HOW-TO:Install XBMC for Mac

Installing applications on Mac OS X is quite easy compared to many other platforms, allthough it is somewhat different from other platforms. Below we list the steps needed for basic installation an uninstallation.

Download
First download XBMC. Official stable builds can be found here: http://xbmc.org/download/

Warning: Don't install a development build unless you are willing to experience bugs, changes, breaks, sudden movements, fire, and other things that might "be bumpy". For development builds see:
 * Nightly builds: http://mirrors.xbmc.org/nightlies/osx/
 * Monthly builds (slightly more stable than Nightly builds): http://mirrors.xbmc.org/snapshots/osx/

Un-package
XBMC is packaged as an disk image. A disk image can be thought of as the virtual equivalent of a CD. The actual data in the disk image is contained within a single file which will look something like this:



Safari and some other download apps will auto-mount the XBMC disk image, but you may have to do this yourself by double-clicking the file. Having done this, the the disk image will appear as new device in the Finder, as shown in the picture below:

Install
XBMC is implemented as an installation bundle and can be installed by drag-and-dropping it to the applications folder.

All you have to do is copy the program to your desired location (usually your Applications folder) and run it. Copying the program is performed simply by using drag and drop. XBMC makes it even easier by supplying a link to the Application folder, on which you can drop the XBMC bundle. An example of this is shown below:



Gatekeeper
 If you have Mac OS X 10.8 or higher then you might get a message saying that XBMC "can’t be opened because it is from an unidentified developer". This is due to the OS X Gatekeeper feature that is designed to discourage users from downloading from random locations and possibly installing something bad. Assuming you've downloaded XBMC from http://xbmc.org/download/ then you have nothing to worry about, and we just need to bypass this warning:

or
 * Recommended -  Right click (or command+click) the XBMC icon and select "open"
 * Advanced -  Enable all application downloads
 * In OS X go to the Apple Menu -> System Preferences -> Security & Privacy -> General ->
 * Unlock the padlock at the bottom of the window, which will require a computer admin password
 * Where it says "Allow applications downloaded from:" select "Anywhere"
 * OS X will give you a scary warning that is a bit exaggerated. If you're not comfortable with this, use the "right click" method mentioned above.

In all cases OS X will still ask you if you want to open an "unsigned" application the first time it is opened, so new applications that are downloaded can't just start by themselves. 

Tidy up
After you have finished installing the program you can unmount the XBMC disk image

This can be done by using the eject icon next to to it in the Finder sidebar as if it were a CD. You can also drag the mounted disk icon to the the Trash, again as if it were a CD.

All files other than the bundle in the Applications folder can be simply discarded. Either place them in the Trash or back them up somewhere in case you wish to re-install the application in the future.

Update
To update XBMC for Mac simply follow the normal install steps with the newer version. All your settings and files will be preserved as they are located in a different place in the userdata folder. Be sure to make a backup of the userdata folder when doing updates in case something goes wrong.

Uninstall
The XBMC bundle contains the full application. This means that to uninstall it, you only have to drag it to the Trash.

However, XBMC creates userdata files when it is run. They are located in the Application Support folder within your user's Library folder, that is, in "~/Library/Application Support/XBMC". This directory contains all your settings and your video & music database. If you want to remove all your XBMC settings, drag this folder to the Trash.

Autostart XBMC
Go into System Preferences, select "accounts". Select "Login Items", at the bottom hit the plus button and then a drop down box allows you to select XBMC.

Alternatively, if you have the app open in your dock, you can right-click/click-and-hold the icon and choose "Open at Log-in"

After this, the application will start up automatically after you log in.