizzy: circle the pointer around him a couple of times and he complains. At most once a minute.
  • Quiet at the lock screen: he no longer talks on his own while the screen is locked, and waits a few seconds after you unlock.
  • Smaller: separate downloads for Apple silicon and Intel Macs, about half a megabyte each (1.0 was 1.4 MB). The app is about 1.1 MB installed, down from 4 MB.
  • For phrase-set writers: a new dizzy trigger for your own sets.

Mac-Rat 1.0

Everything. It’s the first one. Me, Clasp, the cheddar dial, over 3,000 lines, two looks, and a closet full of hats.

Good to know

  • I talk with the voices built into macOS. If I sound weird on your Mac, pick another voice in Settings → Look & Sound. Weirder, I mean. Different.
  • I only notice the Trash on your startup disk.
  • Got a question, or a line I got wrong? Write support.
  • Having a good time? The Beer & Cheese Fund is open.

Mac-Rat is not affiliated with Apple.

© 1998 – 2026 MacinMind Software, Inc.
iPhone, iPad, Mac and App Store are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
All other trademarks and registered trademarks appearing on macinmind.com are the property of their respective owners.