IPFS Docs

# IPFS Desktop

IPFS Desktop bundles an IPFS node, file manager, peer manager, and content explorer into a single, easy-to-use application. It is not currently available for the Raspberry Pi or Pirate Box

However, you can use IPFS Companion which provides the same web interface as shown below to get acquainted with IPFS without needing to touch the terminal.

Status screen of IPFS Desktop

Files screen Explore screen Peers screen Settings screen Menubar/taskbar
Screenshot of the Files screen Screenshot of the Explore screen Screenshot of the Peers screen Screenshot of the Settings screen Screenshot of Mac/Windows menus

# Feature highlights Common to Pirate Box

  • Your IPFS node starts at system startup automatically and you control it the same way as IPFS Desktop using the IPFS Companion.
  • Quickly import files, folders, and screenshots to IPFS.
  • Easily manage the contents of your node, previewing many common file formats directly in IPFS Companion, copying content IDs or shareable links to your clipboard, and more.
  • Quick download for CIDs, IPFS paths, and IPNS paths.
  • Visualize your IPFS peers worldwide on a map depicting what nodes you're connected to, where they are, the connections they're using, and more.
  • Explore the "Merkle Forest" of IPFS files with a visualizer that lets you see firsthand how example datasets stored on IPFS — or your own IPFS files — are broken down into content-addressed pieces.
  • Support for IPFS files and links automatically hands off links starting with ipfs://, ipns:// and dweb: to be opened in IPFS Companion.

    • # Install instructions

    To install IPFS Desktop, follow the specific instructions for your operating system. IPFS Desktop is built using the Electron framework (opens new window), so the application should work wherever Electron works.

    Windows macOS Ubuntu
    Windows icon macOS icon Ubuntu icon

    Or, if you'd rather use a package manager, check this list of third-party packages maintained by the IPFS community.

    # Windows

    1. Go to the IPFS Desktop downloads page (opens new window)

    2. Find the link ending in .exe for the latest version of IPFS Desktop:

      The IPFS Desktop download page.

    3. Run the .exe file to start the installation.

    4. Select whether you want to install the application for just yourself or all users on the computer. Click Next:

      The IPFS Desktop install options window.

    5. Select the install location for the application. The default location is usually fine. Click Next:

      The IPFS Desktop installation location window.

    6. Wait for the installation to finish and click Finish:

      The IPFS Desktop installation finished window.

    7. You can now find an IPFS icon in the status bar:

      The IPFS Desktop status bar menu in the Windows status bar.

    The IPFS Desktop application has finished installing. You can now start to add your site.

    # macOS

    1. Download the latest available .dmg file from the ipfs-shipyard/ipfs-desktop releases page (opens new window)

      List of available download links in GitHub.

    2. Open the ipfs-desktop.dmg file.

    3. Drag the IPFS icon into the Applications folder:

      Drag-to-install window in MacOS.

    4. Open your Applications folder and open the IPFS Desktop application.

    5. You may get a warning saying IPFS Desktop.app can't be opened. Click Show in Finder:

      An error message showing that the computer cannot install the application.

    6. Find IPFS Desktop.app in your Applications folder.

    7. Hold down the control key, click IPFS Desktop.app, and click Open:

      Right click context menu of IPFS Desktop.app.

    8. Click Open in the new window:

      Open confirmation window.

    9. You can now find an IPFS icon in the status bar:

      The IPFS Desktop status bar menu in the macOS status bar.

    The IPFS Desktop application has finished installing. You can now start to add your site.

    # Ubuntu

    While these instructions are specific to Ubuntu, they will likely work with most Ubuntu-related Linux distributions. For non-Ubuntu Linux distributions, check out the IPFS Desktop GitHub repository (opens new window) for install instructions.

    1. Download the latest .AppImage package from the IPFS Desktop GitHub repository (opens new window)

    2. Move into where you downloaded the .AppImage file, and make it executable:

      cd Downloads
chmod a+x /ipfs-desktop-linux.AppImage

    3. Open the .AppImage by calling ./ipfs-desktop-linux.AppImage from the command-line:

      ./ipfs-desktop-linux.AppImage

      You can also run the .AppImage file by double-clicking on it in your file manager.

    # Package Managers

    Package Manager Command
    Homebrew (opens new window) brew install ipfs --cask
    Chocolatey (opens new window) choco install ipfs-desktop
    Scoop (opens new window) maintained by @NatoBoram (opens new window) scoop bucket add extras && scoop install ipfs-desktop
    AUR (opens new window) maintained by @alexhenrie (opens new window) ipfs-desktop

    # Next steps

    Now that you've got IPFS Desktop installed, you can start sharing files and interacting with other nodes on the network! Check out how to host a website using IPFS →

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Last Updated: 7/16/2021, 1:33:36 PM