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Installation

ZipDrop is available for macOS 12.0 (Monterey) or later. You can install it using Homebrew or download it manually from GitHub releases.

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Requirements

Before installing ZipDrop, ensure your system meets these requirements:
macOS 12.0 or later - ZipDrop requires macOS Monterey or newer
You do NOT need Cloudflare R2 credentials to install ZipDrop. Demo mode works out of the box!

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Installation Methods

The easiest way to install ZipDrop is using Homebrew:
1

Install Homebrew (if needed)

If you don’t have Homebrew installed, install it first:
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
2

Install ZipDrop

Install ZipDrop with a single command:
brew install zipdrop
This command is a placeholder. Once ZipDrop is published to Homebrew, this will be the installation command.
3

Launch ZipDrop

After installation, launch ZipDrop:
open /Applications/ZipDrop.app
Or find it in your Applications folder and double-click to launch.

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Option 2: Manual Download

Download the latest release directly from GitHub:
1

Download the DMG

Visit the ZipDrop releases page and download the latest .dmg file.
Look for files named like ZipDrop_1.0.0_aarch64.dmg (Apple Silicon) or ZipDrop_1.0.0_x64.dmg (Intel)
2

Open the DMG

Double-click the downloaded .dmg file to mount it.
3

Move to Applications

Drag the ZipDrop.app icon to your Applications folder.
Make sure to move the app to /Applications and not run it from the DMG. Running from the DMG may cause issues.
4

Eject the DMG

After copying, eject the DMG by right-clicking it in Finder and selecting “Eject”.
5

Launch ZipDrop

Open your Applications folder and double-click ZipDrop to launch it.

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First Launch

When you first launch ZipDrop, you may see a security prompt:
“ZipDrop cannot be opened because it is from an unidentified developer”
This is normal for apps downloaded outside the Mac App Store. To open ZipDrop:
1

Open System Settings

Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security
2

Allow ZipDrop

Scroll down to find the message about ZipDrop being blocked. Click Open Anyway.
3

Confirm

In the dialog that appears, click Open to confirm.
This security prompt only appears once. After the first launch, ZipDrop will open normally.

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Verify Installation

After launching ZipDrop, you should see:
  1. Menu bar icon - Look for the ZipDrop icon in your macOS menu bar (top-right of your screen)
  2. Click the icon - Clicking it should open the ZipDrop drop zone window
  3. Demo mode badge - You should see a “Demo” badge in the top-right, indicating demo mode is active
If you see the menu bar icon and can open the drop zone, ZipDrop is successfully installed!

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Updating ZipDrop

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Homebrew Updates

If you installed via Homebrew, update to the latest version: 
brew upgrade zipdrop

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Manual Updates

  1. Download the latest release from GitHub
  2. Quit ZipDrop (right-click menu bar icon → Quit)
  3. Replace the old app in /Applications with the new one
  4. Launch the new version
Your settings and R2 credentials are stored separately and will be preserved during updates.

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Uninstalling ZipDrop

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Homebrew Uninstall

brew uninstall zipdrop

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Manual Uninstall

1

Quit ZipDrop

Right-click the menu bar icon and select Quit
2

Remove the app

Move /Applications/ZipDrop.app to the Trash
3

Remove configuration (optional)

If you want to remove all settings and credentials:
rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/com.metalayer.zipdrop
rm -rf ~/.config/zipdrop
Your R2 credentials in Keychain will remain. To remove them:
  1. Open Keychain Access app
  2. Search for “zipdrop”
  3. Delete the “com.metalayer.zipdrop” entries

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Troubleshooting

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App won’t open

  • Ensure you’re running macOS 12.0 or later
  • Try the “Open Anyway” method in System Settings → Privacy & Security
  • Check Console.app for error messages
  • Quit and relaunch ZipDrop
  • Check if ZipDrop is running in Activity Monitor
  • Try restarting your Mac

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”App is damaged” error

  • This can happen if the download was corrupted
  • Re-download the DMG and try again
  • Remove the quarantine attribute: 
    xattr -cr /Applications/ZipDrop.app

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Next Steps

Quick Start

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Configuration

Set up Cloudflare R2 for cloud uploads

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