Does Manifest Chess Lite work offline?

Completely. There is no account, no sign-in, and the app has no way to reach the internet at all. Nothing is collected and nothing is sent anywhere.

Will it change my PGN file?

Only where you edit it. Your comments, variations, and symbols are saved into the same file, and games you do not touch are left as they are.

Can it edit games, not just read them?

Yes. Add moves and variations, write comments, attach symbols, draw arrows and highlights, edit tags, and create new games, including from a position you set up.

How big a file can it handle?

Files with tens of thousands of games open in a blink and scroll smoothly. Very large files still open in a read-only mode, so you can always look inside.

What engine is built in?

Stockfish 18, running on your Mac with up to five lines of analysis at once. A stronger, larger build of the same engine is one setting away.

What does it need to run?

A Mac with Apple silicon running macOS 12 or later, from the Mac App Store.

When would I want Manifest Chess Studio instead?

When you want a library rather than a file: many databases, position search across everything you own, Lichess and Chess.com sync, and automated game review. Lite is the reader; Studio is the database.

Manifest Chess Lite: offline PGN reader, viewer, and editor for Mac with Stockfish

Open a PGN. That is the whole setup.

Manifest Chess Lite is a fast, private PGN reader for Mac. Double-click any .pgn file and the game is on the board instantly. No account, no setup, and nothing ever leaves your computer.

Instant: double-click any .pgn file and it is on the board
Stockfish 18 built in: up to five lines of analysis, running on your Mac
Your file stays yours: annotations are saved back into the same file you opened
Fully offline: no account, no tracking, nothing sent anywhere
Quick Look: press Space on a chess file in Finder to peek inside

Manifest Chess Lite with a PGN file of 24,002 games open: game list, board, and Stockfish analysis side by side — On the board instantlyDouble-click any chess file and it opens, fully offline.

Built-in Stockfish analysis in Manifest Chess Lite showing multiple engine lines beside the board — On the board instantlyDouble-click any chess file and it opens, fully offline.

PGN reading, engine analysis, search, and annotation on one board

Everything a chess file needs

Stockfish engine analysis

Stockfish, built in

Multi-line analysis with nothing to install, nothing to configure and nothing sent anywhere. Toggle the engine with one keypress and let up to five lines think together.

Stockfish 18, running on your Mac
Up to five analysis lines at once
On or off with a single keypress
A stronger, larger engine build is one setting away

Filtering thousands of games by player in Manifest Chess Lite

Game search and filters

Find the game you are thinking of

Filter thousands of games by player, rating, year or colour in a keystroke. The game list stays quick however big the file gets.

Search by player name
Filter by rating, year, colour, and result
Sort the list and open any game on the board

Annotating a game in Manifest Chess Lite with comments, variations, and symbols

Annotation and editing

Annotate it your way, keep it your way

Variations, comments and symbols saved back into your own file, and games you do not touch are left as they are. Your file stays yours.

Comments, variations, and symbols like !! and ?!
Arrows and highlights, saved into the file
Edit tags, change results, start a new game from any position
Full undo for every edit

A very large PGN database open in Manifest Chess Lite, scrolling smoothly

Large PGN databases

Big databases stay light on their feet

Seventy thousand games open in a blink and scroll like they were ten. Even messy real-world files load as far as they parse.

Tens of thousands of games, smooth scrolling
Damaged files still open to the readable part
The truly huge still open, in a read-only mode

Manifest Chess Lite in a light theme with customised board colours and pieces

Boards, pieces, and sounds

Make it look the way you see chess

Light or dark, your board colours, your pieces, your sounds. Pick once and forget you picked.

Light and dark themes
Board colours and piece sets
Sound themes, at your volume or silent

Offline chess PGN reader with no account and no tracking

Private by design

The App Store privacy label says it plainly: Data Not Collected. Not because a policy promises restraint, but because the app cannot send anything anywhere.

No account

There is no sign-in and nothing to set up. Open the app, open your file, start reading.

No tracking

No analytics and no telemetry. What you study is nobody's business but yours.

No internet access

The app has no way to reach the internet at all, so your files and your work stay on your Mac.

Frequently asked questions

Lite, answered

The questions we hear most about Manifest Chess Lite, answered without the marketing spin.

Manifest Chess Studio: chess database for Mac

Ready for the whole library?

Manifest Chess Studio is the full database, built for serious players and professionals: position search across every game you own, Lichess and Chess.com sync, and automated game review.

Bring your chess games into Manifest Chess

A full desktop chess database and a fast PGN reader, built for Mac. Each is a one-time purchase on the Mac App Store.

Download Join the community