Desktop App

This page covers installing the Meshtastic desktop app, connecting a radio, and how it differs from Android. The desktop app shares its core codebase with Android via Kotlin Multiplatform, so most features work identically across Linux, macOS, and Windows.

Installation

Linux

• Download the .deb, .rpm, or .AppImage package from the releases page
• Or install from Flathub: flatpak install flathub org.meshtastic.MeshtasticDesktop
• Or build from source using ./gradlew :desktopApp:run

macOS

• Download the .dmg package from the releases page
• Or build from source

Windows

• Download the .msi or .exe installer from the releases page
• Or build from source

Connecting Your Radio

USB Serial (Primary)

The most reliable connection method on desktop:

Connect your radio via USBUSB (Universal Serial Bus). The wired connection used to power a device, flash firmware onto it, and communicate with it over serial.. The app detects the serial port automatically; if it doesn't, select the port from the Connect menu.

TCP/IP

For network-connected radios:

1. Enter the radio's IP address and port (default: 4403).
2. Click Connect.

Bluetooth (BLE)

Bluetooth Low Energy is supported on desktop via the Kable library:

1. Ensure your system has a Bluetooth adapter. The app scans for nearby Meshtastic radios automatically.
2. Select your radio from the Connect screen.

Feature Parity

Feature	Android	Desktop	Notes
Messaging	✓	✓	Full parity
Node List	✓	✓	Full parity
Map	✓	✓	Interactive MapLibre map, with base map and overlay pickers and custom tile sources. Offline terrain (hillshade and contours) can be downloaded; offline base-map packs and local .mbtiles archives cannot
Map layers (.kml/.kmz/GeoJSON)	✓	✓	Same layer store and sheet as Android; imported files draw on the desktop map
Site Planner	✓	✓*	*Opens in your browser on desktop; the estimate is not drawn on the desktop map
Settings	✓	✓	Full parity
Bluetooth (BLEBLE (Bluetooth Low Energy). The default wireless connection between a node and a phone client.)	✓	✓	Via Kable on desktop
Firmware Update	✓	✓	In-app USBUSB (Universal Serial Bus). The wired connection used to power a device, flash firmware onto it, and communicate with it over serial., BLEBLE (Bluetooth Low Energy). The default wireless connection between a node and a phone client., and Wi-Fi (ESP32ESP32A chipset of microcontroller made/designed by Espressif, used by a number of devices. Higher power usage than nRF52, but often cheaper and supports Wi-Fi if desired.) update work the same as Android. The USBUSB (Universal Serial Bus). The wired connection used to power a device, flash firmware onto it, and communicate with it over serial. maintenance flow — nRF52nRF52A microcontroller chipset made by Nordic, used by several devices such as the RAK Meshtastic Starter Kit and the Lilygo T-Echo. Lower power usage than ESP32./RP2040rp2040A microcontroller chip developed by Raspberry Pi, featuring dual ARM Cortex-M0+ processors. factory erase and bootloader upgrade — is Android-only
Notifications	✓	✓	Native OS notifications
Widgets	✓	✗	Android-only
AI Assistant (Chirpy)	✓*	✗	Google flavor Android only
App Functions (system AI)	✓†	✗	Google flavor Android only

*Chirpy AI requires Android 14+ on Google flavor builds with supported hardware.

†App Functions exposes app actions to the Android system AI on Google flavor builds. See App Functions.

UI Differences

The desktop app uses the same Compose Multiplatform UI with adaptations for larger screens and desktop interaction.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcuts use ⌘ (Command) on macOS and Ctrl on Windows and Linux. (The Super / Windows key is not bound.)

Shortcut	Action
⌘/Ctrl+Q	Quit the app
⌘/Ctrl+,	Open Settings
⌘/Ctrl+1	Switch to Messages tab
⌘/Ctrl+2	Switch to Nodes tab
⌘/Ctrl+3	Switch to Map tab
⌘/Ctrl+4	Switch to Connect tab
⌘/Ctrl+/	Open About

Window & System Tray

• Window resizing — responsive layout adapts to window dimensions
• System tray — closing the window minimizes to the system tray for background mesh operation. On a desktop environment with no tray, there is nowhere to minimize to, so closing quits the app instead
• Tray menu — right-click the tray icon to show window or quit
• Mouse interaction — hover states and standard desktop navigation

Notification Preferences

The desktop app provides in-app toggles for controlling which notifications are shown. Find them in the App Notifications section of the Settings screen: Direct messageDirect MessageA message sent to one node rather than broadcast to a channel. It's encrypted with a key that only the sender and the recipient can compute, so other nodes can relay it but can't read it. notifications, New node notifications, and Low battery notifications.

Built-in Documentation Browser

The desktop app includes a built-in documentation browser for quick access to help content without leaving the app.

The browser supports full-text search across all documentation:

Individual doc pages render with full formatting:

Building from Source

git clone https://github.com/meshtastic/Meshtastic-Android.git
cd Meshtastic-Android
./gradlew :desktopApp:run

Requirements:

• JDK 25 (Gradle can provision the toolchain itself via foojay)
• No Android SDK required for desktop-only builds

Known Limitations

• Offline base-map downloads and local .mbtiles archives are not available on desktop. Offline terrain is — see Map & Waypoints.
• .kml/.kmz/GeoJSON layer import works — see Map & Waypoints. Site Planner opens in your browser rather than in the app; to bring its coverage estimate onto the map, click the transmitter pin in the browser and use the planner's GeoJSON export, then add the file as a layer — not the KML export, which is a ground-overlay image this map cannot draw. Custom network tile sources work too — see Map & Waypoints
• The USBUSB (Universal Serial Bus). The wired connection used to power a device, flash firmware onto it, and communicate with it over serial. maintenance flow — nRF52nRF52A microcontroller chipset made by Nordic, used by several devices such as the RAK Meshtastic Starter Kit and the Lilygo T-Echo. Lower power usage than ESP32./RP2040rp2040A microcontroller chip developed by Raspberry Pi, featuring dual ARM Cortex-M0+ processors. factory erase and bootloader upgrade — is Android-only, and the desktop app does not offer it. Use the Web Flasher instead
• Some Android-specific features (widgets, specific notification channels) are unavailable
• Performance may vary on low-spec hardware running Compose Desktop
• BLEBLE (Bluetooth Low Energy). The default wireless connection between a node and a phone client. bonding is not yet supported on desktop (pairing works without bonding)

Related Topics

• Connections — connection methods overview
• Firmware Updates — in-app USBUSB (Universal Serial Bus). The wired connection used to power a device, flash firmware onto it, and communicate with it over serial., BLEBLE (Bluetooth Low Energy). The default wireless connection between a node and a phone client., and Wi-Fi update all work the same as on Android
• Map & Waypoints — base maps, layers, custom tile sources, and what the desktop map does not do