---
title: "Indent Desktop"
description: "Run Indent on your own computer, in a folder you choose, to work with local files and tools."
---

> Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.indent.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Indent Desktop

The desktop app runs Indent on your own computer instead of in a cloud sandbox — so it can work with
local files and tools such as spreadsheets, PDFs, and images.

## Install the app

The desktop app requires macOS with Apple Silicon.

From the web app menu, choose **Download desktop app**, or download it directly from
[app.indent.com/download/mac](https://app.indent.com/download/mac). Open the installer and launch
the app. The desktop app updates itself when a new version is released.

## Sign in

Open the app and select **Sign in**. Indent opens your browser to complete sign-in.

## Keep the app up to date

**Settings → Desktop** shows the **Version** running on this device. Select **Check for updates** to
look for a newer one; when an update has downloaded, **Restart to update** installs it. Leave
**Automatic updates** on to have new versions downloaded and installed in the background.

## Open a session in the app

In the web app, any session's menu in the sidebar has **Open in desktop app**. An `indent://` link
opens and focuses the app the same way. Inside the app, **Cmd+N** starts a new session.

## Choose local or cloud

The desktop app adds a **Local / Cloud** switch next to the message box:

- **Cloud** — Indent works in a cloud sandbox within a given
  [environment](/getting-started/environments), like in the web app.
- **Local** — Indent works on your computer, within a folder you choose.

Set this before you start a session. A session's compute is fixed once it starts.

## Work on your computer

In Local mode, ask Indent to do anything you'd do at a terminal in that folder: run the application,
run tests, edit files, use git. Indent acts on your real computer, so treat a local session the way
you'd treat running those commands yourself. To run commands yourself alongside it, open the
[Terminal](/working-locally/terminal).

A session that runs on your computer in the desktop app is always a
[private session](/collaborating/personal-and-private).

Source: https://docs.indent.com/working-locally/desktop/index.mdx