Apps and devices | Distari guide

Use the web app at distari.com for the complete workspace. The desktop app adds native capture and watched folders. A phone is a reader; a tablet adds Ask and a workspace rail. The browser extension saves papers from the page you are visiting.

Native app refresh: previously published desktop, phone and tablet builds are no longer supported. Use the web app until refreshed builds are available. The native capabilities and installation channels below describe those refreshed builds once released; your existing research and queued changes are kept.

Choose a client

Native capabilities below apply once refreshed builds are released through the listed channels. An entry marked In validation is not a verified release feature. AI actions and Discover need a connection even when you have kept papers offline.

Capability	Web	Desktop	Phone	Tablet	Extension
Library	Manage projects, folders and papers	Manage projects, folders and papers	Browse, search and read; organise on web, desktop or tablet	Manage projects, folders and papers	Choose a destination when saving
Reader	PDF, summaries and annotations	PDF, summaries and annotations	Tap sentences to highlight or comment	Read and annotate	Open saved papers in the web app
Ask	Cited questions and saved Threads	Cited questions and saved Threads	Use web, desktop or tablet	Cited questions and saved Threads	Use the web app
Writing	Create, edit and compile drafts	Create, edit and compile drafts	Use web or desktop	Browse drafts; edit in browser	Use the web app
Discover	Find and shortlist papers	Find and shortlist papers	Find and shortlist papers	Find and shortlist papers	Capture the current page instead
Offline	Keep selected research; some screens need a connection	Keep research and queue supported changes	Kept papers, search, highlights and comments	Kept research and supported queued changes	Capture needs a connection
Capture	Add PDFs, links or identifiers	Drop, paste, quick capture and watched folders	Share-sheet capture: In validation	Share-sheet capture: In validation	Save detected papers to a project and folder
Settings	Project, account, security and billing	Project and app settings; purchases, security and billing in browser	Device settings; account and project changes in browser	Device settings; account and project settings in browser	Connection and capture preferences

For web offline controls, see Read and annotate. To bring papers, summaries and your notes into a vault, use Distari in Obsidian. Other connected tools are covered in Imports and integrations. Current downloads and store availability are on the Apps page; the installation notes below describe the published desktop and extension channels.

Desktop app

The native desktop app has the same five workspace modes as the web app, plus native capture, watched-folder import, system notifications and offline papers. Follow Use the desktop app to connect your account, configure this computer, keep papers offline or sign out. Installation routes are below.

macOS

Requires macOS 13 or later. Install from the Mac App Store for Store-managed updates. Before switching from the direct download or Homebrew, sync pending changes and quit that copy. The Store copy starts with a fresh offline cache; the desktop guide explains the change.

For the signed and notarized direct download, use the Apps page, or install with Homebrew:

brew install --cask distari-ai/tap/distari

Homebrew installs the same signed release as the direct download. Distari updates itself through Sparkle; use Distari › Check for Updates to check manually. brew upgrade leaves it alone unless you add --greedy.

brew uninstall --cask distari removes the app. To also remove its local files, use brew uninstall --cask --zap distari; your sign-in stays in the Keychain.

Linux

On Ubuntu 24.04 or Debian 13 (x86_64), install from Distari’s signed apt repository. These commands add its signing key and source, then install the app with the libraries it needs:

sudo install -d -m 0755 /etc/apt/keyrings
wget -qO- https://downloads.distari.com/apt/distari.gpg | sudo tee /etc/apt/keyrings/distari.gpg > /dev/null
printf 'Types: deb\nURIs: https://downloads.distari.com/apt\nSuites: stable\nComponents: main\nArchitectures: amd64\nSigned-By: /etc/apt/keyrings/distari.gpg\n' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/distari.sources > /dev/null
sudo apt update && sudo apt install distari

apt installs Distari system-wide and adds it to your applications menu. Updates arrive with your other system updates (sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade); Help > Check for updates… shows that command instead of updating in the app. sudo apt purge distari removes it and keeps your account data. Older releases, such as Ubuntu 22.04 and Debian 12, aren’t supported.

On Arch and Manjaro (beta, x86_64): see the Apps page for the current installer. First install the system libraries with sudo pacman -S --needed gtk3 libx11 libxi libsecret libkeybinder3 enchant hunspell hunspell-en_us, then run curl -fsSLO https://downloads.distari.com/linux/distari-install.py and python3 distari-install.py. Distari installs for your user in ~/.local and appears in your applications menu. It checks for updates once a day and from Help > Check for updates…, then quits, updates and reopens when you agree; distari-update in a terminal does the same. distari-update uninstall removes the app and keeps your account data. You need a Secret Service keyring and a notification service, which KDE Plasma and GNOME provide, and the global quick-note shortcut works only in an X11 session.

Windows

Beta, for Windows 10 and 11 on x64: download the installer from the Apps page. It isn’t signed yet, so Edge calls the download uncommon: open the download’s … menu, choose Keep, then Keep anyway. If Windows says it protected your PC, choose More info, then Run anyway. Distari installs for your user without administrator rights and appears in the Start menu. It checks for updates once a day and from Help > Check for updates…, then quits, updates and reopens when you agree. Remove it from Settings › Apps; your account data stays.

Phone and tablet availability

The iPhone and iPad app is on the App Store for iOS and iPadOS 15 or later, in every App Store country. Android is in internal testing, with no public Google Play release yet. The capabilities below describe both clients; check the Apps page for current availability.

Read the Phone and tablet guide for the phone reader, tablet workspace, offline reading, sync, device settings and signing out.

Offline recovery and signing out

For desktop recovery and held changes, see Keep papers offline and Sign out or reconnect.

For phone and tablet recovery and sign-out, see Offline reading and sync and Sign out or reconnect.

Browser capture extension

The desktop Chrome and Firefox extension can identify a paper from a page and save it to a project. Follow Save papers with the browser extension for installation, connection, project and folder selection, and troubleshooting. Both store listings are public. Add it from the Chrome Web Store or Firefox Add-ons through the Apps page.

See the Apps page for current downloads and store links. The iPhone and iPad app is on the App Store, Android is still in testing, Windows remains an unsigned public beta, Linux is an Arch/Manjaro beta, and Microsoft Store publication is still pending.