Installing AirShare

Choose your operating system below for detailed installation instructions.

Download AirShare

Visit our releases page to download the latest version for your platform:

• Windows: AirShare_x.x.x_x64.msi
• macOS: AirShare_x.x.x_universal.dmg (works on Intel and Apple Silicon)
• Linux: AirShare_x.x.x_amd64.AppImage or .deb

macOS Installation

Step 1: Download and Open DMG

1. Download the .dmg file from the releases page
2. Double-click the downloaded .dmg file
3. Drag the AirShare icon to the Applications folder

Step 2: First Launch - Security Warning

Since AirShare is not signed with an Apple Developer certificate (costs $99/year), macOS will show a security warning.

Method 1: Right-Click to Open (Easiest)

1. Right-click (or Control-click) on the AirShare app in Applications
2. Select "Open" from the menu
3. Click "Open" in the dialog that appears
4. That's it! You won't see this warning again

Method 2: System Settings

1. Try to open AirShare normally (it will be blocked)
2. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security
3. Scroll down to find "AirShare was blocked from use"
4. Click "Open Anyway"
5. Confirm by clicking "Open"

Method 3: Terminal Command

Open Terminal and run:

xattr -cr /Applications/AirShare.app

Then open AirShare normally from Applications.

Step 3: Grant Permissions

On first launch, macOS may ask for permissions:

• Network Access: Click "Allow" - needed for file transfers
• Firewall: Click "Allow" - needed to discover other devices

Windows Installation

Step 1: Download and Run Installer

1. Download the .msi file from the releases page
2. Double-click the .msi file to start installation

Step 2: Windows SmartScreen Warning

Since AirShare is not signed with an Extended Validation certificate (costs $300-500/year), Windows may show a SmartScreen warning.

When You See "Windows Protected Your PC"

Method 1: Click "More Info" (Recommended)

1. Click "More info" on the SmartScreen popup
2. Click "Run anyway"
3. The installer will proceed normally

Method 2: Unblock in Properties

1. Right-click the installer file
2. Select "Properties"
3. Check the "Unblock" box at the bottom
4. Click "Apply" → "OK"
5. Run the installer again

Step 3: Complete Installation

1. Follow the installation wizard
2. Choose installation location (default is fine)
3. Click "Install"
4. Click "Finish" when done

Step 4: Grant Firewall Permission

On first launch, Windows Firewall will ask for permission:

• ✅ Check both "Private networks" and "Public networks"
• Click "Allow access"

This is required for AirShare to discover other devices and transfer files.

Optional: Add to Startup

To have AirShare start automatically when Windows boots:

1. Open AirShare
2. Click the Settings icon
3. Go to General → System
4. Enable "Launch on startup"

Linux Installation

Linux users have two options: AppImage (works on all distros) or .deb package (Debian/Ubuntu).

Option 1: AppImage (Recommended)

AppImage works on any modern Linux distribution without installation.

Step 1: Make it Executable

chmod +x AirShare_*.AppImage

Step 2: Run It

./AirShare_*.AppImage

Step 3: Optional - Integrate with Desktop

Most desktop environments will offer to integrate the AppImage automatically. Or use AppImageLauncher for automatic integration.

You can also manually create a desktop entry:

# Move to a permanent location
mkdir -p ~/.local/bin
mv AirShare_*.AppImage ~/.local/bin/airshare

# Create desktop entry
cat > ~/.local/share/applications/airshare.desktop << 'EOF'
[Desktop Entry]
Name=AirShare
Exec=/home/YOUR_USERNAME/.local/bin/airshare
Icon=airshare
Type=Application
Categories=Network;FileTransfer;
Comment=Lightning-fast file sharing
EOF

Replace YOUR_USERNAME with your actual username.

Option 2: .deb Package (Debian/Ubuntu)

sudo dpkg -i AirShare_*.deb
sudo apt-get install -f  # Install dependencies if needed

Then launch from your application menu or run airshare in terminal.

Firewall Configuration

If you use a firewall, you need to allow AirShare:

UFW (Ubuntu/Debian)

sudo ufw allow from 192.168.0.0/16 to any port 59875:59925 proto udp
sudo ufw allow from 10.0.0.0/8 to any port 59875:59925 proto udp

Firewalld (Fedora/RHEL)

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=mdns
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=59875-59925/udp
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

mDNS/Avahi Requirement

AirShare uses mDNS for device discovery. Most distributions have this pre-installed, but if not:

# Debian/Ubuntu
sudo apt-get install avahi-daemon

# Fedora/RHEL
sudo dnf install avahi

# Arch Linux
sudo pacman -S avahi
sudo systemctl enable --now avahi-daemon

Troubleshooting

"Permission denied" when running AppImage

chmod +x AirShare_*.AppImage

AppImage won't run on older systems

Try extracting and running directly:

./AirShare_*.AppImage --appimage-extract
./squashfs-root/AppRun

AppArmor / SELinux Issues

AppArmor (Ubuntu):

sudo aa-complain /path/to/airshare

SELinux (Fedora/RHEL):

sudo semanage fcontext -a -t bin_t "/path/to/airshare.*"
sudo restorecon -v /path/to/airshare*

Verifying Your Installation

After installation, verify AirShare is working:

1. Launch the app: You should see the AirShare window
2. Check the tray icon: Look for the AirShare icon in your system tray
3. Test discovery: If you have another device with AirShare, they should discover each other automatically

Updating AirShare

AirShare includes an automatic updater that checks for new versions on startup.

When an update is available:

1. You'll see a notification
2. Click to download and install
3. AirShare will restart automatically

Next Steps

Now that AirShare is installed, let's learn how to use it!