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How do I install SwiftPrep on macOS?

How do I install SwiftPrep on macOS?

This guide walks you through downloading, installing, and launching SwiftPrep on macOS.

System Requirements

  • macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later
  • Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) or Intel processor
  • 4 GB RAM minimum (8 GB recommended)
  • 500 MB available disk space
  • Internet connection for license activation and AI features

Download

  1. Visit the SwiftPrep website at swiftprep.app
  2. Click the Download button
  3. Select macOS to download the .dmg disk image

The download file will be named something like SwiftPrep-x.x.x.dmg where x.x.x is the version number.

Installation Steps

Step 1: Open the DMG File

Locate the downloaded .dmg file (usually in your Downloads folder) and double-click to open it.

Step 2: Drag to Applications

In the window that opens:

  1. Drag the SwiftPrep icon to the Applications folder icon
  2. Wait for the copy to complete

Step 3: Eject the Disk Image

After copying, you can eject the disk image:

  1. Right-click the SwiftPrep disk image on your desktop
  2. Select Eject

You can also delete the .dmg file from your Downloads folder to save space.

First Launch

Handling macOS Gatekeeper Warning

When you first launch SwiftPrep, macOS may display a security warning because the app was downloaded from the internet.

If you see "SwiftPrep cannot be opened because it is from an unidentified developer":

  1. Click Cancel on the warning dialog
  2. Open System Preferences (or System Settings on macOS Ventura and later)
  3. Go to Security & Privacy (or Privacy & Security)
  4. In the General tab, you will see a message about SwiftPrep being blocked
  5. Click Open Anyway
  6. In the confirmation dialog, click Open

[!TIP] Alternative method: Right-click (or Control-click) the SwiftPrep app in Applications, select Open from the menu, then click Open in the dialog.

Alternative method using Terminal (for advanced users):

If the above method does not work, you can remove the quarantine attribute:

  1. Open Terminal (found in Applications then Utilities)
  2. Run the following command: 
    xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /Applications/SwiftPrep.app
  3. Launch SwiftPrep from the Applications folder

What Happens on First Launch

When SwiftPrep launches successfully:

  1. The application will initialize its local database
  2. You will be prompted to sign in or create an account
  3. If you have a subscription, it will be activated automatically
  4. You will see the home screen with options to create your first campaign

For details on activating your subscription, see How do I activate my SwiftPrep license?.

Data Location

SwiftPrep stores all your campaign data locally on your computer at:

~/Library/Application Support/dm-swiftprep

To access this folder:

  1. Open Finder
  2. Click Go in the menu bar
  3. Hold the Option key and click Library
  4. Navigate to Application Support then dm-swiftprep

Alternatively, in Finder:

  1. Press Cmd + Shift + G
  2. Type ~/Library/Application Support/dm-swiftprep
  3. Press Enter

This folder contains:

  • Your campaign database
  • Imported assets and images
  • Application configuration
  • Local cache files

Troubleshooting

Gatekeeper Prevents App from Opening

Problem: macOS shows "SwiftPrep can't be opened because Apple cannot check it for malicious software."

Solution:

  1. Go to System Preferences then Security & Privacy (or System Settings then Privacy & Security)
  2. Click Open Anyway next to the SwiftPrep message
  3. Confirm by clicking Open in the dialog

App is Damaged and Can't Be Opened

Problem: macOS shows "SwiftPrep is damaged and can't be opened."

Solution: Remove the quarantine attribute using Terminal:

xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /Applications/SwiftPrep.app

Application Will Not Start

Problem: SwiftPrep fails to launch or crashes immediately.

Solution:

  1. Check that your macOS version is 10.15 (Catalina) or later
  2. Try restarting your Mac
  3. Delete the app and reinstall from a fresh download
  4. Check Console.app for any crash logs related to SwiftPrep

Slow Performance on First Launch

Problem: SwiftPrep takes a long time to start on first launch.

Solution: This is normal behavior. On first launch, SwiftPrep:

  • Initializes the local database
  • Sets up required directories
  • Performs initial configuration

Subsequent launches will be faster.

Cannot Find the Application

Problem: SwiftPrep is not visible in Applications or Launchpad.

Solution:

  1. Open Finder and navigate to the Applications folder
  2. Look for SwiftPrep.app
  3. If not found, re-download and install the application
  4. Make sure you dragged the app to the Applications folder, not just opened it from the DMG

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