Drıftstack docs
Docs

Download and install the desktop app (macOS, Windows, Linux)

You might be here because: “how do I download the desktop app” · “where is the download link” · “how do I install Driftstack on my computer” · “is there a Mac app” · “is there a Windows or Linux version” · “which file do I download” · “macOS says the app is from an unidentified developer” · “Windows protected your PC” · “is the installer safe” · “where is the downloads page in the dashboard”

Short answer

Download the desktop app from https://driftstack.io/download/, which opens the Driftstack releases page. It supports macOS, Windows and Linux, it is a free download, and every plan, the free trial included, can use it. Pick the file for your computer — the .dmg for a Mac, the -setup.exe installer for Windows, the .AppImage or .deb for Linux — install it, open it, and choose Sign in with browser. The app isn’t yet signed with Apple or Microsoft, so a Mac or a Windows computer may show a security warning the first time you open it; that is expected, and the steps below get you past it.

Check first

  • Where the link is. On driftstack.io, Download in the header (in the menu on a small screen), Desktop app in the footer, and Download the desktop app on the Pricing page. In the dashboard, Download desktop app at the top of Overview, in its Get set up checklist and Quick actions, and in the command palette (⌘K or Ctrl-K). Every one of them opens the same releases page that https://driftstack.io/download/ opens; the dashboard has no separate downloads page.
  • Download it only from there. Do not install copies from unofficial mirrors.
  • Your computer. A Mac needs macOS 12 or later. The Windows installer and the Linux files are 64-bit (x86-64) builds.
  • An account. The app signs in to your Driftstack account through your browser, so you don’t need an API key to use it.

Likely causes and fixes

  1. Which file to download. The releases page lists every file of the newest version. You need one:

    • Mac: the file ending in .dmg.
    • Windows: the file ending in -setup.exe.
    • Linux: the .AppImage (one file that runs without installing) or the .deb (for Debian and Ubuntu).

    The other files on the page (.app.tar.gz, .sig, latest.json) are what the app uses to update itself; you never need to download them.

  2. Installing on a Mac. Open the .dmg and drag Driftstack onto the Applications folder in the window that opens. Open Driftstack from Applications, never from the disk image: an app run from the disk image cannot update itself. The first time, macOS warns that the app is from an unidentified developer, because the builds are not Apple-signed or notarised: right-click Driftstack in Applications, choose Open, and confirm. Session windows come from a small companion app that Driftstack carries inside itself and installs in Applications on its own, so there is nothing else to download.

  3. Installing on Windows. Run the -setup.exe installer. It installs Driftstack for your Windows user only and adds a Driftstack folder to the Start menu. If Windows SmartScreen shows “Windows protected your PC”, the installer is not signed with Microsoft: choose More info, then Run anyway. On Windows, session windows open inside the app.

  4. Installing on Linux. For the .AppImage, make the file executable (in its file properties, or with chmod +x and the file name in a terminal), then open it. For the .deb, install it with your package manager, for example sudo dpkg -i followed by the file name. On Linux, session windows open inside the app.

  5. First launch: sign in. The app opens a short setup wizard: choose Cloud, then Sign in with browser; the app opens the dashboard in your browser and shows a short code to enter there and confirm. There is no license key to find. Desktop app first run walks through each step and what to do if one stalls.

  6. “Is the installer safe?” The warning on first launch is there because the app isn’t yet signed with Apple or Microsoft, and the website and dashboard say to expect it. Download it only from the releases page above. Updates are a separate check: the app installs an update only after verifying it against Driftstack’s own signing key, which is built into the app.

  7. Updates. You install the app once. It checks for updates when it opens and every few hours after that, and installs a new version on its own as soon as it finds one, then restarts. It never installs while a session is running: it shows a banner naming the new version instead, and you choose when to press Install & restart. To be asked before every update, turn off Install updates without asking in Settings → Updates. If an update fails, see Update couldn’t be installed; if saves and launches are refused with “Please update Driftstack to keep editing”, see that page.

  8. Removing or reinstalling it. See Uninstall or reinstall the desktop app: your profiles, proxies and settings stay on your account either way.

If it still fails

If the download or the install fails with a message this page does not cover, press Talk to a person in this chat (or open Help in the dashboard) and include your operating system and its version, the file you downloaded, and the exact message.