Roon Update 2.65: Why the server no longer starts on older macOS versions

With the update to version 2.65 and 2.66 of the popular high-end music management software Roon, some users have felt locked out since April 27, 2026. Those running Apple Macintosh platforms with older operating systems are faced with server software that simply won’t start after the update. The reason is new minimum requirements for the server operating system that macOS 11 Big Sur and all derivatives of macOS 10.x, such as Catalina, cannot meet.

Our guide below explains exactly who is affected and what Mac users who want to continue running Roon Server on their computers can do.

Which macOS versions are affected?

To find out if you are affected as a Roon-on-Mac user, take a look at your operating system: click the Apple icon in the top left, then “About This Mac” and “Advanced.” The following macOS versions will be locked out from running Roon Server as of April 27, 2026:

macOS 11 Big Sur
macOS 10.x all versions (such as Catalina or older)

If you are running such an old operating system on the Mac that also hosts the Roon Server, you need to take action. The cause is the increased system requirements—though older hardware may further limit a necessary macOS upgrade.

If you already have macOS 12 (Monterey) or higher installed, you can ignore the following guide.

Who can upgrade to a compatible macOS?

If you run Roon on a Mac built after approximately 2015, there is a good chance you can solve the problem by upgrading the operating system. Roon Server runs perfectly from macOS 12 (Monterey, introduced around 2021) upwards. The upgrade is recommended for the following Apple hardware:

Fully supported for all Macs from approx. 2020 onwards with Apple Silicon processors (M1 or higher), such as Mac Mini G5 or MacBook Pro 13″
MacBook Pro 13″ & 16″ with Intel processors from approx. 2015
MacBook with Intel processors from 2016
iMac with Intel processors from approx. 2015
Mac Mini with Intel processors from 2015 (limited, depending on RAM)

If the upgrade to a newer macOS cannot be initiated within the system, Apple specialists recommend the OCLP app, though we have not tested it ourselves.

For some computers, a hardware upgrade in the form of more storage/RAM is advisable. The Mac Mini with Intel Core i5/i7 CPU (“Mac Mini from late 2014”), which is particularly popular with Roon users, is a special case as it was shipped with soldered RAM and cannot be upgraded. In this case, the only thing to do is check the size of the existing RAM and simply try to see if the new operating system together with Roon Server gets enough resources (8GB is the minimum recommendation for significant music collections).

Note: macOS 12 Monterey is the last operating system that runs perfectly on all Intel-based Macs and fully utilizes their performance. However, rumors suggest that support for macOS 12 Monterey will be discontinued soon (April 2026), which could lead to security vulnerabilities. Owners of a Mac with Intel Inside should start thinking about how they can continue to upgrade the operating system.

Alternative: Keep the old Roon version 2.64 if an upgrade is impossible

If your Apple hardware is either too old or not powerful enough to run a more modern macOS (such as macOS 12 Monterey or macOS 13 Ventura), you can avoid the current update to continue using Roon Server. To do this, automatic updates must be deactivated, and any future update offered after Roon 2.64 B1646 must be declined.

If you have already accidentally updated the Roon Server software and it no longer starts, you can download an older version. After uninstalling the current Roon, you can download the older 2.64 from Roon Labs as a .DMG file:

Download link for Roon 2.64 pre-update as a .DMG application for Mac

The option to run Roon Server in a Docker container, which is popular with Linux computers such as NAS servers and NUCs, is currently not available for macOS.

Useful links for users running Roon Server on Mac

Here is the link to the Roon forum with further information on the update and a description of the DMG version for older operating systems (such as macOS 11 Big Sur or older)

Roon forum with link to macOS Roon Server pre-2.65 version