Director is available for both Windows and Macintosh systems. The native authoring file format for Director is a DIR file which is cross platform. This file can be opened in both Macintosh and Windows versions of Director.

A "Projector" file is a file that can be created when a movie is ready for distribution. Projector files do not require Director or any other software to be installed in order to run on a machine. Projector files are not cross platform.

In order to create a Projector file that runs on Macintosh, you must have the Macintosh version of Director running on a Macintosh machine. In order to create a Projector file that runs on Windows, you must have the Windows version of Director running on a Windows machine. Since there are some differences between platforms, such as displaying graphics and playing sound, we recommend that cross platform developers own both Macintosh and Windows systems in order to test their work. As the Director developer mantra goes, "test early, test often, test on all target platforms".

Note: The various Windows emulators available for the Macintosh are not recommended or supported for Director authoring. Macromedia Technical Support cannot assist with troubleshooting issues encountered as a result of using Windows emulation products for the Macintosh.