MobaXterm for Mac: Native macOS SSH & SFTP Client

The short answer

Mobatek describes MobaXterm as a Windows application and lists no Mac version, so Mac users need another tool. MXterm Pro is a native macOS and Windows app that covers the SSH and SFTP side of MobaXterm: saved hosts, a docked file panel, a remote editor and split panes. It has no X11 server, RDP, VNC or serial support, so keep MobaXterm if you rely on those.

Below you will find a feature-by-feature map with the gaps, then a migration walkthrough. For why MobaXterm never came to Mac and what Wine or CrossOver give you, read the MobaXterm for Mac guide.

Who should pick which

MobaXterm feature to MXterm Pro equivalent

The left column follows Mobatek's own feature and download pages as of September 2026. The right columns describe what MXterm Pro does today, including the gaps.

← →

MobaXterm's features page lists nothing like the Control Room, where several AI agents share a room, or git worktree isolation, which gives each agent pane its own worktree. For the three-way view see the MobaXterm vs iTerm2 vs MXterm Pro comparison. For the two-way page, see MXterm Pro vs MobaXterm.

Move your MobaXterm sessions to MXterm Pro

1. 1

   Install the app

   Download the .dmg from this page. Free needs no account. The app runs on macOS 10.15 or newer.

2. 2

   Export your sessions from MobaXterm

   Save them as a .mxtsessions file and copy it to your Mac. Check Mobatek's documentation for the current menu path.

3. 3

   Import the file

   Press Shift+Cmd+H to open the SSH manager, click Import and pick the file. The picker accepts .mxtsessions, .config, .json, .txt and .ini files.

4. 4

   Read the result

   The app reports how many hosts it added, or that it found none. On the Free plan the import stops at 5 saved hosts and shows the upgrade prompt.

5. 5

   Fix each host

   Every MobaXterm host arrives in a group named MobaXterm with password authentication. Open it, switch to your key file or agent, and add a jump host if you used a gateway.

6. 6

   Test, then connect

   Test is a TCP check only, so it does not prove your login works. Connect opens an SSH tab. Type the password once and the SFTP panel reuses that connection.

What the .mxtsessions import reads

A session line looks like Name=#icon#0%host%port%user%..., where # separates groups and % separates the fields of the session group. The importer takes session type 0 (SSH) and reads host, port and user from the fields after it, whatever the icon number. It keeps the session name, decodes MobaXterm's escaped characters, and defaults to port 22 and user root when those fields are empty or invalid. Imported hosts go in a group named MobaXterm. Folders, passwords, key files, gateways, X11 settings, macros and other session types are ignored.

Look over each host after the import. Since 1.1.9 the importer reads the layout that third-party documentation describes for MobaXterm exports, with a % between the fields of the session group, and its test uses a line from that documentation. It has not been checked against a real MobaXterm export.

A ~/.ssh/config file is the safer route. The importer reads Host, HostName, User, Port and the first IdentityFile, skips wildcard blocks, ignores ProxyJump and puts hosts in a group named Imported. JSON files with name, host, port, username, keyPath and authType fields also import. Importing a file twice adds every host twice.

Limits and caveats

FAQ