Which macOS Versions and Macs Does Karabiner-Elements Support?

Updated

Karabiner-Elements supports both Intel-based Macs and Apple Silicon Macs, and the site lists downloads for macOS releases from 10.9 Mavericks up through macOS 27 Golden Gate. The practical catch is that the download version must match your macOS version — the newest release is not meant for older systems.

Supported macOS versions

The site's supported systems list names these versions:

  • macOS 27 Golden Gate
  • macOS 26 Tahoe
  • macOS 15 Sequoia
  • macOS 14 Sonoma
  • macOS 13 Ventura

The download table goes further back, offering separate builds for older releases:

Download version macOS versions
v16.3.0 macOS 27 Golden Gate, macOS 26 Tahoe, macOS 15 Sequoia, macOS 14 Sonoma, macOS 13 Ventura
v14.13.0 macOS 12 Monterey, macOS 11 Big Sur
v13.7.0 macOS 10.15 Catalina (10.15.6 or later)
v12.10.0 macOS 10.15 Catalina, macOS 10.14 Mojave, macOS 10.13 High Sierra, macOS 10.12 Sierra
v11.6.0 macOS 10.11 El Capitan
v10.22.0 macOS 10.11 El Capitan, macOS 10.10 Yosemite, macOS 10.9 Mavericks

Which Mac hardware works

Both Intel-based Macs and Apple Silicon Macs are supported. That statement appears alongside the supported systems list, so it applies across the current release rather than to one architecture only.

How to pick the right download

  1. Check your macOS version (Apple menu → About This Mac).
  2. Find that version in the table above.
  3. Download the build listed for it — for example, v14.13.0 if you are on Monterey or Big Sur, not v16.3.0.
  4. Install and open the app to confirm it runs.

The download page presents the newest version first with a dropdown for older releases, so it is easy to grab v16.3.0 by default. If your Mac is on an older macOS, use the dropdown instead.

Common sticking points

  • Newest build on an old Mac. v16.3.0 targets macOS 13 and later. Older systems need the matching older build.
  • Catalina has two entries. v13.7.0 requires 10.15.6 or later; v12.10.0 covers Catalina more broadly along with Mojave, High Sierra, and Sierra.
  • Very old systems stop at v10.22.0, which is the build listed for El Capitan, Yosemite, and Mavericks.

Once installed, the app covers simple key mappings through a GUI, community predefined rules you can import, and custom rules you can write yourself.