Install, update, and file associations

Navop provides desktop builds for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Match the package to the operating system and CPU architecture. Before upgrading, save SQL and Notes, finish manual transactions, and allow file transfers to complete.

Download and install

Choose the latest stable release from the official Download Center. On macOS, select Apple Silicon or Intel and move the app into Applications. On Windows, run the matching installer. On Linux, use the package format documented on the release page and ensure that the desktop environment permits graphical applications.

If Gatekeeper blocks the first macOS launch, verify the official release source and allow the app in Privacy & Security. If the app is still quarantined after the source is confirmed, run sudo xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine /Applications/Navop.app and reopen it. Treat Windows or Linux security warnings the same way: confirm provenance rather than disabling system-wide protections. Managed devices may require administrator approval.

Choose an installation package

Platform	Device/architecture	Recommended file	Typical use
macOS	Apple Silicon	navop-<version>-macos-arm64.dmg or navop-<version>-macos-arm64.tar.gz	M-series Macs
macOS	Intel	navop-<version>-macos-x64.dmg or navop-<version>-macos-x64.tar.gz	Intel Macs
Windows	x86_64	navop-<version>-windows-x64.msi	MSI installer with Start menu, desktop shortcuts, and stable file associations
Windows	x86_64	navop-<version>-windows-x64.exe	EXE installer wrapping the same standard per-user MSI installation
Windows	x86_64	navop-<version>-windows-x64.zip	No-install use with data kept in the normal Windows user directories
Windows	x86_64	navop-<version>-windows-x64-portable.zip	Keep the application and data together in a movable folder
Linux	x86_64	navop-<version>-linux-x64.tar.gz, navop-<version>-linux-x64-portable.tar.gz, navop_<version>_amd64.deb, navop-<version>-1.x86_64.rpm, navop_<version>_amd64.AppImage	Select for the distribution and desktop environment
Linux	ARM64	navop-<version>-linux-arm64.tar.gz, navop-<version>-linux-arm64-portable.tar.gz	ARM64 devices

Use sha256sums.txt from the same release to verify download integrity.

Windows installers

Choose either navop-<version>-windows-x64.msi or navop-<version>-windows-x64.exe for a normal Windows installation. On 32-bit Windows, download a package whose name explicitly contains win32, such as navop-<version>-win32.exe. The EXE installer embeds and launches the same MSI installation, so both install for the current user by default, create Start menu and desktop shortcuts, register supported file associations, use the normal Windows user data directories, and support remembered master-key unlock. The default per-user location does not require administrator privileges.

Windows no-install ZIP

The standard navop-<version>-windows-x64.zip (or navop-<version>-win32.zip for 32-bit Windows) contains only the ordinary navop.exe. Extract it before running. It does not install shortcuts or file associations, but it still uses the normal Windows user data directories and supports remembered master-key unlock. Do not place navop.portable beside the executable unless you intentionally want the portable behavior described below.

Upgrading from the Windows ZIP in v0.10.1 or earlier

IMPORTANT

The standard Windows ZIP in v0.10.1 and earlier already contained navop.portable, so users of those archives are currently running in portable mode. Upgrade by downloading the new navop-<version>-windows-x64-portable.zip (the 32-bit package contains win32 in its name), backing up and preserving the complete existing data directory, and keeping navop.portable beside navop.exe.

Do not simply delete navop.portable from the old directory when changing editions. Removing the marker only makes Navop use the normal Windows user data directories; it does not copy or migrate the existing portable data.

If you extract the new standard navop-<version>-windows-x64.zip or navop-<version>-win32.zip to a new directory, or switch to the MSI/EXE installer, Navop uses the normal Windows user data directories. Existing connections, settings, and extensions may then appear missing, but the original portable data has not been deleted. The installer does not migrate that directory automatically. Keep the complete old portable directory and the master key until the migrated setup has been verified.

Windows portable edition

Extract and start

The official Windows -portable.zip is the separate portable edition and contains:

navop.exe
navop.portable

navop.portable is the marker that enables portable mode. Keep it in the same directory as navop.exe; do not run Navop directly inside the ZIP, and do not normally delete or rename the marker. Fully extract the archive to a regular directory that the current user can write to, for example:

D:\Apps\NavopPortable\
├── navop.exe
└── navop.portable

Double-click navop.exe, or start it from PowerShell:

.\navop.exe

On first launch, Navop creates a data directory next to the executable:

D:\Apps\NavopPortable\
├── navop.exe
├── navop.portable
└── data\
    ├── config\
    ├── state\
    └── cache\

The portable directory must be writable. Do not put it under Program Files, in a read-only directory, or on read-only media. A USB drive or external disk must allow writes and remain connected reliably. Navop refuses to start when the portable directory is not writable.

Data directory and master key

The portable edition stores configuration, application state, and cache under data/config, data/state, and data/cache. This makes the application and its data easy to move or back up together. By default, portable mode does not persist the master key, so you must enter it on every launch. In Settings, you may explicitly choose to store an encrypted, automatically recoverable copy at data/state/key_storage.

This option has a significant security risk: the file is encrypted with a key embedded in the application, not with device-bound protection. Anyone who obtains both the application and the complete data directory may be able to recover the master key. Enable it only if you understand and accept this risk. A forgotten master key still cannot be recovered merely by downloading or reinstalling Navop; automatic recovery is possible only when the option was enabled and a matching complete application and data copy was preserved.

