MacPorter

Terms of Service

Last updated: 14 October 2026

These terms apply when you download, try, buy or use MacPorter (the "app") or this website. Please read them before you buy. By downloading the app or completing a purchase you agree to them. If you don't agree, don't use the app.

1. Who we are

MacPorter is made and sold by , South Africa ("we", "us"). You can reach us at . This information is given as required by section 43 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002 (ECTA).

2. What MacPorter is

MacPorter is a macOS app for Macs with Apple silicon. It installs Valve's Windows Steam client into a compatibility environment built from open-source software (including Wine, FEX-Emu and DXMT) and lets you run Windows games from it. It does not include Windows, Steam itself or any games. You download Steam from Valve, and you use your own Steam account and games.

MacPorter is an independent product. It is not made, endorsed or supported by Valve Corporation, Apple Inc., Microsoft Corporation or any game publisher. Steam is a trademark of Valve Corporation. Mac and macOS are trademarks of Apple Inc.

3. Free trial

You may use the full app free of charge for 14 days from the first time you open it. The trial lets you check whether your Mac and your games work before you pay. When the trial ends you need a licence to keep using the app. Your Steam installation and games stay on your Mac either way. There is one trial per Mac: reinstalling the app, deleting its files or using another user account on the same Mac does not start a new one.

4. Buying a licence

The price is shown on our website in South African rand. We are not registered for VAT, so no VAT is charged. Payment is taken by Yoco Technologies (Pty) Ltd on our behalf. Yoco's terms and privacy policy apply to the payment itself, and we never see or store your full card details.

A sale is concluded when Yoco confirms your payment. Your licence then belongs to the email address you gave at checkout. You unlock MacPorter with the button on the page Yoco returns you to, or by signing in to MacPorter with that email address, for which we email you a one-time code. One licence covers up to three Macs at a time, and you can move it between Macs on your account page.

If we show the wrong price because of an obvious error, we may cancel the order and refund you in full before the licence is delivered.

5. Your licence

When you pay, we give you a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to install and use MacPorter on Macs that you own or control, for your own non-commercial use. The licence is perpetual for the version you buy and for all 0.x updates, subject to section 14. Future major versions (1.0 and later) may be sold separately, and we will say so clearly before you buy.

You are buying a licence to use the app, not the app itself. We, and the authors of the open-source components, keep all rights not expressly granted to you.

6. What you may not do

Nothing in this section limits rights you have under the open-source licences listed in section 9.

7. Steam, Valve and games

Steam is provided by Valve under the Steam Subscriber Agreement, which you accept when you install it. Games are provided by their publishers under their own terms. You are responsible for keeping to those terms. We have no control over Steam or any game, and we can't guarantee that any particular game will run, keep running after an update, or perform as it does on Windows.

Some features are not supported, including virtual reality. Our compatibility list is a guide, not a promise.

8. Anti-cheat and your accounts

Some games use anti-cheat software that blocks or flags systems other than Windows, and some publishers forbid running their games outside Windows. MacPorter tries to warn you before you launch such a game, but its list can be incomplete or out of date. If you choose to launch a game anyway, you do so at your own risk. We are not responsible for any ban, suspension or loss of a Steam or game account, or of game progress or items, to the extent the law allows.

9. Open-source software

MacPorter contains open-source software, including Wine (GNU LGPL 2.1 or later), FEX-Emu (MIT) and DXMT, along with other components listed in our open-source notices. Each of those components is licensed to you under its own licence, not under these terms, and where these terms conflict with an open-source licence the open-source licence wins for that component. The source code for those components, including our changes, is available as their licences require. Your payment is for MacPorter's own software, setup, packaging and support.

10. Updates and support

MacPorter downloads and installs its own updates. App updates go in when the app quits, and engine updates while Steam is closed. Each one is checked against our signature before it is installed. We may release updates that fix problems, follow changes to macOS or Steam, or update the compatibility list. Some updates may be needed for the app to keep working. We provide email support to licence holders and aim to reply within two business days. We may stop developing the app in future. If we do, the version you have keeps working for as long as macOS and Steam allow, but we can't promise how long that will be.

11. Cancellation and refunds

14-day refund. If MacPorter doesn't work for you, for any reason, you can refund the full price within 14 days of buying, yourself, on your account page, or by emailing us. The money goes back to the card you paid with, usually within a few working days, and the licence stops working on all your Macs.

Your statutory rights. Section 44 of ECTA gives you a cooling-off period of seven days after the purchase to cancel without reason. Our 14-day refund covers this. Nothing in these terms limits your rights under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 (CPA) or ECTA, including your rights if the app is defective.

Refunds are normally processed within 7 days of your request and reach your account according to your bank's timelines, and in any event within 30 days as ECTA requires.

12. Warranties

We will provide the app with reasonable care and skill, and it will substantially match its description on this website. Because MacPorter relies on software and services we don't control (macOS, Steam, the games themselves and open-source components), we can't promise it will be error-free, uninterrupted or compatible with every game or Mac. Apart from the warranties the CPA gives you and that can't be excluded, the app is provided "as is".

Keep backups of anything important on your Mac. Running Windows software carries the same risks as on a Windows PC, including the risk from software you choose to install.

13. Limitation of liability

To the extent the law allows, we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, loss of data, game progress, items or accounts, or loss of profit. Our total liability to you in connection with MacPorter is limited to the amount you paid us for your licence. This section does not limit liability for gross negligence, fraud, or anything else the law does not allow us to limit, and it does not reduce your rights under the CPA.

14. Ending your licence

You can stop using MacPorter at any time by deleting it. We may end your licence if you materially breach section 6, for example by sharing or reselling your licence, after giving you notice and a reasonable chance to fix the breach where that's possible. If your licence ends, you must stop using the app. Sections 7, 8, 9, 12, 13 and 16 continue to apply.

15. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms, for example to reflect new features or changes in the law. The version on this page, with its date, applies to new purchases. Changes won't reduce the rights you have under a licence you have already bought without your agreement.

16. Law and disputes

These terms are governed by the law of the Republic of South Africa. If you have a complaint, please contact us first so we can try to resolve it. If we can't, you may refer it to the Consumer Goods and Services Ombud, the National Consumer Commission or a court with jurisdiction. If any part of these terms is found invalid, the rest still applies.

17. Contact


South Africa