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Desktop App Installation

The Cap desktop app is built with Tauri (Rust) and SolidStart, providing native performance and a lightweight footprint on your system.

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System Requirements

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macOS

  • Operating System: macOS 11 (Big Sur) or later
  • Processor: Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) or Intel
  • Memory: 4GB RAM minimum, 8GB recommended
  • Storage: 200MB for app, additional space for recordings

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Windows

  • Operating System: Windows 10 (version 1809 or later) or Windows 11
  • Processor: x64 processor
  • Memory: 4GB RAM minimum, 8GB recommended
  • Storage: 200MB for app, additional space for recordings

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Installation

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macOS Installation

1

Download Cap

Visit cap.so/download and click Download for macOS.The download will automatically detect if you’re on Apple Silicon or Intel and provide the correct version.
2

Install the App

  1. Open the downloaded .dmg file
  2. Drag the Cap icon to your Applications folder
  3. Wait for the copy to complete
Cap Icon
3

Launch Cap

  1. Open your Applications folder
  2. Double-click Cap to launch
  3. If you see a security warning, click Open to confirm
On first launch, macOS may show a security dialog because Cap is downloaded from the internet. Click “Open” to proceed.
4

Grant Permissions

Cap will request several permissions on first launch:Screen Recording Permission (Required):
  • macOS will show a permission dialog
  • Click “Open System Settings”
  • Enable Screen Recording for Cap
  • Restart Cap for changes to take effect
Microphone Access (Optional):
  • Required if you want to record voice commentary
  • Click “Allow” when prompted
Camera Access (Optional):
  • Required for picture-in-picture webcam recording
  • Click “Allow” when prompted
Developer Note: If you’re running Cap from a terminal (e.g., pnpm dev:desktop), you need to grant permissions to the terminal app (Terminal.app, iTerm2, etc.), not Cap itself. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording and enable your terminal.

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Windows Installation

1

Download Cap

Visit cap.so/download and click Download for Windows.Choose between:
  • NSIS Installer (.exe) - Recommended for most users
  • WiX Installer (.msi) - For enterprise deployments
2

Run the Installer

  1. Double-click the downloaded installer
  2. If Windows SmartScreen appears, click “More info” then “Run anyway”
  3. Follow the installation wizard:
    • Accept the license agreement
    • Choose installation location (default is recommended)
    • Select whether to create desktop shortcut
  4. Click “Install” and wait for completion
3

Launch Cap

  1. Cap will launch automatically after installation
  2. Or find Cap in your Start menu
  3. Pin to taskbar for quick access (optional)
4

Grant Permissions

Windows will request permissions on first launch:
  • Firewall Access: Allow Cap through Windows Firewall
  • Microphone: Grant access if you want to record audio
  • Camera: Grant access for webcam recording
You can manage these permissions later in Windows Settings → Privacy.

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Configuration

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Recording Storage Location

By default, Cap stores recordings locally: 
~/Library/Application Support/so.cap.desktop.dev/recordings
To change the storage location:
  1. Open Cap Settings
  2. Go to Storage section
  3. Click Change Location
  4. Select your preferred directory
  5. Existing recordings will not be moved automatically

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Connect to Self-Hosted Instance

If you’re running your own Cap server:
1

Open Settings

Click the settings icon in Cap’s main window.
2

Navigate to Server Settings

Find the Cap Server URL setting.
3

Enter Your Server URL

https://cap.yourdomain.com
Replace with your actual server URL.
4

Sign In

You’ll be prompted to sign in to your self-hosted instance.
Make sure your self-hosted Cap server is properly configured and accessible. See the Self-Hosting Guide for setup instructions.

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Keyboard Shortcuts

Speed up your workflow with these keyboard shortcuts:
ActionmacOSWindows
Start/Stop RecordingCmd+Shift+RCtrl+Shift+R
Take ScreenshotCmd+Shift+SCtrl+Shift+S
Open SettingsCmd+,Ctrl+,
Toggle CameraCmd+Shift+CCtrl+Shift+C
Toggle MicrophoneCmd+Shift+MCtrl+Shift+M
You can customize keyboard shortcuts in Cap Settings → Shortcuts.

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Updating Cap

Cap includes an automatic updater:
  1. When a new version is available, you’ll see a notification
  2. Click Download Update
  3. Cap will download in the background
  4. Click Install and Restart when ready
To manually check for updates:
  • macOS: Cap → Check for Updates
  • Windows: Help → Check for Updates

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Uninstalling Cap

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macOS

  1. Open your Applications folder
  2. Drag Cap to the Trash
  3. Empty Trash
  4. Optionally, remove recordings: 
    rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/so.cap.desktop.dev

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Windows

  1. Open Settings → Apps → Installed apps
  2. Find Cap in the list
  3. Click the three dots → Uninstall
  4. Follow the uninstallation wizard
  5. Optionally, remove recordings from %APPDATA%/so.cap.desktop.dev

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Troubleshooting

Try these steps:
  1. Right-click Cap in Applications → Open (bypasses Gatekeeper)
  2. Check System Settings → Privacy & Security for any blocks
  3. If the app is damaged, re-download from cap.so/download
  4. Check Console.app for error messages
Still having issues?Try removing quarantine attribute:
xattr -d com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Cap.app
macOS:
  1. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording
  2. Remove Cap from the list
  3. Restart Cap
  4. Grant permission again when prompted
If running from terminal:
  • Enable Screen Recording for your terminal app (Terminal.app, iTerm2, etc.)
  • Restart the terminal and try again
macOS:
  • System audio requires additional audio drivers
  • Cap will prompt you to install necessary components
  • Restart your Mac after installation
Windows:
  • Make sure “System Audio” is enabled in recording settings
  • Check Windows sound settings for output device
  • Some apps (like Zoom) may block system audio capture
Recording is CPU-intensive. To reduce CPU usage:
  1. Lower the recording quality in Settings
  2. Close unnecessary applications
  3. Record at a lower frame rate (30fps instead of 60fps)
  4. Disable webcam if not needed
  5. Make sure your device isn’t in low-power mode
Common causes:
  • System under heavy load → Close other apps
  • Low disk space → Free up storage
  • Recording quality too high → Lower in settings
  • Hardware acceleration disabled → Enable in settings
Recommended settings for smooth recording:
  • Frame rate: 30 FPS
  • Quality: Medium
  • Hardware acceleration: Enabled
  1. Make sure Windows is up to date
  2. Update graphics drivers
  3. Run Cap as administrator (right-click → Run as administrator)
  4. Check Windows Event Viewer for error details
  5. Try reinstalling Cap
If crashes persist, report the issue on GitHub Issues

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Getting Help

Report a Bug

Found a bug? Report it on GitHub

Join Discord

Get help from the community

View Source

Cap is open source on GitHub

Contributing

Learn how to contribute to Cap

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Technical Details

The Cap desktop app is built with:
  • Framework: Tauri 2.x (Rust + WebView)
  • Frontend: SolidStart (SolidJS)
  • Recording: Custom Rust crates for screen/audio/camera capture
  • Video Processing: FFmpeg
  • Bundle Size: ~100-150MB (lightweight compared to Electron alternatives)
Cap desktop uses native OS APIs for screen recording, resulting in better performance and lower resource usage than web-based solutions.

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