The current packaging pipeline targets Windows x64, Linux x64 and macOS ARM64. Game Java availability depends on Mojang's runtime component for the selected game/platform. Do not infer Windows ARM64, Linux ARM64 or Intel macOS launcher support from JVM portability. Wider game/platform compatibility and clean-machine acceptance must be recorded before Stable 1.0.
Use a complete portable application archive from this project's GitHub Releases. Extract the entire archive into a directory you own; do not move just the executable out of its accompanying runtime/libraries. The launcher includes its own application runtime. It installs the separate Java version required by Minecraft automatically. Internal syntaxlauncher-update-*.zip assets are updater inputs, not initial-install packages.
Windows portable builds after Stable 0.9.2 embed the repository icon in SyntaxLauncher.exe; CI compares all embedded icon images against the source ICO. Automatic updates retain the originally extracted bootstrap EXE, so installing a complete newer portable archive is necessary to replace an older executable bearing the default Kotlin icon.
- Windows: extract the
.tar.gzwith a suitable archive tool and openSyntaxLauncher/SyntaxLauncher.exe. - Linux: extract the
.tar.gzpreserving permissions and openSyntaxLauncher/bin/SyntaxLauncher. - macOS ARM64: extract the
.tar.gzpreserving the completeSyntaxLauncher.app, then open that application.
Release signing/notarization is still a production gate; unsigned packages may encounter native trust restrictions. Signing certificates and approved native trust behavior are not claimed. Do not disable system protections as a workaround.
Download the five installer formats from 0.9.3-DEV build 188.1. Workflow 40013941601 passed all three platform jobs and published the complete 12-asset release (five installers, installer checksum inventory, three portable archives and three updater bundles). Later DEV/SNAPSHOT builds use the same complete-set publication gate. Stable 0.9.2 remains the original portable-only release and is not modified.
| Target | File | Installation |
|---|---|---|
| Windows x64 | syntaxlauncher-windows-x64.msi |
WiX 7.0.0 wizard; installs for the current user under LocalAppData/Programs/SyntaxLauncher and creates a Start menu shortcut. Remove through Windows Installed apps. |
| macOS ARM64 | syntaxlauncher-macos-arm64.dmg |
Open the image and drag SyntaxLauncher into Applications. Remove the application bundle to uninstall. |
| Debian 13 / Ubuntu 24.04+ / Mint 22 x64 | syntaxlauncher-linux-x64.deb |
Install with the graphical package installer or sudo apt install ./syntaxlauncher-linux-x64.deb; remove package syntaxlauncher. |
| Fedora/openSUSE and other compatible RPM systems x64 | syntaxlauncher-linux-x64.rpm |
Install with the distribution's package manager (sudo dnf install ./syntaxlauncher-linux-x64.rpm or sudo zypper install ./syntaxlauncher-linux-x64.rpm); remove package syntaxlauncher. |
| Other compatible desktop Linux systems x64 | syntaxlauncher-linux-x64.AppImage |
Mark executable and open; this is a single-file portable application, not a system package. Where FUSE is unavailable, ./syntaxlauncher-linux-x64.AppImage --appimage-extract-and-run uses temporary extraction. |
Linux DEB/RPM install the launcher under /opt/syntaxlauncher and register a desktop menu entry. Both installers include AppStream metadata under /usr/share/metainfo/pl.syntaxdevteam.syntaxlauncher.metainfo.xml with MIT as the project licence, SyntaxDevTeam as developer, and official project, support and source-code URLs. Debian also includes a machine-readable MIT copyright file under /usr/share/doc/syntaxlauncher/copyright; RPM retains its MIT license field. AppImage includes the same component metadata with an AppImage-specific desktop-file reference. Linux CI checks the actual DEB/RPM/AppImage payloads and validates the metadata with appstreamcli. Software-center UI behaviour can additionally depend on distribution AppStream catalogs; KDE Discover presentation must be checked separately. All formats contain the launcher's Java runtime; Minecraft Java remains managed separately. AppImage does not eliminate native compatibility requirements: this build uses the Ubuntu 24.04 x64 application baseline, requires a compatible glibc desktop/graphics stack, and does not promise Alpine/musl, all historical distributions or Linux ARM64 support. Fedora RPM installation/removal is tested in a Fedora 44 container; a container lifecycle test does not certify graphical gameplay. openSUSE and other distributions require their own native acceptance before being called verified.
