# Install the desktop app

> Download Cephable, sign in, download the AI model, and grant the permissions it needs on Windows and macOS.

Source: https://help.cephable.com/docs/get-started/install-desktop

---

Installing takes about ten minutes, and most of that is granting the microphone and accessibility
permissions your operating system asks for. On Plus and Pro, allow extra time for the AI model
to download.

:::steps
:::step title="Download"
Get the installer for your computer from
[cephable.com/downloads](https://cephable.com/downloads).
:::

:::step title="Install and launch"
:::tabs labels="Windows, macOS"
:::tab
Run the installer you downloaded and follow its prompts, then launch Cephable.
:::

:::tab
Double-click the downloaded `.dmg` file to open it, then drag **Cephable** into your
**Applications** folder. Launch Cephable from Applications rather than from the open disk
image.
:::
:::
:::

:::step title="Sign in"
Enter your email address and choose **Continue**, then sign in with your password or choose
**Sign In with Magic Link** to have a link emailed to you. No account yet? Choose **Sign Up**.

If your employer or school provides Cephable, choose **Sign in with Corporate account
(SSO)** on that screen instead of entering a password. It takes you to your organization's
own sign-in page. [Ways to sign in](#ways-to-sign-in) below covers each option.
:::

:::step title="Download the AI model (Plus and Pro)"
On Plus and Pro, Cephable asks to **Download AI Models to Unlock More Capabilities**. Choose
**Download**. Cephable picks the recommended model for your computer, and Create and Automate
both use it. The model runs on your device, so your data stays private.

Stick with that one model to start. You can download others later under **Settings → Text
Generation Settings → AI Model**, but larger models take more disk space and memory, and
the recommended one is the right fit for most computers.
:::

:::step title="Grant permissions as you go"
Cephable asks for each permission at the point you first use the feature that needs it, and
gives you a button that opens the right settings page.
:::
:::

## Ways to sign in

One account covers the desktop app, the mobile apps, the
[Cephable Portal](https://portal.cephable.com), and these docs.

:::cards columns="3"
:::card title="Password" icon="user"
Email address and password. Available to every account.
:::

:::card title="Magic link" icon="chat"
Choose **Sign In with Magic Link** and we email you a link. Clicking it signs you in with no
password to remember.
:::

:::card title="Single sign-on" icon="building"
If your organization has set up single sign-on, choose **Sign in with Corporate account
(SSO)** and enter your work email. You sign in on your organization's own page.
:::
:::

You can also connect a Google, Microsoft, or Apple account in **Settings → Account →
Connected accounts** and sign in with it afterwards.

Trouble signing in? [Sign-in problems](/docs/troubleshooting/signing-in) covers expired magic
links and work email addresses that are not recognized.

## Permissions

| Permission | Needed for | Required? |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Microphone | Voice commands and dictation | Only if you want voice |
| Camera | Head and face controls | Only if you want camera input |
| Device Control and Data Access (macOS) | Sending input to other applications | Yes — Cephable cannot act without it |

On macOS 26 and earlier this permission is called **Accessibility**. Apple renamed it in
macOS 27 — same setting, same place, new label.

:::callout type="warning" title="On macOS, device control is the one that matters"
Without it Cephable can hear you but cannot do anything. If commands are recognized and
nothing happens, that is almost always the cause. Look under **System Settings → Privacy &
Security → Device Control and Data Access**, or **Accessibility** if you are on macOS 26 or
earlier — see [Permissions and access](/docs/troubleshooting/permissions).
:::

![The Cephable Panel showing No camera access and No microphone access messages, each with instructions to allow access in system settings](https://help.cephable.com/screenshots/desktop-permission-prompt.png)

_What the Panel shows when camera or microphone access is missing_

## Check it is working

On the Workspace, click **Voice controls** under Control. Say a command from your active App
Controls. The Panel shows what it heard, and the command feed shows what it sent to your
computer.

If the microphone meter moves but nothing happens, the permissions above are the place to
look.

## Starting automatically

**Automatically Start Cephable** launches the app when you sign in to your device. The Panel,
microphone, and camera each have their own auto-start settings, so the app can be running
quietly with nothing listening until you ask for it.

## Installing for other people

If you are deploying Cephable across an organization rather than installing it for yourself,
start with [the deployment overview](/docs/it-admins/overview) — the order of operations
matters, and identity comes before installation.

## Next

[Your first App Controls](/docs/get-started/first-profile).