#guide
SilverBullet Desktop stores each space in a folder on your computer. You can use it without running an external Server. This guide covers setting up that folder, keeping the app updated and optionally using the same content on other devices.
Follow Install/Desktop to download the app for macOS, Windows or Linux. In the dashboard, choose New space and select an empty folder, or a folder containing Markdown files you already have.
Open the space and use Guide/My First Markdown Page to try the editor. Local Space explains the files Desktop keeps in the folder. Keep the folder’s location somewhere you can find when setting up backups.
Use the dashboard’s Updates tab to check for a new version and choose Restart to Update when a download is ready. Flatpak installations update through Flatpak instead.
If you want browser access or another Desktop installation to use the same content, you need a SilverBullet Server. You can run one yourself or use a hosting provider.
For an existing local space, open its settings from the dashboard and configure the Sync section. To start with a space already on a Server, choose Join Space. Follow Desktop Sync for the supported authentication methods and connection setup, then check that an edit reaches the other device.
This optional synchronization connects your local folder to an external Server. Desktop’s own editor already reads and writes the local folder. There is no browser offline cache to configure between it and its embedded server.
Back up your local folder and test a restore into a separate folder. Sync can copy an unwanted edit or deletion to another device, so it does not replace a backup.
If another device is missing an edit, first check the Server sync status in the space’s settings and whether the Server is reachable. If the issue is inside the shared editor, start with Log and Troubleshooting. The browser cache reset instructions on that page apply to browser clients, not Desktop’s local files.
For shared configuration and libraries across Desktop spaces, see Meta Space.