Use the desktop app

The desktop app gives you the Library, reader, Ask, Writing and Discover in a native window. It also adds watched folders, a global Quick note shortcut, system notifications and offline papers. You use the same account and research as on the web.

Install, update and remove

Choose your system on the Apps page for the current download. For Homebrew and any other published package-manager routes, use the package-manager instructions. Those routes install the same release as the direct download.

macOS

Requires macOS 13 or later. Install from the Mac App Store, which manages updates for its copy. There is no Check for Updates… command in that version.

For the direct download, open the signed and notarized disk image, then drag Distari to Applications. You can also select Distari, choose Edit › Copy, open Applications and choose Edit › Paste Item. Open Distari from Applications rather than from the disk image. You can eject the image afterwards.

The direct-download and Homebrew copies check for updates automatically, about once a day. Choose Distari › Check for Updates… to check yourself, including while signed out. Confirm the update when Sparkle offers it.

Before moving from the direct download or Homebrew to the Store copy, connect and sync any pending changes, then quit Distari. The copies share an app identity and cannot safely run together. macOS may ask to let the Store copy read the existing app’s data; its encrypted offline cache starts fresh, so sign in and download your papers again. Your synced research stays in your account.

To remove the app, choose Quit first, then move Distari from Applications to the Bin. Removing the app keeps its local account data and Keychain sign-in. If you want to clear its offline account data too, sync and sign out before removing it. Homebrew removal and its optional local-file cleanup are described in the install instructions.

Windows

The public download is an unsigned beta for Windows 10 and 11 on x64. Download the installer from the Windows Apps section. If Edge calls it an uncommon download, open its … menu, choose Keep, then Keep anyway. If Windows SmartScreen says it protected your PC, choose More info, then Run anyway, when offered. Smart App Control can block the unsigned installer entirely; this beta does not have a trusted-signing or Microsoft Store release.

Run the installer. It installs for your Windows user, without administrator rights, and adds Distari to Start.

Distari checks for updates about once a day. Help › Check for updates… checks manually. When you choose Quit and update, it downloads and verifies the update, saves pending writing edits, quits, installs and reopens. Remove it through Settings › Apps. Uninstalling keeps account data; sync and sign out first if you want to clear that computer’s offline research.

Linux

Distari supports Ubuntu 24.04 and Debian 13 through its signed apt repository, and Arch and Manjaro through a per-user beta installer, all on x86_64. The Linux install instructions list the commands for both. You need a running, unlocked Secret Service keyring and a notification service, normally provided by GNOME or KDE Plasma. Other distributions do not yet have a verified public install route.

With apt, updates come with your system updates: run sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade. Help › Check for updates… shows that command rather than updating in the app. sudo apt purge distari removes the app while keeping account data.

On Arch and Manjaro, the direct installer puts Distari in your user’s ~/.local directory and adds it to the applications menu. It checks for updates about once a day. Choose Help › Check for updates…, then Quit and update when offered. You can also run distari-update in a terminal. distari-update uninstall removes the app while keeping account data. Sync and sign out before uninstalling if you want to clear the offline account data.

Connect this computer

1. Open Distari. On Connect this computer, choose Continue in browser.
2. Sign in to your Distari account in the browser tab that opens. Create an account there first if you need one.
3. Review the computer connection and approve it. If the browser asks for the code, use the one shown in the app.
4. Return to Distari. After approval and its initial sync, the app opens Projects.

Distari keeps a revocable device key in your operating system’s secure store. It does not save your password in the app. Device access expires, so you may need to approve another browser connection later.

Import PDFs from a watched folder

Open Account › This computer. Its Startup and import section contains Watched import folder.

1. Choose Change…, select the folder you want Distari to watch, then choose the destination project.
2. Turn on Watched import folder if it is off.
3. Copy a complete PDF into that folder. Distari also scans PDFs already there when you turn watching on.
4. Open the destination project’s Inbox in Library. Distari creates Inbox if it does not exist. While an import waits to send, you can see it in Offline and sync.

Wait for a download or export to finish before expecting an import. Distari waits for the file to stop changing and checks that the PDF can be read. Partial browser downloads are skipped. An incomplete or unreadable PDF offers Retry: finish copying or export it again, then retry. An unchanged file is not imported again when you restart Distari or turn watching off and on.

Turning the switch off keeps the folder and destination for later. Clear folder turns watching off and forgets that configuration. Imports already queued and papers already imported remain.

Quick notes, notifications and the menu bar

Capture a quick note

While Distari is running, press ⌘⇧N on macOS or Ctrl+Shift+N on Windows or Linux to open Quick note from another app. The note goes to the open paper, or to Notes · Inbox when no paper is open. Saving queues it durably, including offline.

