Install the Desktop App

Handoff Wizard ships as a desktop application. No browser, no admin rights, no kernel modules. The installer is a regular user-mode binary.

Download

Your post-purchase email contains a download link. If you’ve lost it, paste your project code at handoffwiz.com/install and we’ll re-issue.

• Windows: HandoffWizard-Setup-x.y.z.msi (~120 MB)
• macOS: HandoffWizard-x.y.z.dmg (~140 MB, universal binary — Apple Silicon + Intel)
• Linux: not yet supported. On the v1.5 roadmap. If you’re a Linux holdout, see the FAQ.

Screenshot pending

A screenshot of the download page on handoffwiz.com lands here in DOC-002 Phase 2 once the desktop app ships its first signed build.

Install on Windows

1. Double-click the .msi file.
2. You may see a “Windows protected your PC” dialog during our pre-cert period (we’re awaiting EV code-signing). To proceed: click More info, then Run anyway. Once we ship the EV cert (target: end of Q2 2026), this warning will go away.
3. Accept the EULA, pick an install location (default %LocalAppData%\Programs\HandoffWizard is fine), and finish.
4. Launch from the Start menu — search “Handoff Wizard”.

Screenshot pending

A screenshot of the Windows SmartScreen “More info → Run anyway” workaround lands here once we have a captured image from the unsigned-installer pre-cert period.

Install on macOS

1. Double-click the .dmg file. A Finder window opens.
2. Drag Handoff Wizard.app into the Applications folder.
3. First launch is the tricky one during our pre-cert period (Apple Developer ID notarization in progress). Don’t double-click the app the first time — instead right-click (or Ctrl-click) the app in Applications and choose Open. macOS will show “macOS cannot verify the developer…”; click Open anyway. After the first run, you can launch normally.
4. If the right-click menu doesn’t show Open, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll to the bottom, and click Open Anyway next to the Handoff Wizard entry.

Screenshot pending

A screenshot of the macOS Gatekeeper right-click → Open workaround lands here once we have a captured image from the pre-notarization period.

Once we complete notarization (target: end of Q2 2026), this workaround disappears — Handoff Wizard will open like any normal Mac app.

Verify the install

After launch, you should see the Welcome screen with a stepper across the top showing:

Welcome → Sign in → Project code → Consent → Anthropic key → GCP credentials → Archetype

If instead you see a blank window or an immediate crash, see Troubleshooting.

Five most common install errors

Symptom	Cause	Fix
Windows: “This app can’t run on your PC.”	32-bit OS or Windows version below 10.	Handoff requires 64-bit Windows 10 (build 19041) or newer. Upgrade Windows.
macOS: “App is damaged and can’t be opened.”	Gatekeeper rejected the unsigned binary entirely.	Run xattr -cr "/Applications/Handoff Wizard.app" in Terminal, then retry the right-click → Open flow above. Pre-cert workaround only; goes away post-notarization.
Disk space error mid-install.	Less than 500 MB free on the target volume.	Free up at least 1 GB and retry — the installed app is ~250 MB and we recommend 1 GB headroom for working data.
Antivirus quarantines the installer.	Some corporate AV products false-positive on unsigned installers.	Ask IT to allowlist the installer hash — it’s printed on the download page.
”App can’t connect to internet” on first launch.	Corporate proxy blocks *.handoffwiz.com or *.anthropic.com.	Forward the proxy allowlist to your IT team.

If your error isn’t here, jump to Troubleshooting or email support@handoffwiz.com.

Once installed, head to Your First Handover.