Installation¶

Windows¶

Download the installer (.exe) or the portable ZIP from the Diffract website.
Installer: run the .exe. No administrator rights are required - Diffract installs to your user profile by default.
Portable ZIP: extract the archive to any folder and run diffract.exe directly.

Note

The portable version stores settings alongside the executable. You can move the folder at any time without losing your configuration.

Download the .dmg from the Diffract website.
Open the .dmg and drag Diffract to your Applications folder.
On first launch, macOS may block the app because it was downloaded from the internet. Right-click Diffract in Applications and choose Open, then click Open in the confirmation dialog to bypass Gatekeeper.

Note

This one-time step is only required on first launch. Subsequent launches work normally from Spotlight, Launchpad, or the Dock.

Download the .tar.gz from the Diffract website.
Extract the archive:
```
tar -xzf diffract-linux-x64.tar.gz
```
Run diffract from the extracted folder:
```
./diffract
```
To run diffract from any terminal, move the binary to ~/.local/bin/ and ensure that directory is on your PATH:
```
mv diffract ~/.local/bin/
```

Note

Both Wayland and X11 display servers are supported.

Download the new version and replace your existing installation:

Windows installer: run the new installer over the existing one.
Windows portable: replace the contents of your existing folder with the new ZIP contents.
macOS: drag the new version into Applications, replacing the old one.
Linux: extract the new archive and replace the existing binary.

Your settings and activated licence are stored separately and are preserved across updates.