Installing AI Studio

Deutsch: AI Studio installieren

AI Studio runs on 64-bit versions of Windows, macOS, and Linux. Choose your operating system:

• Windows
• macOS
• Linux

Does your organization manage AI Studio for you? Then your IT department may install and update it, and some of the steps below don't apply to you.

Windows

AI Studio needs an up-to-date 64-bit Windows 10 or 11. First, find out whether your computer has an ARM processor or an Intel/AMD processor:

• Copilot+ PC: Most Copilot+ PCs have an ARM processor. A Qualcomm sticker on the device tells you for sure. Download the ARM version.
• Windows on a Mac: Do you run Windows with Parallels on a Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 or newer)? That's an ARM system as well. Download the ARM version.
• Intel/AMD: Almost all other Windows computers. Download the Intel/AMD version.

Start the downloaded setup. It installs AI Studio for your user account.

The setup is signed, so Windows can show who published it. Because our certificate is still new, Windows may nevertheless warn you for a while:

1. In the blue window "Windows protected your PC", click "More info".
2. Check that the publisher ends with "Open Source Developer Thorsten Sommer".
3. Click "Run anyway".

When the publisher reads "Unknown publisher" or names somebody else, don't run the setup. Download it again from our release page instead. There, you also find the VirusTotal scan results of each release.

macOS

AI Studio runs on Macs with Apple Silicon and on Macs with an Intel processor. We recommend a macOS version that still receives security updates from Apple. Find out which processor your Mac has:

• Apple Silicon: Click on the Apple logo in the top left corner, then on "About This Mac". If it lists a chip such as "Apple M1" or newer, you have Apple Silicon. Most Macs bought in 2021 or later have it. Download the Apple Silicon version.
• Intel: If it lists an Intel processor instead. Download the Intel version.

Open the downloaded DMG file and drag AI Studio into your "Applications" folder. When you open AI Studio for the first time, macOS asks whether you want to open an app downloaded from the internet. AI Studio is signed and checked by Apple, so you can confirm with "Open". Afterward, AI Studio starts like any other app.

Linux

AI Studio runs on modern 64-bit Linux systems. We test it on Ubuntu 24.04 and 26.04, Kubuntu 24.04, Fedora 43 or newer, and openSUSE Leap 16 or newer, but it should work on other distributions as well. We recommend installing AI Studio as a Flatpak. An AppImage is the alternative.

First, find out whether your computer has an Intel/AMD or an ARM processor. Open a terminal and run:

uname -m

x86_64 means Intel/AMD; aarch64 means ARM.

Recommended: Flatpak

On Ubuntu, install Flatpak first:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install flatpak

For other distributions, follow the official Flatpak setup instructions.

Then download the bundle for your processor from the latest release:

• Intel/AMD: MindWork.AI.Studio_x86_64.flatpak
• ARM: MindWork.AI.Studio_aarch64.flatpak

Install it for your user account. On Intel/AMD, run:

cd ~/Downloads
flatpak install --user ./MindWork.AI.Studio_x86_64.flatpak

On ARM, use MindWork.AI.Studio_aarch64.flatpak instead. When Flatpak asks to install the required GNOME runtime from Flathub, confirm it.

Pandoc extension (recommended)

AI Studio reads most file types itself: PDFs, Word and OpenDocument files, spreadsheets, and presentations among them. A few features need Pandoc, such as reading HTML files and exporting answers as Word, OpenDocument, LaTeX, or HTML files. For the Flatpak, we offer Pandoc as an extension. Pandoc uses the GPL, a license that isn't compatible with that of AI Studio, so install the extension only if you accept the GPL; see Pandoc and File Formats. Download MindWork.AI.Studio.Plugin.Pandoc_x86_64.flatpak (or …_aarch64.flatpak on ARM) from the same release and run:

cd ~/Downloads
flatpak install --user ./MindWork.AI.Studio.Plugin.Pandoc_x86_64.flatpak

Starting and updating

Start AI Studio from your application menu or with:

flatpak run org.mindworkai.AIStudio

If no menu entry appears, sign out of your desktop session and sign in again, or restart your computer.

AI Studio isn't on Flathub yet, so a bundle installed from GitHub doesn't update itself. For each new release, download the new bundle and reinstall it:

cd ~/Downloads
flatpak install --user --reinstall ./MindWork.AI.Studio_x86_64.flatpak

Alternative: AppImage

• Intel/AMD: Download the AppImage for Intel/AMD.
• ARM: Download the AppImage for ARM.

Before you can start an AppImage, you must allow it to run as a program.

With the file manager:

1. Open the folder that holds the AppImage, for example, "Downloads".
2. Right-click on the AppImage and choose "Properties".
3. On the "Permissions" tab, check "Allow executing file as program".
4. Close the window. You may want to move the AppImage to a more convenient place, such as your home folder.
5. Double-click the AppImage to start AI Studio.

"With the terminal" (on ARM, use MindWork.AI.Studio_aarch64.AppImage):

cd ~/Downloads
chmod +x MindWork.AI.Studio_amd64.AppImage
mv MindWork.AI.Studio_amd64.AppImage ~/
~/MindWork.AI.Studio_amd64.AppImage

Secure storage for API keys

On Linux, AI Studio keeps your API keys in a password manager through the FreeDesktop Secret Service. Such a password manager must run, and it must have an unlocked default collection. AI Studio never creates, selects, or unlocks a collection itself. Suitable setups are:

• GNOME Keyring, which you can manage with an app such as Seahorse. Create a password collection if there is none, unlock it, and choose "Set as default".
• KeePassXC with the Secret Service integration switched on and a database group shared with it. Keep the database and the group unlocked while you use AI Studio.

Updates

AI Studio checks for updates every hour and asks you before it installs one. You can change both in "Settings" → "App Options" under "Check for updates" and "Update installation method".

Some installations don't update themselves. AI Studio explains why below "Check for updates":

• A Flatpak bundle from GitHub, as described above.
• An installation that your organization manages. Ask your IT department about updates.
• An installation in a folder where AI Studio can't write.

Pandoc on Windows and macOS

Some file features need Pandoc, a free program for converting documents. When you use such a feature and Pandoc is missing, AI Studio offers to install it for you. You can also install it at any time on the "Information" page.

Where to go next

• First Steps: from the installation to your first chat.