To use another combination, open This computer › Quick note shortcut, choose Choose… and press the new one: ⌘ or ⌥ on macOS (Ctrl or Alt on Windows and Linux), optionally Shift, and a letter or digit. Use default puts ⌘⇧N or Ctrl+Shift+N back, and the switch beside it turns the global shortcut off. If another app has claimed a combination, Distari says so and you can choose another. On Linux the global shortcut needs an X11 session; on Wayland, use Quick note… from Distari’s tray menu instead.

Choose which notifications appear

Under This computer › Notifications, turn on Desktop notifications and choose the categories you want. Processing finished and mentions/replies also follow your account’s notification preferences. Weekly Discover digest controls email, not a desktop popup.

Allow Distari in the operating system’s notification settings when prompted. While you are using Distari, events appear inside its window; when it is not focused, they use system notifications. Select a notification to open the linked research. Desktop notifications need the app to be running.

Keep syncing after closing the window

With Keep syncing enabled in This computer, closing the window leaves Distari running in the macOS menu bar or Windows/Linux tray. Use its menu to Open Distari, start Quick note…, Sync now or Quit. Quit exits the app and stops background watching and sync.

The login-startup switch is separate: Open at login on macOS, Start with Windows, or Start on login on Linux. It starts Distari in the background when you next log in and is off by default.

Keep papers offline

In Library, open the paper, then choose Keep offline from its … menu. Project and folder menus offer Make available offline. Keeping a project or folder also covers matching papers added later, once the app syncs.

Open Account › Offline and sync to see PDF storage, Saved scopes, Waiting to send and conflicts. A saved scope is a project, folder or paper you chose to keep. Removing a scope removes PDFs no other scope needs; it does not delete the research from your account.

This computer › Keep PDFs for opened papers also keeps PDFs you open online. Open a kept paper once while connected to confirm that its PDF and reading material are available before you travel. AI requests, Discover and uncached content still need a connection.

• Choose Sync now for a routine sync and to send queued changes when connected.
• Choose Rebuild offline copy while connected if expected papers or metadata are missing. This refreshes the library without discarding changes waiting to send or downloading unchanged PDFs again.
• Review errors under Waiting to send if work remains queued. Restore your connection or project access before retrying. For a conflict, compare both versions before choosing Keep both or, where available, Keep newest. Project-note conflicts offer Keep both.

Offline research is protected by the operating system’s key store. If the app says the offline copy is locked, unlock the device and its keyring, then choose Try again. Keep the existing local files while recovering access.

Sign out or reconnect

Choose File › Sign out, or Revoke and sign out in This computer. Signing out revokes this computer’s device key and clears its offline account data, including unsent changes. Research already synced stays in your account.

When changes are waiting, the confirmation shows their count. Choose Cancel to keep working, or Sync first to send them and review what remains before signing out. Confirm sign-out only when you are ready to discard any changes still waiting. If the service cannot revoke the key, sign-out fails and keeps your connection and changes intact; restore the connection and try again.

An account screen’s Reconnect keeps changes for the same account. If device access expires or is revoked, Connect this computer also holds unsent work for its original account, including after restarting. Approve the browser connection with that account to recover it.

To switch accounts while held work remains, choose Discard held changes on Connect and review the count and warning. Cancel keeps recovery available. Confirming clears that account’s local data and unsent work; connect the other account after cleanup finishes. If cleanup fails, follow the retry message before connecting.

What opens in the browser

Purchases, account-security changes and the billing portal open in your browser. Complete those steps there, then return to the desktop app. The desktop uses the same plan and usage as the web; see Plans and credits.

Troubleshooting

Linux cannot open its keyring

Check that your desktop session has a Secret Service provider running and its login keyring unlocked. KDE Plasma and GNOME normally provide one. Unlock it, then use Try again in Distari. Installing the libsecret library alone does not start a keyring service. Do not remove the offline files to fix a locked keyring: they may contain changes waiting to send.

Windows refuses the installer

Check that the download came from the Apps page. The unsigned beta can trigger Edge and SmartScreen warnings, and Smart App Control may prevent installation. If Windows offers no Run anyway option, this install route may be unavailable on that computer. Do not expect Microsoft Store trust from the direct beta installer.

An update fails

Check your connection and free disk space, then retry the system’s update command above. On Windows or Linux, an ordinary development build or a copy outside the installer-managed location has no in-app update command. An apt install updates only through sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade. On macOS, use the installed copy in Applications.

If retrying still fails, get the current installer from the Apps page and install over the existing copy. Keep the account data so offline papers and waiting changes remain available. If you need help, use Troubleshooting and feedback and include your system, Distari version and the update error, without passwords or device keys.

For in-window commands and differences from the web app, see Keyboard shortcuts.