Download WordCairn

Version 0.9.6 · macOS 11 or later (signed and notarized by Apple) · Windows (test build, not yet signed) · Linux (64-bit)

1. Pick the build for your computer

Not sure which Mac you have?

Click the Apple menu (top-left) and choose About This Mac. If you see Chip: Apple M1 (or M2, M3, M4…), choose Apple silicon. If you see Processor: Intel…, choose Intel. An Apple silicon build won't open on an Intel Mac, so if macOS says the app "can't be opened on this Mac", download the other one.

2. Install on a Mac

1. Open the downloaded .dmg and drag WordCairn into the Applications folder. Don't run it from inside the disk image.
2. Open WordCairn from Applications. macOS shows its usual "downloaded from the Internet" confirmation: click Open. WordCairn is signed and notarized by Apple, so you should see nothing else.
3. If macOS asks for access to your Documents or Desktop folder, or to show notifications (for the evening reminder), allow it so WordCairn can see your chapters.
4. Click Open folder… and choose the folder that holds your chapter files (not a folder above it), or try the built-in demo project first.

2b. Install on Windows (test build)

The Windows build isn't signed yet (we're waiting on Microsoft's verification), so Windows may show a warning for an unknown publisher. It is safe to continue if you downloaded it from this page.

1. Open your Downloads folder, right-click WordCairn-0.9.6-windows-x64.zip, and choose Extract All…. Pick a folder you keep, such as C:\Users\you\WordCairn. Don't run it from inside the zip.
2. Open the extracted folder and double-click WordCairn.exe (the exact file name may differ slightly).
3. If a blue "Windows protected your PC" (SmartScreen) window appears, click More info, then Run anyway. If your browser says the file "isn't commonly downloaded", choose Keep.
4. If your antivirus flags it, it is probably a false alarm common to unsigned apps, but please tell us what it said.

A few extras are on the Mac and Linux builds but not yet on Windows: the scheduled nightly snapshot and evening reminder, the alert sounds, and the spoken word of the day. Everything else works the same.

2c. Install on Linux

Pick one of the three files. They hold the same app.

• AppImage (any distribution): right-click WordCairn-0.9.6-linux-x86_64.AppImage, open Properties > Permissions and tick Allow executing file as program, then double-click it. Or in a terminal: chmod +x WordCairn-0.9.6-linux-x86_64.AppImage and ./WordCairn-0.9.6-linux-x86_64.AppImage. Keep it somewhere permanent (such as ~/Applications) before turning on the nightly snapshot or reminder, because they run the file from where it is.
• .deb (Ubuntu, Mint, Debian): double-click it to open your package installer, or run sudo apt install ./WordCairn-0.9.6-linux-x86_64.deb. WordCairn appears in your applications menu. To remove it: sudo apt remove wordcairn.
• .tar.gz (no password needed): extract it, open the folder in a terminal and run bash install.sh. It adds WordCairn to your menu for your user only; bash install.sh --uninstall removes it.

WordCairn uses your system's WebKitGTK for its window. Ubuntu and Mint include it. If WordCairn opens in your web browser instead of its own window, install it (sudo apt install gir1.2-webkit2-4.1 on Debian, sudo dnf install webkit2gtk4.1 on Fedora) and start WordCairn again. If the AppImage doesn't start at all, install FUSE: sudo apt install fuse3.

On Linux the nightly snapshot and evening reminder run as systemd user timers while you are logged in, notifications use your desktop's notification area, and the spoken word of the day uses speech-dispatcher (spd-say) if it is installed.

More help is on the support page.

Trying a test build? Please tell us how it went

If you're one of the first people to download WordCairn, this is the most useful thing you can do: send us a short note saying your computer model, your macOS or Windows version (or Linux distribution), which build you downloaded, and whether the download, install and first launch went smoothly. A problem report with a screenshot is even better.

Check your download (optional)

The expected SHA-256 checksums are in SHA256SUMS.txt. To check a file, open Terminal in the folder with the download and run:

shasum -a 256 WordCairn-0.9.6-macOS-arm64.dmg

On Windows, open PowerShell in the folder and run:

Get-FileHash .\WordCairn-0.9.6-windows-x64.zip -Algorithm SHA256

On Linux, open a terminal in the folder and run:

sha256sum WordCairn-0.9.6-linux-x86_64.AppImage

The result should match the line for that file in SHA256SUMS.txt.

Requirements

• Mac: macOS 11 (Big Sur) or later
• Linux: 64-bit Ubuntu 24.04, Linux Mint 22, Debian 13, Fedora 40 or newer, with WebKitGTK 4.1 for the window (included in Ubuntu and Mint)
• Windows: Windows 11, 64-bit (the version it has been tested on). Windows 10 may work if the Microsoft Edge WebView2 runtime is installed.
• About 100 MB of free disk space
• No other software to install on a Mac or Windows. WordCairn carries everything it needs.