Cradle

Getting started

Installing Cradle on macOS

Install Cradle on macOS — pick the right build for Apple Silicon or Intel, drag it into Applications, and handle the first-launch Gatekeeper prompt.

Cradle has two macOS builds — one for Apple Silicon Macs (M1, M2, M3, M4) and one for Intel Macs. Pick the matching build, drag the app into Applications, and you're set.

Before you start

  • You're on macOS 13 (Ventura) or newer.
  • You know whether your Mac has an Apple Silicon chip or an Intel chip. Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner, choose About This Mac, and look for** Chip** (Apple Silicon — e.g. Apple M2) or Processor (Intel). Apple's full guide is at support.apple.com/en-nz/HT211814.
  • You can install apps on this Mac. If you're on a managed device and the Applications folder is locked down, your IT team installs Cradle for you.

Download

Open the Cradle download page and pick the build that matches your Mac:

  • Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4). Pick the arm64 .dmg.
  • Intel. Pick the regular .dmg.

If you pick the wrong one, the app either won't open or will run noticeably slowly — re-download the right one and start again.

Install steps

  1. Once the .dmg finishes downloading, double-click it. A Finder window opens showing the Cradle icon and a shortcut to the Applications folder.
  2. Drag Cradle into Applications.
  3. Eject the Cradle disk image — right-click it on your desktop and choose Eject, or drag it to the Bin.
  4. Open Applications and double-click Cradle.

The first time you launch Cradle, macOS may show a prompt saying the app was downloaded from the internet. Click Open to confirm — Cradle is code-signed, so macOS only asks once.

If the dialog doesn't show an Open button (just Move to Bin and Cancel), close the dialog, right-click the** Cradle** icon in Applications, and choose Open. You only need to do this on the first launch.

What you should see

Cradle opens to the welcome screen. From there, sign in with your work account — see Signing into the Cradle desktop app.

If it doesn't work

  • macOS says "Cradle is damaged and can't be opened". This sometimes appears when the .dmg was downloaded with a browser that mangled the file. Delete the .dmg and re-download from the download page.
  • Cradle opens but is sluggish, or shows an "incompatible" warning. You probably installed the wrong build. Drag Cradle to the Bin, then download the matching one (Apple Silicon or Intel).
  • macOS won't let you open Cradle at all. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to** Security**, and look for a message saying Cradle was blocked. Click** Open Anyway**.
  • An older Cradle install is in the way. Drag the old version to the Bin first — see Uninstalling and reinstalling Cradle.

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