Preload Applications on Apple Silicon Macs

Create an MDS Workflow to preload applications before adding admin or standard users to a Mac. Users given new machines can access the preloaded applications as soon as they complete the Setup Assistant.

Create an MDS Workflow

1. Create new work in MDS
2. Add workflow name in Workflow Info section
3. Under macOS, select Do not Install macOS

4. In Resources, select the folder with your applications to run on the first boot.

5. Save the created workflow to an external drive or to a disk image for copying to a web server.
   • To make the disk Image available via HTTP
     • Create the folder /Users/Shared/web in the Finder.
     • In MDS, click Web Service under Services. Unlock the lock in the lower left and provide the admin password.
     • Click “+” to create a new shared folder.
     • Select the following settings:
       • Select Folder: /Users/Shared/web
       • Port: 8088
       • Allow Directory Listings
     • Start the web service by clicking the button in the upper right corner.
     • Click “Save to Disk Image…” and save the disk image to /Users/Shared/web with the name “mds.dmg”.
     • Verify the dmg is available by going to a browser and navigating to: 
       http://<IP ADDRESS>:8088

Run Workflow

6. Boot into Recovery
7. Run Workflow and select Ok
   • Plug in the external volume and enter the following command:
     /Volumes/<Volume Name>/run
   • If the resources were saved to a Disk Image, copy the disk image to the web server and locate the URL to the disk image. To mount the disk image and open Imagr, enter the command in this format:
     hdiutil mount <URL to Disk Image>
/Volumes/mdsresources/run

7. After the Workflow is completed select Restart

8. After Restarting, the Mac will boot to Setup Assistant and then install the applications.

Create User

9. Once the applications have been installed, the user will be prompted to complete the Setup Assistant and create a user account.

10. After the user logs in, the preloaded applications will be available.