Military Smart Cards
Mac Setup

CAC Setup for Mac

Complete installation guide for macOS systems (Catalina 10.15 and later).

1
Install DoD Certificates

First, download and install the DoD root certificates into your Mac's System Keychain.

Installation Steps:

  1. Download the certificates package for macOS
  2. Extract the .zip file
  3. Double-click each certificate (.cer files) to open Keychain Access
  4. When prompted, select "System" keychain (not Login)
  5. Enter your Mac password when prompted
  6. For each certificate, right-click → Get Info → Trust → "Always Trust"
2
Install Middleware

macOS requires middleware to communicate with your CAC. We recommend CACKey (free) or OpenSC.

Option 1: CACKey (Recommended for Mac)

CACKey is specifically designed for CAC on macOS and is free to use.

Download CACKey

Installation:

  1. Download the latest .dmg file
  2. Open the .dmg and run the installer
  3. Follow the installation prompts
  4. Restart your Mac

Option 2: OpenSC

OpenSC is a cross-platform open-source option.

Download OpenSC
3
Connect CAC Reader

Connect your USB smart card reader. macOS should automatically detect it.

Verify Detection:

  1. Click Apple menu → About This Mac → System Report
  2. Under Hardware, select "USB"
  3. Your card reader should appear in the USB device tree
4
Configure Browsers

Safari (Recommended)

Safari automatically uses macOS Keychain and should work immediately after installing certificates and middleware. No additional configuration needed.

Chrome

Chrome uses macOS Keychain by default. Should work without additional configuration once middleware is installed.

Firefox

Firefox requires manual security module configuration:

  1. Open Firefox Preferences
  2. Go to Privacy & Security → Security → Security Devices
  3. Click "Load"
  4. Module Name: CACKey (or OpenSC)
  5. Module Path: /Library/CACKey/libcackey.dylib (or /Library/OpenSC/lib/opensc-pkcs11.so)
  6. Click OK and restart Firefox
5
Test Your Setup
  1. 1. Insert your CAC into the reader (chip side up)
  2. 2. Open Safari or Chrome
  3. 3. Navigate to a CAC-enabled test site (e.g., my.af.mil)
  4. 4. Select your authentication certificate when prompted
  5. 5. Enter your PIN in the system dialog
Having Issues?View FAQs