How to run Windows 95 as an app on your Mac for nostalgia

Windows 95 can run within a macOS app

Slack developer Felix Rieseberg built an Electron app for Mac that can run Windows 95. Here's how to get started.

Rather than purchasing a complex virtualization environment, the nostalgic or curious can take a trip back to the '90s with a simple app. After installation, the app boots straight to the desktop with a terribly compressed startup sound.

Felix Riesberg is a Slack developer that built this program as a hobby project. His Github description says that it is the full version of Windows 95, and he's sorry.

The program works without much issue within macOS. The Menu Bar offers a few controls in case something goes wrong that requires a reset. Just press the escape key to release the mouse from the app back to macOS.

"Solitaire," "Microsoft Paint," "Minesweeper," and "Hearts" are all here. Also, for the more adventurous, "Doom" can run within the app, though some settings need to be changed. In that case, and most other antique games, set the resolution to 640x480 at 256 colors before launching the game.

'Doom' running in a macOS app window

To get the app, navigate to the Github page and scroll down to the downloads section. The macOS installers are in the middle of the table. Select the correct installer based on the processor in use.