Share
WinBox for Mac is now a native app. MikroTik’s WinBox 4 is a cross-platform app for Windows, Linux and macOS, so you no longer need Wine or XQuartz to manage your routers from a Mac. Download the macOS build from the official page: mikrotik.com/download/winbox.
Below you’ll find what to download, what your Mac and router need, how to make the first connection, and what to use when you can’t install WinBox at all.
The earlier version of this guide explained how to run the Windows WinBox on a Mac under Wine and XQuartz. WinBox 4 makes that unnecessary. MikroTik announced the first public beta in August 2024, and the first stable release, 4.0.1, shipped in February 2026 with builds for Windows, Linux and macOS.
If you still run WinBox inside Wine, you don’t need to fix or update that setup. Install WinBox 4 next to it, check that it connects to all your routers, and then remove Wine and XQuartz if WinBox was the only reason you installed them.
WinBox.dmg.WinBox.dmg and start WinBox.Get the file from MikroTik’s own download page rather than a third-party download portal.
MikroTik lists macOS 12 and above as the supported versions for the macOS build. The download page labels the build “macOS (universal)”.
MikroTik updates WinBox 4 regularly, so check the download page for the latest build and its changelog before you install.
If your Mac runs a version older than macOS 12, it’s outside MikroTik’s stated support. Use one of the no-install options further down instead.
WinBox 4 connects to routers running RouterOS 6.43 or newer, according to MikroTik on its forum (a staff reply in the thread that announced WinBox 4). Routers on older RouterOS versions need an upgrade before you can manage them with WinBox 4.
WinBox can open a session to a router by its IP address or by its MAC address. MikroTik’s WinBox documentation notes that MAC sessions rely on network broadcasts and aren’t 100% reliable.
So connect by IP address whenever the router has one you can reach. Enter the router’s address and your RouterOS credentials, and keep MAC connections for the cases where an IP connection isn’t possible.
When you can’t install WinBox (an older macOS version, a borrowed machine, a locked-down laptop), RouterOS gives you other ways in:
ssh <username>@<router-ip>. See MikroTik’s SSH documentation.If your broadband business runs Splynx, your administrators can log in to MikroTik routers, in WinBox or by any other login method, with their Splynx account credentials. Splynx authenticates them over RADIUS. You enable the option under Config → Networking → Radius for the MikroTik NAS type and set each administrator’s level of router access under Administration → Administrators. Every router login and logout appears under Administration → Logs → Operations.
On the router, add Splynx as a RADIUS server for the login service and turn on RADIUS for user logins. In RouterOS commands (the same in the WinBox terminal or over SSH):
/radius/add service=login address=<splynx-ip> secret=<radius-secret>
/user/aaa/set use-radius=yesRouterOS checks its local users first and asks RADIUS only for user names it doesn’t know, so local router accounts keep working next to the Splynx logins. The Splynx knowledge base article on admin login to MikroTik routers has the full steps and screenshots. If authentication doesn’t work, see MikroTik RADIUS configuration and troubleshooting, and for everything else Splynx does for your routers, see network management in Splynx.
Reports in Splynx. Your guideline and operation record keeper
Here’s a detailed guideline to help you navigate and leverage Reports in Splynx effectively.
Introducing Receivables aging report. A new tool for tracking overdue payments
Today, we’re introducing the Receivable aging report, our new addition to financial statements, to quickly assess the ...
RADIUS server is not responding: how ISPs troubleshoot RADIUS timeouts
"RADIUS server is not responding" means the router got no reply from the RADIUS server in time: here's what subscribers ...
Splynx integration with Zapier empowers businesses to connect and automate workflows
Discover a new way to seamlessly connect third-party software with Splynx – no coding needed.
How to receive email notification about service plan changes in Splynx
Let’s imagine you want to receive an email in your inbox when the administrator makes some changes to a service plan.
With Splynx advanced internet plan settings, you can configure CAP for the Internet plan. It means that when a client re...
How to manage user roles, permissions, and access
To ensure account security, Splynx billing software supports multiple users that you can add, modify, or delete differen...
How to reset your Splynx admin password
Forgot your Splynx admin password? There are four ways back in, depending on who else can log in and where your Splynx r...
Two-factor authentication in Splynx
Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds a one-time code from an authenticator app to the Splynx admin login. Here is how to...
Find out how Splynx helps ISPs grow
Learn more
