User Guide
Version Tracker tracks all your macOS applications and their updates, from a single interface. It automatically scans your software sources (Mac App Store, Homebrew, Sparkle, GitHub, direct downloads, package managers…) and tells you what's up to date, what isn't, and what to do to update it.
🚀 Quick start
- Launch Version Tracker. On first launch, a full scan of your Mac is performed.
- Wait a few seconds. Depending on the number of installed apps and active sources, the initial scan takes 10 to 60 seconds.
- Check the « All » tab. This is where all available updates from all sources are gathered.
- Click « Update all » to launch all updates at once, or use the individual buttons to manage each app.
🗃️ Supported sources
Version Tracker detects updates for:
| Source | Description |
|---|---|
| macOS Updates | Apple system updates (Software Update) |
| Mac App Store | All apps installed via the official App Store |
| Homebrew Casks | GUI applications installed via Homebrew |
| Homebrew Formulas | Homebrew command-line tools |
| Sparkle | Apps using the Sparkle auto-update framework |
| GitHub Releases | Apps distributed via GitHub Releases |
| Direct download | Apps with an installer provided on an official site |
| Mac App Store « Discover » | Apps detected outside the App Store but available on it |
| Adoptable Apps | Apps detected outside Homebrew but available as a cask |
| Microsoft Office | Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote |
| Apple Tools | Xcode, Command Line Tools, Rosetta |
| Package managers | npm, yarn, pnpm, pip, gem, cargo, conda, go, MacPorts, Nix, rustup, Flutter, Ollama, Composer… |
| Specialized editors | VS Code, VS Code Insiders, VSCodium, Windsurf |
Each source can be enabled or disabled individually in the Settings.
🖥️ The interface
The main screen is divided into three columns:
Left sidebar
List of sources and categories. Click on one to filter the view. The counter next to it shows the number of available updates for that source.
Special categories:
- All — all updates in a single list, sorted by source
- Dashboard — overview and recent activity
- Settings — app preferences
Center area
The list of updates for the selected category. Each row shows:
- The app icon and name
- The current version and the available version
- A contextual action button (Update, Download, Open, Show in Finder…)
Right sidebar
Details for the selected item: description, size, release notes, source, path on disk.
Note : the window width is remembered between sessions. The minimum size is designed to comfortably display all three columns.
🔄 Updating applications
Individual update
Click the green « Update » button on a row. Depending on the source:
- Mac App Store — uses CommerceKit (silent background update)
- Homebrew Cask/Formula — runs
brew upgrade(with admin authentication if needed — see below) - Sparkle — downloads the DMG/ZIP, unmounts the old version and installs the new one
- GitHub — downloads and installs the most recent binary
- Direct download — see next section
Batch update
The « Update all » button in the All view launches every automatable update in sequence. You can leave the view — the operation continues in the background.
Manual download (« Download »)
Some apps don't have an automatic mechanism but expose a direct download URL (PKG, DMG, ZIP). For these:
- The orange « Download » button appears
- The file is downloaded to your downloads folder (default
~/Downloads, customizable in Settings) - Once downloaded, the button becomes « Show in Finder » to finalize installation manually
The « Download all » button starts batch downloads for all eligible apps.
If there's an error (HTTP 403, file not found, etc.), the button switches to « Open »: Version Tracker launches the installed app so it can handle its own update.
⚙️ Settings
Sources
Enable or disable the sources Version Tracker should scan. Disabling a source hides its apps from all views and speeds up scans.
Downloads
Choose where manual downloads are saved. Default: ~/Downloads. To use a custom folder, click Choose a folder… — Version Tracker remembers access via a security-scoped bookmark.
Appearance
- Menu bar icon — adds a badge at the top of the screen with quick access to updates
- Dock badge — shows the number of pending updates on the Dock icon
- Hide Dock icon — switches Version Tracker to « menubar-only » mode (the app no longer appears in the Dock or the ⌘+Tab app switcher)
Close behavior
Three options for ⌘+Q:
- Ask — shows a Quit / Hide / Cancel dialog
- Hide — closes the window but the app stays active in the background
- Quit — terminates the application
To quit Version Tracker in « Hide » mode, use:
- The menu Version Tracker → Quit Version Tracker (standard ⌘+Q)
- The menu bar icon → Quit
Background automatic scan
You can configure a macOS LaunchAgent that periodically scans your Mac (every hour, every day, at a specific time) and updates the Dock badge without having to open the app.
🔐 Administrator authentication
Some Homebrew updates require administrator privileges. Version Tracker offers two mechanisms:
- Privileged Helper (recommended) — a small service installed once via TouchID/password. It then avoids re-asking on each update.
- One-shot authentication — if the helper isn't installed, a system dialog asks for your admin password on each operation.
To install the Privileged Helper: Settings → Advanced → Install privileged helper service.
🖱️ Keyboard shortcuts
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| ⌘+R | Refresh (run a full scan) |
| ⌘+, | Open Settings |
| ⌘+Q | Quit (according to your close preference) |
| ⌘+W | Close the main window |
| ⌘+F | Search within the displayed list |
🌍 Languages
Version Tracker is available in:
- 🇬🇧 English
- 🇫🇷 French
- 🇩🇪 German
- 🇪🇸 Spanish
- 🇵🇹 Portuguese (Portugal)
The language follows macOS system settings automatically.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Why aren't some apps detected?
Check that:
- The corresponding source is enabled in the Settings
- The app is properly installed in
/Applicationsor~/Applications(not in an exotic folder) - The app exposes a correct
Info.plistwith its bundle ID
Why is a source counter empty after an update?
That's normal. Counters reflect available updates. Once the update is done, the app returns to « up to date » state and disappears from the view. Use Refresh (⌘+R) if you want to force a re-check.
The Mac App Store keeps asking for updates I just performed
The Mac App Store can be slow to confirm an installation. Version Tracker resynchronizes versions on disk after each batch and on return to the foreground. If the problem persists, run a manual Refresh.
A direct download produces a file named ….download
This happens with some CDNs that don't return an extension in the URL. Version Tracker tries to get the real name via the HTTP Content-Disposition header, but as a last resort uses a generic name. Just rename the file to .dmg, .zip or .pkg based on its content.
How do I clear pending downloads?
Go to the All view: apps already downloaded show « Show in Finder ». You can remove them from disk manually via Finder; Version Tracker will reset the trace on the next scan revealing a newer version.
Does Version Tracker track or collect data?
No. No telemetry, no data sent. All network requests serve only to query software sources (App Store, Homebrew, Sparkle Appcasts, GitHub API…) to retrieve available versions. See our Privacy Policy.
📩 Contact
To report a bug, suggest an improvement, or simply share feedback: contact@version-tracker.eu