Cross-Platform Support

Lokus is designed from the ground up to provide a consistent, high-quality experience across Windows, macOS, and Linux. This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to know about Lokus's cross-platform capabilities.

Supported Platforms

Platform Support Matrix

What's Included

Lokus provides full feature parity across all platforms, including:

• Rich Text Editor - Complete TipTap-based editor with all formatting options
• Math Rendering - KaTeX support for inline and block mathematics
• Graph Visualization - Interactive knowledge graphs with physics simulation
• Wiki Links - Bidirectional linking with autocomplete
• File Management - Native file operations and workspace management
• Theme System - Light, dark, and custom themes
• Plugin System - Full plugin architecture support
• Performance - Optimized for each platform's capabilities

Platform-Specific Features

Windows Integration

Native Features:

• WebView2 integration for modern web rendering
• Windows-style context menus and dialogs
• System tray integration
• Windows notification system
• File association support
• Jump lists and taskbar integration

Installation Options:

• MSI installer with automatic updates
• Portable executable for standalone use
• Windows Store distribution (planned)

System Requirements:

• Windows 10 version 1903 or later
• WebView2 runtime (automatically installed)
• 4GB RAM minimum, 8GB recommended
• 500MB available disk space

macOS Integration

Native Features:

• Native macOS menu bar integration
• Touch Bar support (where available)
• macOS-style window controls and behaviors
• Native file dialogs and system integration
• Spotlight integration for file search
• Quick Look integration for previews

Installation Options:

• DMG installer with drag-and-drop installation
• App Store distribution (planned)
• Homebrew cask support

System Requirements:

• macOS 10.15 (Catalina) or later
• Universal binary (Intel + Apple Silicon)
• 4GB RAM minimum, 8GB recommended
• 500MB available disk space

Linux Integration

Native Features:

• GTK3-based native UI components
• XDG Desktop Portal integration
• Support for major desktop environments (GNOME, KDE, XFCE)
• Wayland and X11 compatibility
• Native file manager integration
• System-wide theme integration

Distribution Support:

• Ubuntu 20.04+ (LTS and latest)
• Fedora 34+ (current releases)
• Debian 11+ (stable and testing)
• Arch Linux (rolling)
• openSUSE Leap/Tumbleweed

Installation Options:

• AppImage (universal Linux binary)
• DEB packages for Debian/Ubuntu
• RPM packages for Fedora/RHEL
• Flatpak distribution (planned)
• Snap package (planned)

Installation Instructions

Windows Installation

MSI Installer (Recommended)

1. Download the latest MSI installer from the releases page (opens in a new tab)
2. Run the installer with administrator privileges
3. Follow the installation wizard
4. WebView2 will be automatically installed if not present

Portable Version

1. Download the portable ZIP archive
2. Extract to your preferred location
3. Run Lokus.exe directly
4. No installation required, but WebView2 must be available

macOS Installation

DMG Installer (Recommended)

1. Download the DMG file from the releases page (opens in a new tab)
2. Open the DMG file
3. Drag Lokus to your Applications folder
4. Launch from Applications or Spotlight

Homebrew Cask

brew install --cask lokus

Linux Installation

AppImage (Universal)

# Download and make executable
wget https://github.com/lokus-ai/lokus/releases/latest/download/Lokus.AppImage
chmod +x Lokus.AppImage
./Lokus.AppImage

Ubuntu/Debian (DEB)

# Download and install DEB package
wget https://github.com/lokus-ai/lokus/releases/latest/download/lokus_amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i lokus_amd64.deb
sudo apt-get install -f  # Fix any missing dependencies

Fedora/RHEL (RPM)

# Download and install RPM package
wget https://github.com/lokus-ai/lokus/releases/latest/download/lokus.x86_64.rpm
sudo rpm -i lokus.x86_64.rpm

Arch Linux (AUR)

# Using yay AUR helper
yay -S lokus-bin
 
# Or build from source
yay -S lokus

System Requirements

Minimum Requirements

Recommended Requirements

Cross-Platform Compatibility

File Format Compatibility

Lokus uses a unified file format across all platforms:

• Document Format: Markdown-based with metadata
• Workspace Format: JSON configuration
• Theme Format: CSS custom properties
• Plugin Format: JavaScript/WebAssembly

All files created on one platform work seamlessly on others with no conversion needed.

Settings Synchronization

Settings and preferences are stored in platform-appropriate locations:

• Windows: %APPDATA%\Lokus\
• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Lokus/
• Linux: ~/.config/lokus/

Settings can be manually synchronized across devices by copying configuration files.

Plugin Compatibility

Plugins written for Lokus work across all platforms without modification, as they use:

• Standard web technologies (HTML, CSS, JavaScript)
• Tauri's unified API layer
• Platform-agnostic file operations

Performance Characteristics

Platform Performance Comparison

Platform-Specific Optimizations

Windows Optimizations:

• WebView2 hardware acceleration
• Windows-specific caching strategies
• Optimized file system operations
• Windows Registry integration

macOS Optimizations:

• Metal rendering acceleration
• Cocoa framework optimizations
• Memory pressure handling
• Energy efficiency optimizations

Linux Optimizations:

• GTK theme integration
• Wayland compositor optimizations
• Efficient X11 operations
• Lightweight resource usage

Keyboard Shortcuts

Lokus adapts keyboard shortcuts to match platform conventions:

Universal Shortcuts

Platform-Specific Features

Windows:

• Alt+F4 to close application
• F11 for fullscreen
• Windows key integration

macOS:

• ⌘+Q to quit application
• ⌘+M to minimize
• Control+⌘+F for fullscreen

Linux:

• Follows desktop environment conventions
• Customizable shortcuts via system settings
• Window manager integration

Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

Windows Issues

"Application failed to start" error:

# Install/update WebView2
winget install Microsoft.EdgeWebView2

Permission denied errors:

• Run as administrator during first launch
• Check Windows Defender exclusions
• Verify user account permissions

macOS Issues

"App is damaged" error:

# Clear quarantine attribute
xattr -cr /Applications/Lokus.app

Notarization warnings:

• Download from official sources only
• Verify code signature
• Check System Preferences > Security & Privacy

Linux Issues

Missing dependencies:

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install libgtk-3-0 libwebkit2gtk-4.1-0
 
# Fedora
sudo dnf install gtk3 webkit2gtk4.0
 
# Arch
sudo pacman -S gtk3 webkit2gtk

Wayland compatibility:

# Force X11 if needed
GDK_BACKEND=x11 lokus

Migration and Updates

Automatic Updates

• Windows: MSI installer supports automatic updates via Windows Update mechanism
• macOS: DMG-based updates with Sparkle framework
• Linux: Package manager updates for repository-installed versions

Manual Migration

When migrating between platforms:

1. Export Settings: File > Export > Settings
2. Copy Documents: Manually copy workspace directories
3. Import Settings: File > Import > Settings on new platform
4. Verify Plugins: Reinstall platform-specific plugins if needed

Getting Help

Platform-Specific Support

• Windows: Check Windows Event Viewer for application logs
• macOS: Use Console.app to view system logs
• Linux: Check journald logs with journalctl --user

Community Resources

• GitHub Discussions (opens in a new tab) - General questions and community support
• Discord Community (opens in a new tab) - Real-time help and discussions
• Documentation - Comprehensive guides and tutorials

Need help with cross-platform development? Check out our Developer Setup Guide and Build System Documentation.