Installer SHA-256 hashes are published as SHA256SUMS-installers.txt. The first installer previews are unsigned; Apple notarization and trusted Windows publisher signatures remain open production gates. Installer builds and temporary mount tests do not certify native trust prompts or all clean-machine workflows.
DEB/RPM previews use a revision 0.<prerelease>.<run>.<attempt>, while Stable uses 1, so a Stable package of the same numeric product version sorts after its preview and repeated preview builds remain distinguishable. Windows MSI versions use the numeric canonical SemVer core. Installers from different DEV builds sharing that core are not an automatic upgrade path; uninstall the previous preview before installing another of the same core, while retaining data. A newer numeric MSI version supports major upgrades; downgrade blocking and fresh-install/repair/removal smoke coverage do not replace a real prior-version upgrade acceptance test. macOS retains the existing pre-1.0 native version mapping, while the application/update manifests keep the exact product SemVer.
Installers only own application files and shortcuts. Package removal leaves worlds, accounts, settings, cached Java and launcher-update images in the user locations below. Removing the AppImage or app bundle likewise leaves those data. Back up data before changing versions; none of the installers automatically removes game data.
Select Add Microsoft in Manage players and sign in using the system browser. A verified Minecraft Java Edition entitlement and profile are mandatory for Play; if Mojang has not allowlisted the AppID, Microsoft gameplay remains unavailable and the launcher must not bypass it. Choose Vanilla or a separate modded game, then Install and Play after successful authentication. Existing instance/world data is preserved independently of any legacy local-only identity.
Use Game health and repair if installation or startup fails. Repair checks/downloads launcher-managed files and Java while retaining your worlds/mods/settings. It does not start the game. Settings provides the update channel, launcher log and data locations. A safe diagnostic report can be copied manually for support; nothing is uploaded automatically.
Keep your original shortcut/application: it is the bootstrap for newer application images. Choose Stable, DEV or SNAPSHOT in settings and restart. Older channels wait for a newer compatible version; automatic downgrades are refused. Continue lets you keep the installed app after a failed/offline check. Interrupted downloads are restarted from verified cache; partial payloads are never accepted as complete. Failed startup handoffs retain the previous verified image. See UPDATING.md.
Old update images and downloaded archives are deliberately retained for recovery; automatic pruning is disabled. To reclaim that storage, close the launcher and detached games, back up data, and remove the launcher-updates directories under data/cache. Keep a complete original installation to bootstrap again. Never remove runtime/game folders merely to clear updater storage.
Settings → Storage and removal shows the actual paths. Defaults:
| System | Games/data | Settings | Cache | Logs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Windows | %LOCALAPPDATA%/SyntaxLauncher |
config inside data |
cache inside data |
logs inside data |
| Linux | ${XDG_DATA_HOME:-~/.local/share}/syntaxlauncher |
${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-~/.config}/syntaxlauncher |
${XDG_CACHE_HOME:-~/.cache}/syntaxlauncher |
${XDG_STATE_HOME:-~/.local/state}/syntaxlauncher/logs |
| macOS | ~/Library/Application Support/SyntaxLauncher |
config inside data |
~/Library/Caches/SyntaxLauncher |
~/Library/Logs/SyntaxLauncher |
Before upgrades, back up complete game instances, worlds and settings while games are stopped. Keep the original data for rollback. Refresh credentials are protected by the operating-system vault and cannot be treated as a portable backup; signing in again may be necessary. Supported formats are versioned and unknown future schemas are refused instead of overwritten. Automated migration/backward-reading coverage is not a replacement for a real upgrade acceptance test.
Close the launcher and any detached Minecraft process. Removing the extracted application directory removes the application, while preserving user data. To remove data too, first back up worlds, remove saved Microsoft profiles through the player manager when secure storage is available, then explicitly delete the data/config/cache/log locations above. OS-vault entries require account removal; deleting directories alone does not claim to revoke a Microsoft grant. No uninstall action automatically deletes worlds. Launcher messages rotate at 8 MiB, with seven-day/64 MiB archived-log limits; game logs and startup receipt logs are retained separately and are not subject to that policy.