Install the Mattermost desktop app

<PlanAvailability slug="all-commercial" />

Download and install the Mattermost desktop app for macOS from the App Store, for Windows from the Microsoft Store, or by using a package manager (Linux).

We strongly recommend installing the desktop app on a local drive. Network shares aren't supported.

1. When prompted, enter the Mattermost server link and a display name for the Mattermost instance. The display name is helpful in cases where you connect to multiple Mattermost instances. See the server connections documentation for details.
2. Enter your user credentials to log into Mattermost.
3. The team that displays first in the team sidebar opens. If you're not a member of a team yet, you're prompted to select a team to join.

<Note>

When you log into Mattermost using external user credentials, such as Google or Entra ID, you'll temporarily leave the desktop app during login while authenticating your credentials. Once you're successfully logged in to Mattermost, you'll be returned to the desktop app. See the Single Sign-On (SSO) section below for details on the external providers that Mattermosts supports.

</Note>

Upgrade the desktop app

From v6.1.0, Mattermost Desktop uses in-app notifications to alert you when new releases are available. You'll see a notification in the Downloads dropdown with platform-specific options:

• macOS (App Store): Select Open Mac App Store to update through the App Store.
• macOS (DMG): Select Download Update to download the new DMG file from your browser. Open the DMG and drag Mattermost to your Applications folder.
• Windows (Microsoft Store): Select Use Windows Store to update through the Microsoft Store.
• Windows (MSI): Select Download Manually to download the MSI installer from your browser, then run the installer.
• Linux: Select the notification to open the GitHub releases page, download the appropriate package for your system (AppImage, deb, rpm, Flatpak), and install it.

Manual update check

You can manually check for updates at any time by:

• Selecting Help > Check for Updates from the menu bar, or
• Going to Settings > Updates and selecting Check Now

Skip a version

If you don't want to see notifications for a specific version, select Skip This Version in the notification. You won't see notifications for that version, but you'll be notified when a newer version is released.

<Note>

In enterprise deployments, your system administrator may disable update notifications via Group Policy. If you're not seeing update notifications, contact your IT department.

</Note>

Upgrading to v6.1.0 using Windows MSI installer

If you're upgrading from a version earlier than v6.1.0 using the Windows MSI installer, you may need to recreate your taskbar shortcut once after upgrading. This one-time change improves shortcut reliability and prevents shortcuts from breaking during future upgrades.

Prior to v6.1.0, installing over an older Desktop App version could break shortcuts. The v6.1.0 MSI installer uses a more reliable method for shortcut icons that prevents this issue in future upgrades. This only affects Windows MSI installer upgrades. The Windows Store version is not affected, and future upgrades to v6.1.1 and later won't require shortcut recreation.

If your taskbar shortcut shows the wrong icon or fails to launch after upgrading to v6.1.0:

1. Right-click the broken shortcut on your taskbar and select Unpin from taskbar.
2. Launch Mattermost Desktop from the Start Menu or desktop shortcut.
3. Right-click the Mattermost icon in the taskbar while it's running.
4. Select Pin to taskbar.

Your new shortcut will work correctly for all future updates.