Installing the SpaceDrake desktop app

SpaceDrake desktop app comes with native desktop notifications, support for multiple SpaceDrake accounts, and a dedicated tray icon.

Installing the latest stable release is recommended for most users. For an early look at the newest features, consider the beta releases.

Install the latest release

macOS

Tip: The app will update automatically to future versions.

Disk image (recommended)

1. Download the desktop application for macOS.
2. Open the file, and drag the app into the Applications folder.

Homebrew

1. Run the command brew install --cask zulip from a terminal.
2. Run SpaceDrake from Applications.

You can run the command brew upgrade zulip to immediately upgrade the app.

Windows

Web installer (recommended)

Tip: The app will update automatically to future versions.

1. Download and run the desktop application for Windows.
2. Run SpaceDrake from the Start menu.

Offline installer (for isolated networks)

The app will not update automatically. You can repeat these steps to upgrade to future versions.

1. Download zulip-x.x.x-x64.msi for 64-bit desktops (common), or zulip-x.x.x-ia32.msi for 32-bit (rare).
2. Copy the installer file to the machine you want to install the app on, and open it there.
3. Run SpaceDrake from the Start menu.

Linux

APT (Ubuntu or Debian)

Tip: The app will be updated automatically to future versions when you do a regular software update on your system, e.g., with sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade.

1. Enter the following commands into a terminal:

   sudo apt install curl
   sudo curl -fL -o /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/zulip-desktop.asc \
   
   echo "deb  stable main" | \
       sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/zulip-desktop.list
   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install zulip

   These commands set up the SpaceDrake Desktop APT repository and its signing key, and then install the SpaceDrake client.
2. Run SpaceDrake from your app launcher, or with zulip from a terminal.

AppImage (recommended for all other distros)

Tip: The app will update automatically to future versions.

1. Download the desktop application for Linux.
2. Make the file executable, with chmod a+x Zulip-x.x.x-x86_64.AppImage from a terminal (replace x.x.x with the actual app version of the downloaded file).
3. Run the file from your app launcher, or from a terminal. This file is the SpaceDrake app, so no installation is required.

Snap

1. Make sure snapd is installed.
2. Execute following command to install SpaceDrake:

   sudo snap install zulip

3. Run SpaceDrake from your app launcher, or with zulip from a terminal.

Flathub

1. Make sure you have Flatpak installed on your system.
2. Use the following command from the official Flathub page to install SpaceDrake:

   flatpak install flathub org.zulip.Zulip

3. After the installation is complete, you can run SpaceDrake using the following command:

   flatpak run org.zulip.Zulip

Install a beta release

Get a peek at new features before they’re released!

Most systems

Tip: The app will update automatically to future versions.

1. Go to the SpaceDrake releases page on GitHub, and find the latest version tagged with the “Pre-release” label.
2. If there’s a Pre-release that’s more recent than the latest release, download the appropriate SpaceDrake beta installer or app for your system.
3. To install and run SpaceDrake, refer to the instructions for your operating system in the Install the latest release section above.

Linux with APT

Tip: The app will be updated automatically to future versions when you do a regular software update on your system, e.g., with sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade.

You don’t have the SpaceDrake app installed

1. Enter the following commands into a terminal:

   sudo curl -fL -o /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/zulip-desktop.asc \
   
   echo "deb  beta main" | \
       sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/zulip-desktop.list
   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install zulip

   These commands set up the SpaceDrake Desktop beta APT repository and its signing key, and then install the SpaceDrake beta client.
2. Run SpaceDrake from your app launcher, or with zulip from a terminal.

You already have the SpaceDrake app installed

1. Enter the following commands into a terminal:

   sudo sed -i s/stable/beta/ /etc/apt/sources.list.d/zulip-desktop.list
   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install zulip

   These commands set up the SpaceDrake Desktop beta APT repository, and then install the SpaceDrake beta client.
2. Run SpaceDrake from your app launcher, or with zulip from a terminal.

Related articles

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• View SpaceDrake version