1.3 Installation & System Requirements

Pop currently provides two forms of usage: Desktop Client and Web Client:

Desktop clients support Windows and macOS;
Linux versions are gradually being adapted — experienced users or enterprise environments may deploy following the official instructions;
The Web client can be accessed through a browser to use the backend management interface.

To ensure stable performance and a smooth experience, please review the following system and installation requirements before getting started.

🖥️ System Requirements Overview

Below is a general reference for desktop client configurations (actual needs may vary with model size or the number of workflows running in parallel):

Configuration	CPU	Memory	Storage Space	System Version (Examples)
Minimum	Dual‑core 2GHz+	8GB RAM	≥ 2GB available space	Windows 10 / macOS 12
Recommended	Quad‑core or above	16GB+	SSD, ≥ 10GB free space	Windows 11 / Latest macOS

ℹ️ If you plan to run multiple workflows simultaneously, load large document sets, or frequently call cloud AI models, it is strongly recommended to use the recommended or higher hardware configuration.

🍎 macOS Installation Guide

Pop provides macOS installers for both Intel and Apple Silicon (e.g., .dmg or .pkg). Please refer to the official download page for the latest version.

Installation Steps

Visit the Pop website or a trusted distribution channel and download the latest macOS installer.
For .dmg:
- Double‑click to open the disk image and drag Pop into the Applications folder.
For .pkg:
- Follow the installation wizard step by step.
If a security prompt appears on first launch (“Cannot verify developer”):
- Open System Settings → Privacy & Security;
- Scroll down to the Pop security prompt and choose Allow Anyway;
Restart Pop to enter the main interface.

Common Issues

❓ Q: Shows “Unidentified Developer” when launching?
✅ A: Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and click “Allow Anyway”.

❓ Q: First launch is blank or loads very slowly?
✅ A: Check your network settings (proxy / VPN / enterprise restrictions) to ensure Pop can access your configured AI model services and APIs.

If you understand what you are doing, you may also remove quarantine attributes via Terminal:

sudo xattr -r -d com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Pop.app

⚠️ Note: Use this only if you trust the installer source.

🪟 Windows Installation Guide

The Windows version is provided as .exe or .msi installers.

Installation Steps

Download the latest installer from the Pop website or a trusted distribution source.
Double‑click the installer.
Read and accept the license agreement.
Choose an installation path (keeping the default path is recommended for easier upgrades).
After installation, launch Pop from the desktop shortcut or Start Menu.

Common Issues

⚠️ Windows Defender / SmartScreen warning “Unknown Publisher”
If the installer is from an official or trusted source, click “More Info → Run Anyway”.

❓ Q: No response after double‑clicking Pop?
✅ Try:

Right‑click → Run as Administrator

Check if antivirus software blocked the app

Check Task Manager to ensure Pop is not stuck in a suspended state

🐧 Linux / Server Deployment (Optional)

Pop’s Linux and server‑side components are mainly used for:

Deploying the Pop Backend API / Web Management Console;
Running knowledge‑base indexing, website analytics, workflow execution services, etc.

Linux desktop client support is still under development. Supported distributions, installation packages, and dependencies (e.g., .deb, .rpm, .AppImage, or container deployments) may vary — refer to the official docs.

For desktop environments, generally required:

A desktop environment supporting WebView/Tauri/Electron;
Common graphic libraries and web rendering dependencies;
Installation using official scripts or package managers.

If you plan to deploy backend services only, please refer to the backend project (e.g., pop-api) documentation.

🔌 Network & Environment Requirements

Pop can run completely offline (using local models and local documents) or connect to external services. Depending on your usage, network requirements vary:

Internet Required:
- Using cloud models like OpenAI, DeepSeek, etc.
- Online translation, web search, and extensions
- Website analytics (if enabled)
- Update checking (if automatic update check is enabled)
Offline‑capable Scenarios:
- Using local models (e.g., Ollama)
- Using only local knowledge bases, document centers, workflow editing, etc.

For restricted network environments (e.g., enterprise networks), you may:

Configure HTTP(S) proxy in Pop or system settings;
Deploy your own model gateway and backend services;
Disable unneeded online features (e.g., automatic update checks).

🔚 Summary

Pop is lightweight and easy to run on most modern devices:

Windows & macOS users can simply download and install the official client;
Heavy workloads benefit from faster CPUs, more RAM, and SSD storage;
Linux/server deployments require following backend documentation.

After installation, continue to the next chapters to learn Pop’s interface structure and basic usage.