Native method first · August 2026
How to listen to internet radio on a Mac
Use Apple Music first when you already know the exact HTTP(S) internet-stream URL. Apple documents opening that URL in Music on Mac, and this use does not require an Apple Music subscription. If you need a separate station-browsing workflow in a Mac menu-bar player, follow the PoRaBar option below.
Native method: Apple Music with a known URL
Apple's Mac guide establishes the built-in route: open an exact HTTP(S) internet-stream URL in Music. This is the first option because it uses the native app and does not require an Apple Music subscription for a known stream URL. The source does not establish that Music provides a searchable open station directory, so arrive with the direct stream URL rather than only a station homepage.
If you do not know the URL or want to compare dedicated browsing choices, read the sourced Mac radio-app comparison. The comparison keeps unsupported menu-bar and native-Mac capabilities marked Unknown.
Troubleshooting within the documented limits
- Confirm that what you have is the exact HTTP(S) stream URL. A station website is not automatically the stream address Apple documents opening.
- A radio stream can change or disappear because PoRaBar and the native Music method play third-party streams rather than hosting them.
- If you need more product context before installing PoRaBar, review the maintained PoRaBar overview, including its platform requirements and wider audio-source list.
Use PoRaBar as a separate menu-bar option
- Open the menu-bar player. Install PoRaBar on a Mac running macOS 13 or later, launch it, and open its player from the menu bar.
- Open internet radio. Choose the internet-radio section in PoRaBar.
- Choose a station. Select an internet-radio station and start playback.
- Control playback. Use PoRaBar's menu-bar player to pause, stop, or switch what is playing.
Use the native answer unless you need more
A known stream URL in Apple Music may already solve the job. PoRaBar is the separate option when its radio workflow and Mac menu-bar player fit better.