Keep the master key separately; do not store it as plain text in the portable directory or on the same USB drive. The data directory may contain connection configuration, state, extensions, and caches. Do not publish it, commit it to Git, or place it in an untrusted cloud-synchronized folder.

Update a portable installation

Portable mode does not support installing updates in the app, and automatic update checks are skipped. You can still check manually to learn that a release is available, but confirming the update opens GitHub Releases so that you can download a new Windows -portable.zip.

Do not overwrite an old directory that is still in use. Use this upgrade procedure:

1. Save SQL, Notes, and remote files; commit or roll back manual transactions; and wait for SFTP and remote-editing tasks to finish.
2. Quit Navop completely.
3. Back up the old portable directory, or at least its complete data directory.
4. Download the new Windows -portable.zip for the matching architecture and extract it into a new, empty directory.
5. Copy the entire old data directory into the new directory, next to the new navop.exe.
6. Confirm that the new directory still contains navop.portable next to navop.exe.
7. Start the new version, enter the original master key, and verify the version, connections, extensions, Notes, theme, and keyboard shortcuts.
8. Delete the old directory only after verification. Keep it temporarily if you may need to roll back.

For example:

D:\Apps\
├── NavopPortable-old\
│   ├── navop.exe
│   ├── navop.portable
│   └── data\
└── NavopPortable-new\
    ├── navop.exe
    ├── navop.portable
    └── data\   ← copied from the old version

Move, associate files, and protect the folder

Quit Navop and finish transactions, transfers, and remote-editing tasks before moving the portable folder. You can normally move the entire folder, but do not let two Navop instances or two computers write to the same data directory at the same time.

Portable mode does not automatically register Windows associations for .db, .duckdb, or .md. You can still open files from inside Navop or manually select navop.exe with Windows Open With. A manually configured Open With path may stop working after you move the portable directory. Choose the .msi or EXE installer when you need stable file associations, Start menu or desktop shortcuts, in-app updates, or a master key persisted by the operating system.

Losing removable media can expose encrypted data and related metadata. A moved copy still requires the correct master key. Do not delete the original folder or backup until the new copy has been verified.

Advanced startup options

The official Windows -portable.zip already includes navop.portable, so normal use requires no additional options. For testing or custom deployment, portable mode and the data location can also be selected explicitly:

# Enable portable mode temporarily; use data next to navop.exe
.\navop.exe --portable

# Select a data directory; this option also enables portable paths
.\navop.exe --data-dir "E:\NavopData"

# Enable portable mode with an environment variable
$env:NAVOP_PORTABLE = "1"
.\navop.exe

# Select a data directory with an environment variable
$env:NAVOP_DATA_DIR = "E:\NavopData"
.\navop.exe

NAVOP_PORTABLE accepts 1, true, yes, or on. Data-location precedence is --data-dir, --portable, NAVOP_DATA_DIR, NAVOP_PORTABLE/navop.portable, and finally standard installed mode. The selected directory must be writable. Prefer an absolute path because a relative path is resolved from the process's current working directory.

Linux Flatpak

Navop is also available from FlatPark as a developer-endorsed community Flatpak package. Add the FlatPark remote and install Navop for the current user:

flatpak --user remote-add --if-not-exists flatpark https://dl.flatpark.org/flatpark.flatpakrepo
flatpak --user install flatpark dev.navop.Navop

The Flatpak package runs in a sandbox, so some integrations may require additional permissions. See the FlatPark package page for details and troubleshooting guidance.

Complete first-launch setup

Choose a language, theme, and start page. Database, SSH, SFTP, and remote desktop features need network access; grant local-network, firewall, keychain, or file permissions only when they match the resources you intend to use. Notes folders, external editors, and custom fonts require their own filesystem access.

Create a non-production test connection before importing real credentials. Install an extension only when you need its database driver, remote desktop provider, connection importer, or ACP Agent.

Update and roll back

For the MSI, EXE installer, and standard ZIP edition, enable automatic update checks in Settings or check manually. Close active connections, commit or roll back manual transactions, and finish SFTP transfers before applying an update. After restart, verify important connections, extensions, and keyboard shortcuts. Follow the separate portable update procedure above for the Windows -portable.zip edition.

If a new release is incompatible with a critical extension, back up the Navop data directory and reinstall a known stable package from Releases. Downgrading is not a substitute for backup: local configuration formats may evolve, so confirm compatibility before opening older versions.

Open associated files

Navop can open .db, .duckdb, and .md through operating-system file associations. Database files create or open local SQLite/DuckDB connections; Markdown files open in Notes. If the association is missing, choose Navop with the system Open With action and optionally make it the default.

Do not open a production database file that another process is actively writing. Copy it to a safe location first. External Markdown keeps paths relative to its original folder, so moving it may break images and linked resources.

Uninstall without losing data

Removing the application may leave local settings, encrypted connections, Notes, and extension caches in the user data directory. Preserve that directory for a reinstall. For a complete removal, export required material, stop sync, hand over team responsibilities, and then remove both the app and user data.

Reinstallation alone cannot recover a forgotten master key. If portable master-key persistence was enabled, automatic recovery also requires the matching application and complete data directory, including data/state/key_storage. Confirm master-key and team-key recovery arrangements before deleting local data.