Deploying macOS DMG Applications using Intune
- Gareth Oxendine
- Jun 15, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: May 15
Introduction
There are two primary macOS application installer file extension types: DMG and PKG. Both can be deployed using Intune. There are three primary deployment methods. See below:
In this article, I'll go into detail on the macOS app (DMG) deployment method, but see below for a quick summary of all the methods:
Line-of-business app: Deploy a simple .pkg application that is signed by an Apple Developer ID Installer certificate and installs one app in the /Application folder.
macOS app (DMG): Deploy a disk image file (.dmg) that contains at least one or more .app files.
macOS app (PKG): Deploy a .pkg application that does not meet all of the requirements of the line-of-business app method.
Table of Contents
Deploying a macOS DMG App
Remember that a DMG file is a macOS-specific disk image file format that must be mounted first before its contents can be viewed or executed. For applications, a DMG will contain the installation files.
IMPORTANT: |
For the smoothest deployment, ensure the following two conditions are met:
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If the DMG does NOT contain an APP file but rather a PKG, try deploying a script using Intune's script feature instead. Click the link below to learn how:
Steps to Upload and Deploy a macOS DMG App
If you have not already, launch Intune, select Apps in the left-hand menu blade, and select macOS.
Step 1: Select + Add, choose macOS app (DMG), and then click Select.
Step 2: Click Select app package file, click the folder icon to browse for the DMG file, then select OK.
Step 3: Enter the Publisher and optionally the other fields.
Step 4: Select either yes or no for Ignore app version (see below for a more detailed explanation) and enter the App bundle ID and App version values for the Included apps (see below for a more detailed explanation). Once done, select Next.
Ignore App Version: each app that will be installed by the .pkg installer has an id value (CFBundleIdentifer). Intune uses this ID value to uniquely identify applications.
No: by selecting "no," Intune will check both the ID value (CFBundleIdentifer) of the installed application and its version number (CFBundleIdentifierShortString). If both values don't match what is in Intune then Intune will attempt to reinstall the application.
Yes: by selecting "yes," Intune only checks the ID (CFBundleIdentifer) value of the installed application. If it matches what is in Intune, then Intune marks the deployment as successful.
Included apps: add the bundle ID and app version values for all nested .app files in the DMG that will be deployed to the /Application folder (see the steps below to learn how to find these values).
NOTE: |
A single DMG should only contain a single application file or multiple application files that are dependent on one another. --Microsoft Try to only deploy DMG files with one nested .app file. If there is more than one nested .app file, then the app deployment will only be successful if each .app file is dependent on each other. Only enter the App Bundle ID and App version values for .app files that will be installed in the /Application folder. |
Step 5: Assign the app to the appropriate devices and then review/create the application.
How to Find the App bundle ID (CFBundleIdentifer) and App version (CFBundleShortVersionString) Values
Step 1: Navigate to the DMG file that you are uploading to Intune and double-click it. Close the window that opens.
Step 2: Select the mounted file in the left-hand navigation pane, right-click on the nested .app file (file extensions may be hidden on your laptop; use Finder's settings to change this if needed), and select Show Package Contents.
Step 3: Select the Contents folder and then select the Info.plist file.
Step 4: Click the spacebar key on your keyboard to preview the file and scroll until you see the CFBundleIdentifier and CFBundleShortVersionString values.
