.app bundle

Host Platform Support (Platform support)
macOS		Windows					Linux
x86‑64	arm64	x86	x86‑64		arm64		x86	x86‑64	arm	arm64
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A macOS .app bundle is a directory with a specific layout, with some key metadata. If this structure and metadata exists, macOS treats the folder as an executable file, giving it an icon.

An .app bundle is the default Briefcase output format when running on macOS. However, you can explicitly specify the use of the .app bundle backend by using briefcase <command> macOS app.

.app bundles can be copied around as if they are a single file. They can also be compressed to reduce their size for distribution.

All macOS apps, regardless of output format, use the same icon formats, have the same set of configuration and runtime options, have the same permissions, and have the same platform quirks. See the documentation on macOS apps for more details.

Application configuration

Any configuration option specified in the tool.briefcase.app.<appname>.macOS section of your pyproject.toml file will be used by the macOS .app bundle. To specify a setting that will only be used by .app bundles and not other macOS output formats, put the setting in a tool.briefcase.app.<appname>.macOS.app section of your pyproject.toml.