Desktop updates
desktop only The web and self-hosted apps update themselves on the server — there’s nothing to install. This page is about the desktop app, which keeps itself current with a built-in auto-updater.
The updater is seamless and in-app: a slim banner appears at the top of the window for the states worth your attention, replacing the old blocking dialogs. Background checks that find nothing — or fail because you’re offline — stay silent.
The update lifecycle
Section titled “The update lifecycle”The app checks for updates a few seconds after launch, then every 6 hours while it stays open, so a long-running session still discovers a release without a restart. Each release moves through these states:
| State | What you see |
|---|---|
| Checking | Silent. No banner for routine background checks. |
| Available | A banner: “Update available v1.2.3.” With auto-download on, it shows “Preparing download…”; with it off, a Download button. |
| Downloading | A progress bar with percentage and a Cancel button. The OS taskbar/dock icon also shows progress. |
| Downloaded | ”Update vX ready — Restart to apply.” with Restart now and Later. |
If the window is in the background when an update is found, the app also fires a native OS notification so you don’t miss it.
Settings
Section titled “Settings”Open Settings → Updates. Two preferences are synced to the updater:
- Automatic download — when on (the default), available updates download in the background and you’re prompted only when one is ready to install. Turn it off to get an explicit Download button on the banner instead.
- Channel — Stable (default) or Beta. Beta opts into pre-release builds.
There’s also a Check for updates button (and a matching Check for Updates item in the system-tray menu) for an on-demand check, which gives you transient feedback: Checking… → “You’re up to date” or “Update available”.
The defaults are:
{ autoDownload: true, channel: 'stable' }Disabling updates entirely
Section titled “Disabling updates entirely”For air-gapped or managed deployments, set an environment variable before launching the app:
RESTURA_DISABLE_AUTO_UPDATE=trueWith this set, the app never contacts the release server — no checks, no downloads, no install-on-quit. Updates are also disabled automatically in development builds.