Open your file.
Press ⌘O, choose a video and watch. Your own clips, a saved film, an MKV in Downloads. No account or Jellyfin server needed.
01 / VIDEO PLAYER
All movie.
No nonsense.
MAC / PUBLIC BETA
A free, open-source Mac video player for local files and your Jellyfin library.
0.9.7 beta · macOS 15.6+
iPhone, iPad & Apple TV status
01.1 / THE PLAYER IN USE
Room for the video.
Choose a track. Find your scene. Let the controls step back.
Same frame. Same desktop. View full size
Controls hidden above. See the same frame with controls visible.
01.2 / TWO ENTRANCES
Two ways in.
One player.
A video on your Mac or a film on your server. Start where it lives. Both open in the same player, with the same familiar controls.
Choose from your library.
Connect your Jellyfin server, browse your titles and press play. Your server’s library and watch progress, in an app that also opens local files.
Jellyfin needs an existing server and access to it. Local playback keeps its own history on your Mac; it does not sync a local file with a server copy.
01.3 / EVERYDAY CONTROLS
Settle in.
The everyday things, close at hand.
- Your audio. Your subtitles.
- Choose an available audio or subtitle track, or add an external subtitle file. Timing adjustments live in the track menus.
- Your place, remembered.
- Return to a recent local video where you left it, with your track choices. History stays on your Mac; clear it or turn it off in Settings.
- A few familiar keys.
- Space to pause. Arrow keys to seek. Keep your attention on the video, with the next action at your fingertips.
Free & open source
The whole app.
No upgrade required.
No subscription. No in-app purchases. No Pro unlock. The current app is free to use, from the first local video to your Jellyfin library.
No trial to keep track of. No feature tier to choose.
Explore the sourceBuilt on Swiftfin.
With gratitude.
Swiftfin and its contributors built the native Apple Jellyfin client foundation that makes kurtz possible. kurtz is a fork of that work, adding local-file playback on Mac alongside the library experience.
kurtz is independent. It is not an official or endorsed Jellyfin or Swiftfin application.
01.4 / DOWNLOAD & STATUS
Your next video
starts here.
Start with the Mac beta. Download the disk image, then drag kurtz into Applications.
Available now · public beta
kurtz video player for Mac
Local files and Jellyfin.
macOS 15.6+ · Apple silicon & Intel
Download kurtz 0.9.7
Version 0.9.7 · build 9 · Universal DMG
Developer ID signed & notarized by Apple
In development
iPhone & iPad
Local videos from Files and Jellyfin.
Target: iOS / iPadOS 18.6 or later.
App Store release in preparation. No public download or TestFlight invite.
Release in preparation
Apple TV
Jellyfin browsing and playback.
Target: tvOS 26.1 or later. No local-file workflow.
Source builds available. No public App Store or TestFlight release.
Mobile and TV still need physical-device qualification and Apple review. Windows and Linux are not supported. Apple release plan
Beta limits, playback & building from source
Mac runtime checks were on Apple silicon. Intel, the oldest supported operating systems and long-session reliability still need qualification. Simulator builds do not establish device playback or Store approval.
VLC is the default local engine; mpv is the alternative. Format, HDR and audio behavior depend on the engine and file. The floating mini player is a kurtz window, separate from system Picture-in-Picture.
Verified product status · Build from source · Download checksum · Release sources & licenses
There’s more
to kurtz.
Your digital life. Actually yours. kurtz brings your films, photos and documents into one calm app that runs on your own hardware. It is in development. The video player stays free and complete on its own, with or without it.