# Install Machine Desktop What you need, how to download and install Machine Desktop on Windows or Mac, and how to uninstall it. Canonical page: https://themachine.myapps.ai/docs/desktop/get-started/install ## Before you start You need three things: 1. **A Machine account.** Accounts are created on the Machine web app, not in the desktop app. If you don't have one yet, sign up on the web first. It takes about a minute. 2. **A supported computer:** | System | Supported | |---|---| | Windows | Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit | | Mac | macOS 12 Monterey or later, on Apple silicon (M1 and later) or Intel | 3. **An internet connection.** Your bots run on Machine's computers in the cloud, so the app needs to be online to work. You don't need to be an administrator on your computer. On Windows, the app installs just for you. ## Download ![The Machine download page](/images/docs/desktop/download-page.webp) Go to the [download page](/download). It detects your system and shows the right button: **Download for Windows** or **Download for macOS**. The file you get: | System | File | |---|---| | Windows | `Machine-Desktop-Setup-.exe` | | Mac | `Machine-Desktop--universal.dmg` | The Mac file is *universal*: the same download works on every Mac. ### Also on the download page Under the desktop app, the download page has three more cards: | Card | What it is | |---|---| | **Chrome extension** | Optional. **Google Chrome**, *Chrome Web Store · free*. Click **Add to Chrome** to install it, so bots can work in your own Chrome tabs. It needs Machine Desktop. See [Chrome extension](/docs/desktop/this-pc/chrome-extension). | | **Mobile app** | **Android** from Google Play, and **iPhone** and **iPad** from the TestFlight beta. See [Machine Mobile](/docs/desktop/mobile). | | **Command line** | The install command for the Machine CLI, one for **macOS & Linux** and one for **Windows**, each with a copy button. See [CLI](/docs/cli). | ### Microsoft Store copies Machine Desktop is also packaged for the Microsoft Store, as **Machine AI**. If your copy came from the Store, the Store keeps it up to date, not the app's own updater. Everything else works the same. ## Install ### Open the installer Open your **Downloads** folder and double-click `Machine-Desktop-Setup-.exe`. ### Get past the safety check, if you see one If a blue box says **Windows protected your PC**, click **More info**, then **Run anyway**. Windows shows this for apps it hasn't seen often yet. ### Let it install The installer runs by itself. You don't need to choose a folder or click through any screens. When it's done, Machine Desktop opens. You'll find a **Machine** shortcut in the Start menu. ### Open the disk image Open your **Downloads** folder and double-click `Machine-Desktop--universal.dmg`. A window opens. ### Drag it into Applications Drag the **Machine Desktop** icon onto the **Applications** folder in that window. ### Open it Open **Applications** in Finder and double-click **Machine Desktop**. The app is signed and checked by Apple, so it opens normally. You can eject the disk image afterwards and delete the `.dmg` file. To keep Machine Desktop in your Dock, right-click its Dock icon while it's open and choose **Options → Keep in Dock**. ## Next: sign in When the app opens, you'll see **Sign in to Machine Desktop**. Continue to [Sign in](/docs/desktop/get-started/sign-in). ## Install on more computers You can install Machine Desktop on as many computers as you like and sign in to each. Your bots, threads, and automations are the same everywhere, because they live on Machine. Machine Desktop also keeps your group chats, teams, and sidebar choices (like pinned and archived bots, bot colors, titles, and thread folders) in step across your computers and the Machine phone app. A new computer picks them up a moment after you sign in. A few things stay on each computer: app settings such as the look and the welcome tour, and custom avatar pictures. ## Uninstall 1. Quit Machine Desktop: right-click its icon in the system tray (near the clock) and choose **Quit**. 2. Open **Settings → Apps → Installed apps**. 3. Find **Machine Desktop** (it may be listed as **Machine**), click **…**, and choose **Uninstall**. Local app data is kept, so if you reinstall later, the app remembers your preferences. 1. Quit Machine Desktop with **⌘Q**. 2. Open **Applications** in Finder. 3. Drag **Machine Desktop** to the Trash. > **Uninstalling never deletes your work** > Your bots, threads, and files live on Machine, not on your computer. > Uninstalling the app doesn't touch them. Sign in again, here, on the web, or > on your phone, and everything is still there. ## Common questions **Is Machine Desktop free?** The app is free to download. Work your bots do is paid from your Machine balance. See [Usage and billing](/docs/desktop/settings/usage-and-billing). **Can I use it without installing anything?** Yes. The Machine web app does most of the same things in a browser. Machine Desktop adds things a browser can't, like letting bots work on [your own computer](/docs/desktop/this-pc/overview). **Does it work on a Chromebook, or on Windows on ARM?** Only the systems listed above are supported.