Install and update

You can try the editor straight away in the web demo, with nothing to install. Install the desktop app when you want to save projects as files on your computer, publish to a server, or use the features that need the desktop (see the table on the welcome page).

What you need #

• Windows: Windows 10 or newer, 64-bit. Windows 7 and 8 are not supported.
• Linux: a 64-bit Linux desktop. There is an AppImage (runs anywhere) and a .tar.gz folder.
• Mac: macOS on an Apple-silicon Mac (M1 or newer) or an Intel Mac. There is one download for each.

The app does not need an internet connection to edit, save, preview and export. A few things do use the internet: see what needs internet.

Windows #

1. Download Bootstrap Website Builder Setup (.exe).
2. Run it. It installs for your own user account, so it does not ask for administrator rights, and then starts the app.
3. The installer is not code-signed. If Windows shows a blue "Windows protected your PC" window, choose More info, then Run anyway.

After installing, you can start the app from the Start menu, and double-click any .bsb project file to open it.

Linux #

You can use either download. Pick the AppImage if you are unsure.

AppImage

1. Download the .AppImage file.
2. Make it runnable: right-click it, open Properties → Permissions and allow running it as a program, or run chmod +x on it in a terminal.
3. Double-click it.

Tar archive (.tar.gz)

1. Download the .tar.gz file and unpack it in a folder you own, for example ~/apps. It makes a folder named like bootstrap-website-builder-0.1.32.
2. Start the program bootstrap-website-builder inside that folder.

Add it to your applications menu. The first time you start a packaged copy, the app offers to add itself to the applications menu, so you can start it like any other program and so .bsb files open with it. Nothing outside your home folder is changed. You can do it later, or undo it, from Help → Add to the Applications Menu… and Help → Remove from the Applications Menu.

Mac #

1. Download the zip that matches your Mac: arm64 for Apple silicon, x64 for Intel.

2. Open the zip and drag Bootstrap Website Builder to your Applications folder.

3. Open it. From version 0.1.41 the app carries a signature made for it, so it normally opens straight away, and updating works the same way: drag the new app over the old one in Applications.

   The app is still not signed with an Apple developer certificate, so on some Macs, or with an older version, macOS may block it ("cannot be opened", "cannot verify" or "is damaged"). If so:

   • macOS 15 (Sequoia) and newer: open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down to the message about the app and press Open Anyway. Confirm with your password.

   • Older macOS: right-click (or Control-click) the app and choose Open, then confirm.

   • If it still does not open, or macOS says the app is damaged: open Terminal and run these two commands, one after the other, then open the app again:

     xattr -cr "/Applications/Bootstrap Website Builder.app"
     codesign --force --deep -s - "/Applications/Bootstrap Website Builder.app"

     Copy

     The first command removes the "downloaded from the internet" mark. The second gives the app a signature made on your own Mac, which Apple silicon Macs require before they run an app. If the second command asks for the developer tools, accept the install and run it again.

The Mac version has not been tested as much as the Windows and Linux versions. If something does not work as described here, please tell us.

Updates #

The app checks for a new version by itself, quietly, shortly after it starts and at most about once a day. You can also check by hand with Help → Check for Updates….

When a new version exists you can choose Download, Later or Skip this version. A download goes to your Downloads folder, and then the app tells you what to do next:

• Windows: Run the installer closes the editor and starts the installer. Your projects are not touched.
• AppImage: close the editor and start the new file instead of the old one.
• Tar archive on Linux: Install now closes the editor, unpacks the new version over the old one and starts it again. You can also copy the command and run it yourself.
• Mac: open the downloaded zip and replace the old app in Applications.

The update check downloads the same kind of package you are running (for example an AppImage when you run the AppImage). If a download does not finish, the app offers to download it in your browser instead.

The web demo #

Open the web demo in any modern browser. Your projects stay in the browser: Save downloads a .bsb file, Open loads one from your computer, and Export downloads a .zip of the finished site. The About label in the corner lists the installers you can download.

Where is my work stored? #

• A project is the .bsb file you save yourself.
• While you work, the app also keeps your open projects safe so you can continue after a restart, and it keeps earlier versions on your computer: see version history.
• Things you add to the app itself, such as saved blocks, live in the app's own storage, not in the project file.