Desktop app
The desktop app is the recommended way to run camera.ui on macOS and Windows. One download installs the server and the viewer together, so you have a working setup in a couple of clicks. It also runs on Linux, though there a Docker or Proxmox server is the better choice (see Which installation?).
Download
Download the installer for your platform, directly below or from the download page. The links always point to the latest release.
| Platform | Download |
|---|---|
| macOS (Apple Silicon) | camera.ui-arm64.dmg |
| macOS (Intel) | camera.ui-x64.dmg |
| Windows 10 / 11 | camera.ui-x64.exe |
| Linux (AppImage) | x64 · arm64 |
| Linux (.deb) | amd64 · arm64 |
Install
macOS
Open the downloaded .dmg and drag camera.ui into your Applications folder, then launch it from there. The app is signed and notarized by Apple, so it opens without extra warnings.
Windows
Run the downloaded .exe. The installer lets you choose where to install and sets up the app for the current user, so no administrator rights are needed.
Windows may show a SmartScreen warning, because the app is not code-signed yet. Select More info → Run anyway to continue.
Linux
Install the .deb with your package manager:
sudo apt install ./camera.ui-*.debOr make the .AppImage executable and run it:
chmod +x camera.ui-*.AppImage
./camera.ui-*.AppImagePick the .AppImage if you want automatic updates
Only the .AppImage updates itself. A .deb install stays on its version. Update it by downloading and installing the new .deb.
First launch: choose how to run
The first time you open the app, it asks "How should camera.ui run?" and offers four modes:
- Server. Runs the camera.ui server on this machine. This is the all-in-one option, and what most people on macOS and Windows pick.
- Worker. Takes on part of the work for another camera.ui server on your network. Enter the address of the main server and a pairing code from its Workers settings. See Workers.
- Viewer · Direct. Connects to an existing server by address, for example another machine on your network.
- Viewer · Cloud. Signs in via cloud.cameraui.com to reach a server through camera.ui Cloud.
In Server mode the app starts the server, opens the interface, and guides you through first-run setup. In a Viewer mode it connects to a server you already have. In Worker mode there is no window, only the tray icon and a status screen.
The tray icon
The tray icon holds the app's own settings:
- Open. Brings the window back.
- Open At Login. Starts camera.ui when you log in. It goes straight to the tray: no window, no splash. Open it from the tray icon when you need it.[1]
- Close to tray. Off by default. Turn it on and closing the window only hides it, so a server on this machine keeps running.[2]
- Switch mode…. Changes how the app runs, without reinstalling.
- Quit. Stops the app, and in Server mode the server with it.
On Windows, left-click the tray icon to open the window, right-click for the menu.
macOS permissions
On macOS 15 and newer, the system asks for local network access on first launch. Allow it, otherwise the app can't reach cameras on your network. The first time you use two-way talk, macOS also asks for microphone access, and the first time you use the geofence trigger's "My location" button in Automations, it asks for location access.
Updates
The desktop app keeps itself up to date. It checks for updates when it starts and periodically while running, then downloads and installs them for you. In Server mode it also updates the bundled server before starting it, so the app and the server stay in sync.
You can also trigger it from the Updates page, from any device: the app downloads the update, installs it and relaunches. Handy when the machine running it sits in a cupboard without a keyboard.
One exception on Linux: only the .AppImage updates itself. If you installed the .deb, update by downloading and installing the new .deb from the download page.
Where your data lives
In Server mode, your settings and recordings are stored in a camera.ui/volume folder inside the app's per-user data directory:
- macOS:
~/Library/Application Support/camera.ui/camera.ui/volume - Windows:
%APPDATA%\camera.ui\camera.ui\volume - Linux:
~/.config/camera.ui/camera.ui/volume
Recordings do not have to stay there. Point the recording settings at another disk, an external drive for example, and only the recordings move. A network share is the one place to avoid, see Storage & retention.
See Backup & restore to keep a copy.