Desktop app
Download, install and first launch; running in the background and at login; opening documents from links; proxies; automatic updates; exporting diagnostics.
Download
Open the download page and pick the installer for your system. macOS comes in two builds, Apple silicon and Intel; Linux has an AppImage (updates itself) and a .deb (doesn't update itself; you're told when a new version is out). Both show up in your app menu and open vizchat:// links directly — the AppImage after its first run.
First launch
This version is not signed with an operating-system developer certificate yet, so your system will stop it the first time. Allow it once and it starts normally from then on.
| System | How to allow it |
|---|---|
| macOS | The first launch shows "Not Opened": click Done (not Move to Trash) → open System Settings → Privacy & Security, click "Open Anyway" near the bottom and confirm → open the app again and click Open. Since macOS 15, right-click → Open no longer skips this step |
| Windows | When SmartScreen appears, click "More info" → "Run anyway" |
| Linux (AppImage) | Run chmod +x VizChat-*.AppImage, then launch it. Ubuntu 22.04 and later ship without libfuse2: install it first — sudo apt install libfuse2 on 22.04, sudo apt install libfuse2t64 on 24.04 and later (or launch with --appimage-extract-and-run) |
| Linux (.deb) | sudo apt install ./VizChat-*.deb |
Change the interface language and light / dark appearance under Settings → Appearance: press Cmd / Ctrl + ,, or choose Settings… from the app menu on macOS or the File menu on Windows / Linux.
Updates
- Windows and AppImage: new versions download in the background. You get a notification when one is ready; click "Restart to Install". If you don't, it installs the next time you quit.
- macOS and .deb: when a new version is out you get a notification that opens the download page; download it and install over the old one.
You can also check at any time with "Check for Updates…" (in the app menu on macOS, under Help on Windows and Linux).
If your version is too old for the server, local sync pauses and you're asked to update; it resumes on its own once you're on the latest version.
Running in the background and at login
Closing the window doesn't quit the app: your local folders keep syncing in the background.
| System | After you close the last window | Reopen / quit completely |
|---|---|---|
| macOS | Keeps running in the background | Click the Dock icon or the menu bar icon to reopen; choose Quit from the app menu, or right-click the menu bar icon and choose Quit |
| Windows | Keeps running in the background, with an icon in the notification area (you'll see a one-time notice) | Click the notification-area icon to reopen; right-click it and choose Quit |
| Linux | Quits | Start VizChat again |
To start syncing as soon as you sign in to your computer, turn on Open at Login: in the app menu on macOS, in the File menu on Windows and Linux, and also in the menu bar / notification-area icon's menu. On macOS you may need to allow it once in System Settings → General → Login Items. When it starts at login, macOS and Windows don't open a window — VizChat just syncs in the background until you click its icon; on Linux the window opens as usual.
Right-click the menu bar / notification-area icon (on Linux, just click it) to see a one-line sync status with a colored dot (green "Synced · 2 minutes ago", blue while syncing, red naming the folder with a problem — click it to open that folder) and your most recently synced local folders: click a folder to open it in the window, or use Show in Finder (File Explorer on Windows) to open it on disk.
On Linux, whether the menu bar icon shows depends on your desktop: GNOME hides it unless you install the AppIndicator extension.
Opening documents from links
Links like vizchat://board/<workspace ID>/<document ID> open VizChat and go straight to that document (for example, links that Claude Code gives you). If you're signed out, VizChat just comes to the front. Links only carry a location, never sign-in information. On Linux with the AppImage, run it once before these links will open (each run registers it with your app menu and link handling; if you move the file, just run it again).
Proxies
If your network goes through a proxy that asks for a username and password, VizChat shows a small window to ask for them. It asks once per run and doesn't save them after you quit. VizChat never fills in passwords that a website itself asks for.
When something goes wrong
Use Help → Export Diagnostics… to save a zip file, describe the problem via "Feedback" in the VizChat menu, and email the file to contact@vizchat.ai. It contains version information, logs from recent runs and the local sync conflict log; credentials, signed download links and your user folder name are masked, and no file contents are included.