Macintoshspecific

Macintoshspecific is a label used in software development and documentation to designate code, features, or assets that are intended solely for the Macintosh platform, including macOS and, in historical terms, classic Mac OS. It signals that the item will not be available or will behave differently on other platforms, and may require macOS-specific frameworks or system services.

Common domains include user interface elements built with AppKit or Cocoa, native dialogs, Finder and Dock integration, macOS-specific services such as Spotlight, and packaging or resource conventions unique to Mac software. Historically, Macintoshspecific code also included Carbon-era APIs that are now deprecated.

In cross-platform projects, Macintoshspecific code is typically isolated behind platform checks and compiled only on macOS. Developers may use conditional compilation, separate modules, or build targets to maintain portability. Documentation should clearly indicate Macintoshspecific dependencies, and testing should occur on macOS to ensure correct behavior.

The term emphasizes platform boundaries rather than a product feature set and helps teams plan maintenance, porting, and compatibility considerations. See also cross-platform development, macOS, AppKit, Cocoa, and native macOS tooling.