It was modeled on NeXTstep's bundled TeXview.app and developed for the then new macOS user interface Aqua and capitalized on the native PDF support of that version of the Macintosh operating system,[1] which was itself based on NeXTSTEP's successor OPENSTEP.

Mitsuhiro Shishikura added a Macro editor, a magnifying glass for the preview window, and the ability to transfer mathematical expressions directly into Keynote presentations.

TeXShop requires an existing TeX installation and is currently bundled with the MacTeX distribution.

The program (then version 1.19) won the 2002 Apple Design Award of Best Mac Open Source Port[2] for its capability to display scientific and technical documents created in TeX format.

In fact, TeXShop makes it possible, thanks first to "pdfsync.sty", to switch back and forth between code and preview easily, jumping at a corresponding spot, simply by a CMD-click.