KwaFlux on Mac: Supported Macs, Setup, and Performance Tips

Key takeaways

KwaFlux on Mac needs Apple Silicon and macOS 12 or newer. To check, choose Apple menu › About This Mac: it should list a Chip, such as Apple M1, and a macOS version. Install KwaFlux from the download page, open it from Applications, and let it prepare the GPU Acceleration Component on macOS 13 or later.

Keep macOS current and the Mac plugged in for long jobs.

• KwaFlux runs on Macs with Apple Silicon and macOS 12 or newer. Intel Macs aren't supported.
• On macOS 13 and later, KwaFlux prepares a GPU Acceleration Component automatically after launch, and features speed up as it becomes ready. macOS 15 and later cover more features than 13 and 14.
• On macOS 12, or before the component is ready, processing runs in Standard Mode, which is slower.
• Install from the Mac download: a small web installer or the Offline installer package, which you drag into Applications.
• The same license covers up to 2 devices, Windows and Mac in any mix, and previews need no account on either.

Which Macs can run KwaFlux?

Any Mac with Apple Silicon. Apple lists these models:

• MacBook Neo
• MacBook Pro from 2021 or later, plus MacBook Pro (13-inch, M1, 2020)
• MacBook Air from 2022 or later, plus MacBook Air (M1, 2020)
• iMac from 2021 or later
• Mac mini from 2020 or later
• Mac Studio from 2022 or later
• Mac Pro from 2023

To check yours, choose Apple menu › About This Mac. On a Mac with Apple Silicon, it shows Chip followed by the chip's name. If it shows Processor with an Intel processor, the Mac isn't supported.

KwaFlux needs at least 8 GB of memory, and 16 GB is recommended for 4K, long clips, and several effects in one job. KwaFlux doesn't run on iPhone or iPad.

Which macOS version do you need?

About This Mac shows the macOS name and version. If your Mac can run a later version, Apple's Software Update installs it, and on KwaFlux that means more features run with acceleration, with no new hardware.

How to install KwaFlux on a Mac

The download page offers two Mac installers:

1. Web installer. Open the downloaded .dmg, then open KwaFluxWebSetup inside it and follow the prompts. It downloads and installs KwaFlux, so stay online.
2. Offline installer package. Open the .dmg and drag KwaFlux into the Applications folder.

Then open KwaFlux from Applications. The first time, macOS says the app was downloaded from the internet and asks whether to open it; click Open.

A few features download their AI model the first time you use them, such as some Scene Repair scenes, Sky Replace, object removal, and the audio tools. Downloads are free and need no account; see which features download models on first use.

The GPU Acceleration Component

On macOS 13 and later, the GPU Acceleration Component runs supported features through Apple's Core ML to speed them up. KwaFlux prepares it automatically after launch, from its official source; there's no switch to turn it on.

What you'll see:

• A banner while it prepares, such as "Preparing the GPU Acceleration Component for this Mac", with progress. You can keep working; features speed up as their parts become ready.
• A choice if you start too soon. If you start a task whose acceleration isn't ready, KwaFlux offers Start when ready or Start now in Standard Mode.
• A Settings card named GPU Acceleration Component, with the status (Ready, Preparing, Paused, or Not ready), Pause, Resume, and Retry, and Prepare again, which deletes the prepared component and downloads it again.
• Parts prepared on first use. Some parts are listed as "Prepared the first time you use these features".
• A disk-space warning if there isn't room: free up space and retry, or use Change location to store it elsewhere.

What Standard Mode means

Standard Mode is how KwaFlux processes without the acceleration component. The same tools are available; processing takes longer. You'll be in Standard Mode when:

• the Mac runs macOS 12;
• the component, or the part a feature needs, isn't ready yet;
• it can't be prepared right now (KwaFlux says so in the banner and in Settings);
• Settings › AI Processor is set to CPU. KwaFlux warns that "the current processing mode will not use installed acceleration components" and suggests switching to Auto or GPU.

Performance tips

1. Stay on a current macOS. macOS 13 adds acceleration, and macOS 15 and later cover more features.
2. Leave AI Processor on Auto or GPU.
3. Let the component finish before a long export. Choose Start when ready for big jobs.
4. Plug in and check the energy mode. In System Settings › Battery, Low Power Mode reduces energy use to extend battery life. Some 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models also offer High Power Mode for sustained workloads.
5. Keep free disk space. Multi-step jobs write temporary files, and the export panel shows roughly how much space a job needs.
6. Watch the GPU. In Activity Monitor, choose Window › GPU History to see how busy the GPU is during an export.
7. Share the Mac politely. Set Settings › AI export resource usage to Light use if you need the Mac for other work during an export.
8. Test with previews. A 1-, 3-, or 5-second preview of your own footage shows how your Mac handles a tool before you commit to a full render; see how to test any KwaFlux tool for free.

For how GPUs compare across Windows and Mac, see which GPU you need for AI video enhancement.

Working with Mac apps

KwaFlux is a standalone app, not a plugin. For Final Cut Pro, iMovie, Adobe Premiere, or DaVinci Resolve, export ProRes in a MOV or H.264/H.265 in an MP4 and import the file into your timeline; see KwaFlux with Premiere Pro, Resolve, and Final Cut Pro. The video converter also makes ProRes 422 HQ and other editing formats.

For cutouts with transparency, KwaFlux exports MOV with Apple ProRes 4444, which keeps the alpha channel; see how to make a transparent-background video.

If your Mac shuts down or KwaFlux quits mid-export, the task shows as Interrupted next time and you can retry it from the Task Center; see what happens if an export stops halfway.

Common problems

Final thoughts

If your Mac has Apple Silicon and macOS 12 or newer, KwaFlux runs on it; macOS 13 adds acceleration and macOS 15 broadens it. Install, let the component prepare, keep the Mac plugged in for long jobs, and test your own footage with previews first.

Try it on your Mac

KwaFlux runs its video upscaler and other AI tools on your Mac's GPU. AI processing runs locally on your GPU — media files are not uploaded for processing. It runs on Windows 10 (64-bit, version 1809 or later), Windows 11, and macOS 12 or newer on Apple Silicon. Previews need no account: 1, 3, or 5 seconds on video modules; 5, 15, or 30 seconds for Video Stabilization; the whole picture for images; and the opening 5 to 30 seconds for audio. Signing in with an active paid plan is required only to export, convert, repair a file, or download a file from a link.