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Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/Pachanga12/Kopia_Desk_Beta_1/llms.txt

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Kopia Desk is currently distributed as source code and runs via Electron in development mode. The setup takes about two minutes: clone the repository, install the two dev dependencies, and launch. There are no production npm packages to install — all backup logic uses Node.js built-ins (fs, crypto, child_process, zlib).

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Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure the following are available on your machine:
RequirementVersionNotes
WindowsAny modern versionRequired — drive detection uses PowerShell Get-Volume / Get-PhysicalDisk; deduplication uses NTFS hardlinks
Node.js≥ 20Download from nodejs.org
npmIncluded with Node.jsNo separate install needed
GitAny recent versionNeeded to clone the repository
Kopia Desk is Windows-only. Drive detection relies on PowerShell cmdlets (Get-Volume, Get-Partition, Get-PhysicalDisk) that do not exist on macOS or Linux. NTFS hardlinks used for content deduplication are also a Windows-specific filesystem feature.

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Install Steps

1

Clone the repository

Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and clone the project from GitHub:
git clone https://github.com/Pachanga12/Kopia_Desk_Beta_1.git
cd Kopia_Desk_Beta_1
2

Install dependencies

Run npm install to download the two dev dependencies — Electron and electron-builder. There are no production dependencies.
npm install
After this step your node_modules folder will contain:
PackageVersionPurpose
electron^43.0.0Desktop shell and IPC runtime
electron-builder^26.15.3Packages the app as an NSIS installer
3

Start the app

Launch Kopia Desk in development mode:
npm start
This runs electron ., which loads main.js as the main process and opens the app window (1300 × 820 px, minimum 800 × 600 px).
4

Run the test suite (optional)

Kopia Desk ships a test suite for lib/core.js — the scan, hashing, exclusion, and journal logic — that runs entirely with the native Node.js test runner, no Electron required:
npm test
This executes node --test, which picks up test/core.test.js automatically. All 31 tests should pass.
5

Build an installer (optional)

To produce a standalone Windows installer (NSIS), run:
npm run build
The installer is written to dist/. If the build fails due to a symlink error on the winCodeSign package, copy the extracted directory manually to:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\electron-builder\Cache\winCodeSign\winCodeSign-2.6.0\
To skip code signing during a local build, set the environment variable first:
$env:CSC_IDENTITY_AUTO_DISCOVERY = "false"
npm run build

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Project Structure

After cloning, the repository layout is: 
Kopia_Desk_Beta_1/
├── main.js          ← Electron main process (Node.js, full OS access)
├── preload.js       ← contextBridge — exposes window.kopiaAPI to the renderer
├── lib/
│   └── core.js      ← Scan, hash, drive detection, journal (testeable without Electron)
├── renderer/
│   ├── index.html   ← App UI structure
│   ├── app.js       ← UI logic (no Node access)
│   └── styles.css   ← Light/dark theme, component styles
├── test/
│   └── core.test.js ← node --test suite for lib/core.js
├── assets/
│   └── Kopia_Desk.png
└── package.json
If drive detection returns no results or the .kopia-data metadata folder is not hidden after a backup, try running PowerShell as Administrator before launching the app:
# Right-click PowerShell → "Run as administrator", then:
cd Kopia_Desk_Beta_1
npm start
Drive listing uses Get-Volume and disk-type detection uses Get-PhysicalDisk, both of which may require elevated permissions depending on your Windows configuration. The attrib +h +s command that hides the metadata folder can also fail without sufficient privileges.

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