what happened to macos server?
apple discontinued it. apple's macos server support page says that as of april 21, 2022, apple has discontinued macos server, and that existing macos server customers can continue to download and use the app with macos monterey. apple also says file server, caching server and time machine server are now available in macos high sierra and later.
this guide follows apple's pages as we read them in november 2026. for a related guide, see what happened to system preferences on mac.
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where did macos server services go?
apple's page lists which services moved into macos, which are still in the server app, and which were removed. this table covers some of the services in apple's service list and status table.
| service | what apple's page says | where to look now |
|---|---|---|
| file server, caching server, time machine server | available in macos | sharing settings in macos |
| xsan | removed in server 5.12; command-line tools included in macos big sur and later | the command line in macos |
| profile manager | available in server 5.12.2 | apple points to other mdm solutions |
| open directory | included in macos server 5.12 and later | the server app, for existing customers with macos monterey |
| mail, calendar, contacts, wiki, vpn, dns, messages | removed in server 5.7.1 | alternatives apple names |
| ftp | removed in server 5.4 | sftp or ssh |
for mail, for example, apple names dovecot and postfix, and for wiki it names mediawiki, among others.
what happened to profile manager?
profile manager has lost its push notifications. apple says that as of october 29, 2024, profile manager can no longer create or renew push notification certificates for device management, and adds that existing certificates will continue to function. as of april 14, 2025, apple says profile manager can no longer send push notifications.
to help you move, apple's page links to guides on choosing an mdm solution and planning an mdm migration. in our read, a profile manager setup that relies on push notifications needs another mdm solution now.
how do you set up file sharing and caching without macos server?
you set both up in sharing settings in macos. apple's sharing settings guide opens them from the apple menu: choose system settings, click general in the sidebar, then click sharing. apple adds that if your mac is enrolled in a device management service, some sharing settings may be unavailable.
- file sharing: apple says it lets other users access shared folders on your mac, and lets administrators access all volumes.
- content caching: apple says it reduces bandwidth usage and speeds up installation on supported devices by storing downloaded software updates, applications and other content on your mac.
per apple's content caching guide, you turn on content caching, wait for its indicator to turn green, then choose what to cache: all content, only shared content or only icloud content.
how do you use a mac as a time machine server now?
you share a folder as a backup destination. apple's time machine guide gives these steps on the mac that will hold the backups:
- choose apple menu, then system settings, click general in the sidebar, then click sharing.
- turn on file sharing.
- click the info button, click options, make sure share files and folders using smb is on, then click done.
- click the add button at the bottom of the shared folders list, select the folder, then click add.
- control-click the folder, choose advanced options, and turn on share as a time machine backup destination.
- if you want, turn on limit backups to and enter a size, then click ok.
apple's backup disks page recommends this setup only when both computers are using macos 11 or later. when either mac uses an earlier macos, apple says network backup uses apple filing protocol, which isn't supported in macos 27 or later.
where does ReMynd fit?
microsoft's work trend index asked workers about searching for information. it was published may 9, 2023, and surveyed 31,000 full-time employed or self-employed workers in 31 markets. 62% of respondents said they struggle with spending too much of their workday searching for information. the same survey found 86% were looking for ai to help find the information and answers they need.
ReMynd records your screen, runs ocr locally with apple vision on a mac, and keeps a searchable index on your computer. text comes from the focused window only, and video covers windows you have not excluded. in our view, it helps when you remember a setting you saw in an admin screen but not where it was.
press control space to search in plain language, refine by app, date or source, and jump to an exact moment, provided ReMynd was running then and the window was not excluded. on a mac it needs macos 14 or later on an apple silicon mac. ReMynd also runs on windows 11 (x64 or arm64). for backups in general, see time machine vs icloud on mac.
limits of this guide
- it follows apple's macos server page and mac user guide pages; we did not test macos server, profile manager or any third-party alternative.
- apple's page names third-party alternatives; we have not tested them and do not recommend one.
- the sharing steps follow apple's current mac user guide; menus in older macos versions differ.
ReMynd is photographic memory for your computer. forgot where you saw something? just ReMynd it.
download the ReMynd desktop app and search what you saw in a focused window, by app and date.