Installing the Desktop App
Pick the right file for your computer, install Kalima on Windows, macOS, or Linux, and get past the Windows warning you may see on first launch.
Installing Kalima takes about a minute. Download the file for your operating system, run it, and sign in with the account you already use in the browser.
The one step that catches people out is the very first launch on Windows. The Kalima installer is not yet signed with a Windows code-signing certificate, so Windows stops and asks whether you really trust an app it has not seen before. That warning is about the certificate, not about the file, and this page walks you through it. The macOS app is signed and notarised by Apple, so it opens with a normal double-click.
Always download Kalima from the download page. It serves the current release for your platform, so you never end up on an old or altered build.
Which file do I need?
Take the build that matches your machine. The wrong one simply will not open, so it is worth the few seconds it takes to check.
| Your computer | The file to take |
|---|---|
| Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit | Windows (x64) |
| Mac with an M1, M2, M3, or M4 chip | Apple Silicon |
| Mac with an Intel processor | Intel |
| Ubuntu, Debian, or a derivative | .deb package |
| Any other Linux distribution | AppImage |
Not sure which Mac you have? Open the Apple menu and choose About This Mac. If it names an M1, M2, M3, or M4 chip, take Apple Silicon. If it names an Intel processor, take Intel.
Install Kalima
Run the Setup file you downloaded.
Get past the blue SmartScreen window. Windows shows a screen headed "Windows protected your PC". Click More info, then Run anyway.
Finish the installer. Accept the default location, or pick your own folder.
Launch Kalima from the Start menu and sign in.
SmartScreen shows that warning for any installer it has not seen from a known publisher. Kalima's installer is not signed with a Microsoft code-signing certificate yet, so it gets the "unknown publisher" treatment. More info then Run anyway is the way through, and Windows stops asking once Kalima is installed.
Sign in
The desktop app uses your existing Kalima account, so there is nothing new to create. Sign in with your email and password inside the app window, or choose Sign in with Google, which opens your normal browser and returns you to the app once you have authenticated. Kalima stays signed in across restarts.
Your sessions, transcripts, projects, workspaces, balance, and plan are exactly the same as in the browser. See Signing In on Desktop if the sign-in does not complete.
If Kalima still will not open
Some antivirus tools treat any installer without a Windows code-signing certificate with suspicion, and Kalima's Windows installer does not carry one yet. Restore the file from your antivirus quarantine, or add an exception for it, then run it again. If the file is gone, download it fresh from the download page. Only ever download Kalima from there.
Managed and corporate machines are often configured to block software that is not signed by a known publisher, and no click-through will get past that. You will need an administrator to install it, or your IT team to allow Kalima. In the meantime, Kalima runs fully in the browser with nothing to install, and it is the same account and the same data.
Usually the download did not finish. Check that the file size matches the one shown on the download page, and download it again if it does not. Also confirm you have enough free disk space, and that you took the build for the right platform: a macOS .dmg will not open on Windows, and an Apple Silicon build will not run on an Intel Mac.
Quit Kalima completely (use Quit in the tray or menu bar, not just the window's close button, which keeps it running in the tray on Windows and macOS), then launch it again. If it still will not start, reinstall over your existing installation with a fresh download; your account and transcripts are untouched by this, because they live in your Kalima account rather than on your computer.
Still stuck? Our team is happy to help.
Keeping Kalima up to date
You do not need to reinstall to get new versions. The desktop app checks for new releases on a schedule, downloads them in the background, and waits until any meeting you are in has finished before it interrupts you. You can also check and install updates yourself from Desktop Settings, under Updates. See Settings, Shortcuts & Updates.
Removing Kalima
- Windows: open Settings, go to Apps, then Installed apps, find Kalima, and choose Uninstall.
- macOS: drag Kalima from your Applications folder to the Trash.
- Linux: delete the AppImage file, or, if you installed the .deb, run
sudo apt remove kalima.
Removing the app does not touch your account. Your sessions, transcripts, projects, and balance live in your Kalima account, so they are all still there in the browser, and they come back if you reinstall.