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Collabase runs as a desktop application alongside the browser. It opens your own Collabase server in its own window, keeps unread notifications visible in the menu bar or system tray, and lets links from mail and chat open directly at the right page. The desktop app is a window onto your server, not a second copy of Collabase. Everything stays on your instance: nothing is stored on the device, and there is no offline mode.

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Download

Download the installer for your platform from the releases page:
The current builds are not code-signed. Your operating system will warn you the first time you open the app. The steps below explain how to proceed, and what it means for updates.

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Install on macOS

  1. Open the .dmg and drag Collabase into your Applications folder.
  2. Open it. macOS blocks it and shows a warning. Close the warning.
  3. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security.
  4. Scroll to the bottom. Next to the message about Collabase, click Open Anyway.
  5. Enter your administrator password and confirm.
You only do this once per installed version.

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Install on Windows

  1. Run the .exe.
  2. Windows SmartScreen shows a warning. Click More info, then Run anyway.
  3. Follow the installer.
The installer does not require administrator rights — it installs for your user account only.

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Install on Linux

For the AppImage, mark it executable and run it:
For Debian and Ubuntu, install the .deb:

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First start

The app asks for your server address on first launch — the same address you use in the browser, for example collabase.example.com. The app checks the address before saving it, so a typo is reported immediately instead of leaving you with an empty window. Sign-in then opens in your normal browser. This is deliberate: it means every sign-in method your organisation has configured works in the desktop app too, including Google, Microsoft Entra, and SAML — those providers refuse to sign you in inside an application window. After you confirm, the browser hands the session back to the app and you can close the tab. The app remembers your server address. When your session expires, it takes you straight back to signing in — it never asks for the address again.

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Updates

Your Collabase content updates with the server: when your administrator updates the instance, the desktop app shows the new version at the next reload. Nothing to install. The application itself updates differently per platform, because the builds are unsigned:
macOS refuses to let an unsigned application update itself. Check Collabase → Check for updates… now and then, or watch the releases page.

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Managing your signed-in devices

A desktop sign-in is an ordinary session. It appears under Settings → Security → Active sessions as a desktop client, follows the same idle and absolute timeouts your administrator configured, and can be ended from there like any other device.

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Troubleshooting

The window is empty or shows a connection error. Use Try again, or Use a different server if the address is wrong. Confirm you can reach the same address in your browser — if you are outside the office, the instance may require a VPN. Sign-in never completes. Confirm the sign-in in the browser tab that opened. If nothing opened, use Open the browser again in the app window. Support asks for a log. Choose Help → Open log folder and send collabase-desktop.log. It contains server addresses and error messages only — no content and no credentials.
Last modified on July 30, 2026