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 from the download page.

Platform	File
macOS (Apple Silicon)	.dmg (arm64)
macOS (Intel)	.dmg (x64)
Windows 10 / 11	.exe installer
Linux	.deb or .AppImage

Apple Silicon and Intel Macs use separate downloads. Pick the one that matches your Mac.

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-*.deb

Or make the .AppImage executable and run it:

chmod +x camera.ui-*.AppImage
./camera.ui-*.AppImage

First launch: choose how to run

The first time you open the app, it asks "How should camera.ui run?" and offers three 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.
• 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.

You can change this anytime from the tray icon (Switch mode…), without reinstalling.

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.

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.

Where your data lives

In Server mode, your settings and recordings are stored under the app's data folder:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/camera.ui
• Windows: %APPDATA%\camera.ui
• Linux: ~/.config/camera.ui

See Backup & restore to keep a copy.