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The desktop app runs Preview in its own window, outside your browser, with the same projects and account as app.preview.io. Everything in these docs works identically there; what’s different is the window around it, covered below.

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Download

macOS

Apple Silicon, macOS 13 or later.

Windows

x64, Windows 10 or later.
Both links always download the latest version. There’s no Intel Mac build.

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Install

  • macOS: open the downloaded .dmg and drag Preview into Applications.
  • Windows: run the downloaded .exe. Preview installs for your user account and opens when it’s done. If Windows shows Windows protected your PC, click More info, then Run anyway.

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Sign in

Click Sign in with browser. Preview opens your default browser; sign in there and you’re handed straight back to the app. If the browser window got lost, Open browser again relaunches it. Signing out inside the app returns you to this screen (and signs you out in the browser too).

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How the window behaves

  • One app, one instance: launching Preview again just focuses the window you already have. On macOS, closing the last window keeps the app running in the Dock; click its icon to come back instantly.
  • Links know where they belong: Preview pages that open in a new window get a new native window; links to anything else open in your default browser.
  • Downloads are native: downloading a file uses your system’s normal save flow, straight to disk.
  • First paste asks once: the first time you paste, Preview asks to read your clipboard; Allow covers text and media from then on. The microphone is pre-authorized for voice prompts.
  • Closing with unsaved changes shows a “Leave Preview?” check first: Stay or Leave.
  • The app is always in dark mode.

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Updates

The app keeps itself current: it checks on launch and every few hours, downloads new versions silently in the background, and applies them the next time you quit and reopen Preview. There’s nothing to click and no version to manage.
The desktop app needs a connection, same as the web app. If it can’t reach Preview you’ll get a “Could not connect” screen with a Retry button; your work syncs live while connected, so nothing is lost between sessions.