Kitsmith / Utilities / DOSBox-X
A free, open-source DOS emulator for Mac — a more actively developed, feature-rich fork of the original DOSBox project, for running classic DOS games and software.
Our take
Where the original DOSBox (last officially updated in 2019) still works but has slowed in development, DOSBox-X is the actively maintained fork that adds more accurate hardware emulation, additional DOS versions, and a friendlier configuration GUI. Distributed as a native macOS app, not just a command-line tool.
- Price
- Free, open source
- License
- Open source
- Requires
- macOS; specific minimum version varies by release, per the project’s GitHub releases.
- Get it via
- GitHub · Direct
Do you use DOSBox-X?
Who made this
Site (opens in new tab) GitHub (opens in new tab)
Are you The DOSBox-X Team (Jonathan Campbell and contributors)? Claim this profile to add a photo, a bio, and links — or ask us to remove it.
What it does
Expanded hardware emulation
Covers more historical PC hardware configurations than the original DOSBox.
Configuration GUI
A graphical settings interface alongside the traditional config-file approach.
Multiple DOS versions
Supports emulating several different eras/versions of DOS.
The deal
- Free and open source
Worth knowing: A community fork of the original DOSBox project, not affiliated with dosbox.com — the two are separate codebases with separate release cadences.
DOSBox-X — questions people ask
Is DOSBox-X free?
Yes — free and open source.
How is DOSBox-X different from DOSBox?
It’s an independently maintained fork with more active development, additional hardware emulation, and a configuration GUI.
Is DOSBox-X free?
Yes — DOSBox-X is free.
Does DOSBox-X work alongside a notch app like Alcove?
Yes — DOSBox-X lives in the dock, so it runs happily alongside any Dynamic Island hub or notch app.
Where can I download DOSBox-X?
DOSBox-X is available via GitHub, Direct.
Is DOSBox-X open source?
Yes — DOSBox-X is open source.
Reviews
No public ratings yet. Reader reviews are coming to Kitsmith soon.
Listing hand-verified September 18, 2026 from the developer's site and public sources.
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