macOS
Download the PhotonFile PKG from the Downloads page, open it, and follow the macOS installer. The signed package installs the desktop app and its background component for your user session.
Use PhotonFile Desktop for everyday file work
PhotonFile Desktop brings live Relay transfers, encrypted Vault storage, Vault Sync, and Team workspaces into one native app for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Start with the job you need to finish
Relay: send or receive a file while the handoff is active.
Vault: keep encrypted files available for later.
Vault Sync: keep one chosen local folder aligned with one Vault.
Teams: work in a shared workspace with intentional roles and Vault access.
First time setup
Install and update the app
Windows
Download the signed PhotonFile MSI, confirm the publisher is Photon File LLC, then run the installer. Windows starts the background component after you sign in.
Linux
New installs should use the PhotonFile APT or DNF repository for native updates. During the bridge release, direct DEB, RPM, and tar artifacts may also be available.
- 1. Download from PhotonFile. Use the Downloads page for the current package, checksum, and platform-specific install details.
- 2. Open PhotonFile Desktop. The app starts its local PhotonFile Agent when needed and shows its status in the app.
- 3. Keep current. Use Check for Updates from the app drawer when it is offered. On Linux repository installs, update through your normal package-manager workflow as well.
Why the background agent stays available
PhotonFile Agent is the local companion process behind the desktop window. It owns active and queued transfer work, eligible Relay resume records, Vault transfers, and Vault Sync scheduling. That lets supported work continue when you close the app window and lets the desktop app reconnect to the same queue when you open it again.
Closing the window is different from cancelling a transfer. Use the transfer controls when you want to pause, cancel, retry, or clear work.
Account access
Sign in and complete MFA
- 1. Choose Sign In. Enter your email or username and password.
- 2. Choose whether to keep the session. Leave Keep me signed in selected only on a device you control.
- 3. Complete browser verification if prompted. Use Open Verification Link, finish the verification in your browser, then return to the app.
- 4. Complete multi-factor authentication. Enter an Authenticator code, or use a recovery code when you cannot access your authenticator.
Select Sign Out from the app drawer when you are finished using a shared or no-longer-trusted computer.
Live handoff
Send, receive, and resume Relay transfers
Send a file
- 1. Open Relay and use Select Files, or drop files onto the upload area.
- 2. Confirm the staged files and client-side encryption choice.
- 3. Choose Begin Transfer, then share the live Relay link with the recipient.
Receive a file
- 1. Open Relay and paste the received link into Paste Relay download link.
- 2. Choose Save As and select where the file belongs.
- 3. Watch progress under Relay or Transfers. Receiving a Relay link does not require a PhotonFile sign-in.
If an eligible transfer is interrupted, open Relay or Transfers and choose Resume. A failed queue item may show Retry instead. Resume is not a promise that every interrupted transfer can continue; it depends on the transfer state and the recipient session remaining usable.
Read the full Relay transfer guide →Use Transfers to manage ongoing work
The Transfers workspace is the background queue for Relay, Vault, and Sync work. It shows active, queued, completed, and failed items. Use the controls on the relevant item to pause, resume, retry, cancel, or clear it. Use Review Sync when a Vault Sync item needs a decision before it can continue.
Persistent encrypted storage
Open a Vault and set up Vault Sync
- 1. Open Vault. Sign in, choose the Vault workspace you need, and open the selected Vault.
- 2. Unlock key material. Enter the Vault password or recovery phrase when prompted. Select Remember Vault password only on a trusted device.
- 3. Work in the Vault. Upload files or folders, browse encrypted storage, download selected items, and create links only for the files or folders you intend to share.
- 4. Enable Vault Sync when you need a local working folder. In the open Vault, choose Sync Folder, select one local folder, and review the sync state before continuing.
- 5. Monitor and control Sync. Use the Vault sync controls to sync now, pause, resume, review a safety condition, or disable the selected folder. Vault Sync is Vault-scoped: choose a separate local folder for each Vault you want to keep distinct.
Shared workspaces
Work with Teams
- 1. Open Teams. Select the private or team workspace that matches the work you are doing.
- 2. Create or select a team. Team owners can choose a clear name and, where needed, require same-region members.
- 3. Invite and manage people by role. Roles determine whether someone can use Relay, manage members, or manage team settings.
- 4. Grant Vault access intentionally. Team membership does not automatically unlock every Vault; select the team Vault and grant the needed access.
Need more detail?
Use Relay for a live handoff, Vault for encrypted files you need to keep, and Teams when work needs a shared but controlled context.