Use a smart card with Mac Smart cards, such as U.S. Department of Defense Common Access Cards and the U.S. Personal Identity Verification (PIV) Cards, are access-control devices. You use a smart card to physically authenticate yourself in situations like these. CAC Readers: With a variety of CAC readers available today there are also a variety of issues. The SCR series of CAC readers work very well. The SCR-331 reader may need a Firmware Update. See several different models of USB CAC readers here. You will see a small note on some of the readers to show you how to make them compatible with your Mac. There should be a category entitled Smart card readers and if you click on it, it should show a device named Microsoft Usbccid Smartcard Reader (WUDF) or similar. Macintosh OS X: Macintosh Installer (.pkg driver) for Mac OS X 10.7 or earlier. With Apple Card. And pay for your new Mac over 12 months, interest‑free when you choose Apple Card Monthly Installments. Accessories Explore Mac accessories. Apple Trade In Get $60–$2940 toward a new Mac. Save when you trade in an eligible iMac (Mid 2011) or newer and upgrade. CAC reader has worked for 4 years without issue. Using El Capitan for months and it still worked, last few weeks the cac reader has stayed lit for 30 seconds and goes out, won't load any certificates or recognize CAC card. Tried updating to PKard for Mac v1.6.3 but won't load certs/CAC, so installation incomplete.

When it comes to installing your new CAC reader onto your home computer, there’s a doubt that installing on Mac is much more complicated. Often, you’ll need to install a CAC Enabler just for your Mac to recognize the hardware. But don’t worry in this handy guide, we’ll walk you through how to install a CAC enabler for Mac and which one to choose.

Here’s the thing…. Mac has many different OS’s which means that there are many different CAC enablers. And some will work for particularly OS’s only.

MUST READ IMPORTANT INFO BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Before you get started downloading and installing your CAC Enabler, there is some information that you need to be aware of:

Only download and install ONE CAC Enabler. Multiple CAC Enablers can cause your CAC Card reader not to work. If you currently have an incorrect CAC enabler installed, you need to uninstall and remove it before getting the correct one. This includes built-in Smart Card Readers for the newer OS’s.
Some of these CAC Enablers will ask for a Keychain Password. You should already have this information. It’s your CAC PIN. But before you enter this information, make sure you’ve already selected your CAC Certificate. And you need to use your full CAC pin. Failure to do so can actually lead to you getting locked out of your CAC Card. If this happens, you’ll have to go to your nearest ID Card Office or PSD to get it unblocked.

After successfully installing your CAC Enabler, you need to restart your computer before trying to access any CAC protected site. This ensures that your computer has properly recognized and installed the CAC Enabler.
Just because you’ve properly installed and set up your enabler, that doesn’t mean that it will work with all browsers–particularly Firefox. As popular of a browser it is, Firefox is notorious for not allowing CAC-protected sites to be accessed. This is why I recommend using Google Chrome. It has the least obstructions for you when it comes to using your CAC Reader.

What CAC Enabler Do You Need For Your OS?

In order to make sure that you download the right OS, be sure to use our handy Table of Contents to jump to the proper section.

And with that, let’s get your Mac system CAC Card ready!

Catalina (10.15.x)

If you’ve purchased a Mac with the Catalina OS installed, STOP RIGHT HERE.

Catalina comes pre-equipped with a built-in CAC Enabler. This means you do not need to install a third-party program. If you do, it may interfere with your built-in enabler and cause your CAC to not be recognized. Just be sure that you have the proper DOD certificates installed.

But what if you purchased your Mac and then upgraded to the new system?

If you haven’t installed any third-party enablers, the built-in function should automatically start working. But if you have previously installed any third-party CAC enablers, you’re going to have to uninstall and completely remove those first.

Mojave (10.14.x)

Cac Card Reader For Mac El Capitan

Similar to the Catalina OS, Mojave also has a built-in Smart Card Reader. This means that a third-party CAC enabler program may not be necessary. So before downloading any other enabler, test out the built-in first–just make sure you have the proper DOD certificates needed.

If your Mojave’s built-in reader is not working, then you can proceed to pick up another CAC enabler. There are 4 verified readers that work for Mojave that we know of.

Each of these should work for any type of CAC Card.

High Sierra (10.13.x)

High Sierra is another Mac OS with a built-in Smart Card reader. However, unlike Mojave or Catalina, you cannot access CAC-protected sites through Safari. They are not supported through Safari in this OS.

You need to use Google Chrome for optimal results. If you are adamantly opposed to using Chrome, I’d recommend to go ahead and update your Mac OS to Mojave or Catalina (if supported). Afterwards, you should find you don’t need a CAC enabler as long as you have the proper certificates.

However, if things aren’t working out the way they should, you do have some options for third party CAC enablers.

These have been verified to work with High Sierra and with every CAC Card type we’ve come across.

Sierra (10.12.x)

Sierra is the last of the Mac OS’s that has a built-in Smart Card Reader. However, you need to be aware that this reader will not function with the Safari browser even with the proper certificates. Office 16 mac download.

You’ll need to utilize Google Chrome along with the proper DOD (or other) certificates.

There have been reports of the Sierra built-in CAC reader failing to operate properly. And in that case, you’re going to need to download one of these verified CAC enablers:

These CAC Enablers work with every type of CAC Card.

One thing to note is that if you decide to utilize PKard with Sierra, you need to make sure that you’re using PKard version 1.7 or higher.

El Capitan (10.11.x)

Unlike its newer OS counterparts, El Capitan does not come with a built-in smart card reader. You will be required to download and install a third-party program. Thankfully, there are 5 different CAC Enablers you can use.

One thing to note is that Smart Card Services will not work with all types of CAC Cards. If your CAC Card is designated as Oberthur ID One 128 v5.5a D, Smart Card Services cannot read it. You can find this information on the back of your CAC card itself near the magnetic strip.

This can be solved one of two ways. Either opt for a different enabler or get a new CAC Card.

Yosemite (10.10.x)

Yosemite requires a third-party enabler to be installed in order for your CAC Card to be recognized. There are 5 different verified options for Yosemite users:

Although a verified option, we recommend against using Smart Card Services. The reason for this is that Smart Card Services doesn’t accept all types of CAC Cards–particularly those labeled Oberthur ID One 128 v5.5a D.

Mavericks (10.9.x)

Mavericks is another Mac OS without a built-in Smart Card Reader. This means that you’re going to need to download a CAC Card Enabler. We’ve found five different platforms that work with this OS.

However, we suggest steering clear of Smart Card Services if you’re carrying the Oberthur ID One 128 v5.5a D CAC Card. This enabler does not recognize this particular type of CAC Card.

Mountain Lion (10.8.x)

Since Mountain Lion OS has no built-in Smart Card Reader, you’ll have to avail of a third-party CAC Card Enabler. There are 5 different options to choose from for this platform.

However, if you’re using the CAC Card type, Oberthur ID One 128 v5.5a D, steer clear of Smart Card Services. They don’t recognize this type of card.

Lion (10.7.x)

Lion is one of Mac’s older operating systems. But that doesn’t mean you’re completely out of luck if need to use a CAC card on it.