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Installation

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kz6fittycent edited this page Oct 3, 2026 · 16 revisions

Installation

Linux

Desktop Scriptures is published on the Snap Store, for Linux:

sudo snap install desktop-scriptures

That's it - no separate database download or setup step. The full text of every supported volume ships inside the Snap itself, so the app works completely offline from the very first launch.

Windows and macOS (in testing)

Test builds for Windows 11 (64-bit) and macOS on Apple Silicon (M1 or newer) come from every change to the app. The newest is in the latest issue labeled desktop-testing, with download links. Like the snap, each includes everything and works offline.

The builds aren't code-signed yet, so each system asks once before opening them:

Windows

  1. Download Desktop-Scriptures-<version>-windows-x64-setup.exe and open it.
  2. Windows shows "Windows protected your PC". Click More info, then Run anyway.
  3. Click through the installer. No administrator password is needed. Desktop Scriptures then appears in the Start menu.

macOS

  1. Download Desktop-Scriptures-<version>-macos-arm64.dmg, open it, and drag Desktop Scriptures into Applications.
  2. Open the app. The first time, macOS refuses.
  3. Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down, and click Open Anyway next to Desktop Scriptures. After that it opens normally.

Your notes, highlights, and study index are kept in %APPDATA%\Desktop Scriptures on Windows, and in ~/Library/Application Support/Desktop Scriptures on macOS. Uninstalling or updating the app leaves them in place.

On macOS, the app's menus are in the menu bar at the top of the screen, as usual for Mac apps, rather than in the window.

First launch

Opening the app for the first time takes you straight to the landing page - a grid of volumes (Holy Bible, The Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price, Journal of Discourses, Lectures on Faith, Joseph Smith Translation) plus the Topical Guide. Scripture of the Day is on by default; everything else on the landing page (Church News, Come Follow Me, Inspirational Message) is opt-in and starts off, each showing a "click to enable" prompt until you turn it on. The Journal, reachable from its own menu item, is available right away - no opt-in needed, since it never talks to the network at all.

Landing page with the Inspirational Message, Come Follow Me, Scripture of the Day, and Church News boxes

Click into a volume to browse down to a chapter, or use the search bar in the top-right corner at any time (also reachable with Ctrl+F) to search verses, notes, and tags by keyword.

A chapter open with a highlight, chapter tags/note, and a verse note

Pages

Desktop Scriptures

Report an issue - or, in the app, Menu → Help → Report a Bug... (no GitHub account needed)

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