MacOS Applications
Integrate your MacOS Application management with Company Portal with Pckgr
Deploying macOS Applications to the Company Portal
Pckgr allows macOS applications to be made available directly in the Company Portal, providing a greatly improved experience for end-user self-service deployments. This guide explains in full detail how the process works, including technical background and deployment steps.
Overview
With this feature, administrators can now also publish macOS applications directly into Intune as native Applications. These can then be assigned as Available in the Company Portal or Required for automatic installation — while continuing to benefit from Pckgr's automated update system. This feature is currently only available for selected applications whilst Pckgr moves this feature from Beta status - please scroll to the bottom of this page to see the selected applications and feel free to reach out with any feedback or queries!
How It Works
The process involves creating two distinct deployments for each macOS application:
Standard Deployment (for Company Portal)
Creates a native App object in Intune that can be published into the Company Portal.
Update Only Deployment
Manages ongoing updates for all devices that have installed the application.
By combining both, Pckgr ensures:
The Company Portal always shows the latest version.
Updates continue automatically for installed devices.
Devices not using the app remain unaffected.
Deployment Process - Step by Step
Step 1 — Deploy Two Versions in Pckgr
Navigate to your App Library in Pckgr.
Locate your macOS application.
Create two deployments:
Standard Deployment:
Deploy normally (leave "Update Only" off).
Update Only Deployment:
Deploy again with "Update Only" enabled.
Both deployments will initially appear under Devices > Scripts in Intune, as shell scripts using Installomator for installation.
Step 2 — Promote Application to Company Portal via Pckgr
Stay within the Pckgr Dashboard > Application Library.
Locate the Standard Deployment.
Click the three-dot menu (•••) next to the application.
Select "Add to Company Portal".
Read the information box and click 'confirm'.
This step creates a native macOS App in Intune under Apps > macOS > Applications.
Step 3 — Assign Application in Intune
Once Pckgr creates the native Intune application:
Log into Microsoft Intune Admin Center.
Navigate to Apps > macOS > Applications.
Locate your application.
Use Assignments to control deployment:
Assign as Available to publish to Company Portal.
Assign as Required to force installation.
✅ Available = visible in Company Portal ✅ Required = automatically installed for targeted users/devices.
Step 4 — Maintain Ongoing Updates
The Update Only Deployment script remains assigned to your target groups.
This deployment will detect if the app is installed and apply version updates automatically.
Devices that never installed the application are ignored by this update deployment.
Update Flow Summary
User installs from Company Portal
The latest version is installed.
Updates released
Update Only deployment automatically applies updates.
Device never installs app
No update applied.
Technical Background
Pckgr uses Installomator wrapped inside Intune Shell Scripts.
Update Only deployments leverage version detection logic.
The “Add to Company Portal” function in Pckgr automatically creates a fully managed App object in Intune.
Updates continue without any manual intervention once both deployments are active.
Key Considerations
The app object created for Company Portal always reflects the latest version at the time of creation.
The Update Only deployment keeps the version current over time.
This system ensures the Company Portal is always up to date while Pckgr fully manages patching.
Current macOS Applications Available for Company Portal
This feature has recently been released and whilst it is in Beta, Pckgr will slowly be adding more applications as available for this workflow. At this stage, the only applications available for macOS Company Portal are as follows: Chrome, Visual Studio Code, Zoom, VLC and Postman.
Pckgr encourages feedback from our valued users - please contact us through your Dashboard support channels to let us know how this feature is working for you!
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