captains-deck.com ~/guides/install G.01.A · 3 min read ↑ updated 2026-01-12 --:--:--
Beginner G.01.A 3 min read

Install & first launch.

From .dmg to browsing files in under a minute. Drag, allow, and you’re in.

System requirements

Captain’s Deck is a small, native macOS app. Here’s what it needs:

  • macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later
  • Apple Silicon (M1 / M2 / M3 / M4) or any Intel Mac from the last decade
  • 50 MB of disk space
  • An internet connection for license activation (one-time)

Download

  1. Visit captains-deck.com
  2. Click Download free trial
  3. The CaptainsDeck.dmg file lands in your Downloads folder

Install

  1. Open CaptainsDeck.dmg
  2. Drag Captain’s Deck to your Applications folder
  3. Eject the disk image
  4. Launch from Applications, Spotlight (Cmd+Space), or Raycast
First launch. macOS may show a Gatekeeper notice the first time. Click Open to confirm. This happens once, ever.

Start your free trial

Every download includes a 14-day free trial with all Pro features unlocked.

  • No credit card required
  • Full feature access — themes, plugins, remote, the works
  • Trial countdown shown in the status bar

After the trial, the app keeps working with the basic feature set. Upgrade any time for €19.99 (one-time, yours forever).

Activate a license

If you’ve purchased Captain’s Deck:

  1. Open Captain’s Deck → License… from the menu bar
  2. Paste the license key from your purchase email
  3. Click Activate

Your license is tied to your machine. You can deactivate and move it to another Mac at any time — see FAQ.

Updating

To pull the latest version:

  1. Download the new DMG
  2. Quit Captain’s Deck if running
  3. Drag the new app to Applications, replacing the old one

Settings, bookmarks, saved connections, and license carry forward automatically.

Troubleshooting

“App is damaged”

Usually means the download was interrupted. Trash the app and download again from the official source.

“Cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified”

Right-click (or Control-click) the app and select Open, then click Open in the dialog.

App won’t launch

Confirm you’re running macOS 14 or later. Check → About This Mac.

Tweaks

Theme
Motion