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Installing Solco on macOS, Windows and Linux

Last updated on Oct 18, 2026

Solco runs on Macs with Apple Silicon, on Windows PCs and on Linux. Every alpha is published on the Solco releases page, and the release notes name the right download for each computer. All analysis models are included in every download.

macOS

You need a Mac with Apple Silicon (M1 or later) and macOS 13.4 or later. Intel Macs are not supported.

  1. Download the .dmg file, for example solco-v0.9.0-alpha.2-macos-arm64.dmg.
  2. Open it and drag Solco into Applications.
  3. Open Solco from Applications.

The Mac app is signed and notarized by Apple. On a Mac, Solco asks once for access to the Music app when you import your Apple Music library.

Windows

Solco runs on 64-bit Windows on Intel and AMD processors. It has been tested on Windows 11 24H2; earlier versions are untested.

  1. Download the .msi installer, for example solco-v0.9.0-alpha.2-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc.msi.
  2. Open it. It installs Solco for your user account, in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Solco, without asking for administrator rights, and adds Solco to the Start menu.

The release also has a setup program (-setup.exe) and a portable .zip for anyone who needs them. Your library and settings live outside the installation folder, so installing a new version or uninstalling never touches them.

Linux

Solco runs on 64-bit Intel and AMD (x86-64) and on ARM64 Linux. Each release has:

  • a .deb package for Debian and Ubuntu, and an .rpm package for Fedora and similar distributions;
  • a portable .tar.gz archive, which you unpack anywhere and run solco from.

Packages install Solco under /opt/solco with a desktop entry and the solco command.

Graphics

Beat analysis uses your graphics card when there is a supported one, and the processor otherwise, which is slower. On some integrated graphics, analysis can still make the interface stutter.

Before you start

Keep a backup of your music. If you used an earlier Solco build, save a library backup first: see "Backing up and restoring your Solco library".

Each alpha build runs for 30 days. See "The private alpha and its expiry date" and "Updating Solco".