What is react-native-macos?

ptmt/react-native-macos — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-06-24

★ 11,198JavaScriptAudience · developerComplexity · 3/5LicenseSetup · hard

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((react-native-macos))
    What it was
      Deprecated macOS fork
      JS-to-Cocoa bridge
    Status
      No longer maintained
      Use Microsoft fork
    Original workflow
      Create project via CLI
      Launch on macOS
      Reuse React Native skills
    Tech stack
      JavaScript
      Objective-C
      Cocoa framework

mindmap root((react-native-macos)) What it was Deprecated macOS fork JS-to-Cocoa bridge Status No longer maintained Use Microsoft fork Original workflow Create project via CLI Launch on macOS Reuse React Native skills Tech stack JavaScript Objective-C Cocoa framework

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What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Understand the history of React Native on macOS before adopting the Microsoft-maintained successor.

USE CASE 2

Review how Cocoa native components were bridged into React Native as a reference for the current implementation.

What is it built with?

JavaScriptReact NativeObjective-CCocoa

How does it compare?

	ptmt/react-native-macos	mozilla/readability	kautukkundan/awesome-profile-readme-templates
Stars	11,198	11,182	11,176
Language	JavaScript	JavaScript	JavaScript
Setup difficulty	hard	easy	easy
Complexity	3/5	2/5	1/5
Audience	developer	developer	developer

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · hard Time to first run · 1h+

Project is deprecated and unsupported, use the Microsoft-maintained React Native for macOS instead.

Use freely for any purpose including commercial projects, keep the copyright notice and MIT license text.

So what is it?

This repository holds a deprecated experimental fork of React Native designed for building macOS desktop applications. React Native is a framework, originally created by Facebook, that lets developers write user interfaces in JavaScript using a component model similar to what is used for web pages. This project extended that approach to the macOS desktop using Apple's native Cocoa framework rather than a web browser. The project is no longer maintained, and the README points readers to an official Microsoft version of React Native for desktop platforms. That project, called React Native for Windows (which also covers macOS), took over where this fork left off. While it was active, the workflow started with installing a command-line tool and running a couple of commands to create a new project and launch it on macOS. Developers who already had React Native experience for iOS or Android would find the patterns familiar, since the documentation and component APIs largely matched the iOS version. The README includes screenshots of a sample app called RNTesterApp, which demonstrated common UI components running on the Mac desktop. There was also guidance for folding the macOS target into an existing cross-platform project that already had iOS or Android builds set up. The code is released under the MIT license. Because the project is deprecated, it is not suited for new work, the Microsoft-maintained fork is the recommended path forward for anyone wanting to build Mac desktop apps with React Native.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

The ptmt/react-native-macos repo is deprecated. Walk me through migrating an old project that used it to the Microsoft React Native for macOS package.

Prompt 2

What are the key architectural differences between this deprecated macOS fork and the current Microsoft-maintained react-native-macos package?

Frequently asked questions