MacOS

FreeMind runs on macOS (operating system for Mac personal computers made by Apple; previously OS X) as well as on other operating systems.

Download statistics

Download statistics:

• FreeMind_0.8.1.dmg: downloaded over 547,000 times[1]
• FreeMind_0.9.0.dmg: downloaded over 480,000 times[2].
• FreeMind_1.0.1.dmg: downloaded over 623,000 times[3].

Using

Tab key: While the Insert key is used to insert a child node on Windows, on Mac one has to use Tab key.

Custom enhancements

FreeMind uses the Swing graphical user interface toolkit, which can use different looks and feels in order to mimic visuals and behaviors proprietary to the target execution platforms. On Microsoft Windows OS, the application fits quite nicely with the rest of the environment, but on Apple MacOS-X, things are often not quite right. macOS users usually have higher expectations when it comes to usability and UI consistency, so they might become frustrated by the lack of compliance to their user interface guidelines.

To enhance the user experience when using macOS:

1. Keyboard shortcuts

   The "Tao Of Mac" weblog posted a tip for replacing the "CTRL" key by the "COMMAND" (Apple) key:

   http://the.taoofmac.com/space/Applications/FreeMind

2. Look and feel

   "Quaqua" is a look and feel for Swing that emulates the Aqua user interface:

   http://www.randelshofer.ch/quaqua/download.html

Unsigned application problem

Problem: OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion) and 10.9 (Maverick) won't open the FreeMind application because it is not signed.

Solution: There is a workaround, control-clicking on the icon and selecting Open. Or you can disable the check entirely, although this is not recommended:

• System Preferences > Security & Privacy > (Click the lock and authenticate to make changes) > Allow applications downloaded from anywhere.

Development

Implementation (to be updated to Git):

• build.xml -- search for: <target name="dist_macos" if="isMacOs">
• mkdmg.sh
• MacChanges.java.not_here -- an internal plugin

Tracker items:

• Unrecognized and deprecated Java VM options , 2009-02-18

See also

• Asked questions
• Requests for enhancements

External links

• files/freemind/1.0.1, sourceforge.net -- FreeMind_1.0.1.dmg is for the Mac
• macOS, en.wikipedia.org
• FreeMind, macupdate.com -- has some user reviews
• Review: FreeMind 0.8.1, 18 November 2008, macworld.com
• Mac OS X: Multiple Instances of FM, 7 September 2011, sourceforge.net
• Bounty for fixing retina mac support in Open Discussion forum, 21 June 2016, sourceforge.net
• FreeMind broken on macOS 10.14 (Java problem) in Help forum, 9 November 2020, sourceforge.net
• Font rendering issue after update to MacOS Monterey (12.1) in Help forum, 29 October 2021, sourceforge.net