Getting started

Installing LedgerDesk

Windows

1. Download the installer (.exe) from your release, or build it yourself — see below.
2. Run the installer and follow the prompts.
3. Launch LedgerDesk from the Start menu.

macOS

1. Download the .dmg file.
2. Open it and drag LedgerDesk into your Applications folder.
3. Launch it from Applications. The first time, macOS Gatekeeper may ask you to confirm you trust the app.

Building from source

If you have the source repository:

npm install
npm run build
npm run electron

To produce a distributable installer:

# Windows — requires Visual Studio Build Tools ("Desktop development with C++")
npm run dist:win

# macOS
npm run dist:mac

Installers are written to the release/ folder.

LedgerDesk checks for updates on a Stable or Beta channel you choose. Downloading and installing an update are always two separate approvals — nothing installs itself while you're working.

Creating your first company

LedgerDesk stores each business as its own encrypted company file (.ldesk). Nothing is stored in the cloud — the file lives on your computer, or wherever you choose to save it.

1. Open LedgerDesk. You'll land on the company-file start page.
2. Choose Create New Company.
3. Enter the company name and pick a save location for the .ldesk file.
4. Set an administrator password. Write it down somewhere safe — LedgerDesk cannot recover it without your recovery key.
5. Choose a country profile (United States or Australia) and an industry edition — General, Contractor, Manufacturing & Wholesale, Nonprofit, Professional Services, or Retail. Both mainly shape starting defaults and can be adjusted later in Preferences.
6. Save the recovery key LedgerDesk generates, somewhere separate from the company file — a password manager, or a printed copy in a locked drawer. It's the only way back in if an administrator password is ever forgotten.

To open an existing company later, choose Open Company from the start page, or pick it from your recent companies list.

A company file can only be open in one LedgerDesk process at a time — this stops two people from editing the same books at once and corrupting the file.

The workspace

LedgerDesk behaves like a traditional desktop application, not a web app:

• Menu bar: File, Edit, Company, Customers, Vendors, Banking, Lists, Accountant, Reports, View, Window, and Help.
• Internal windows: Every center, form, and report opens as its own movable, resizable window inside the workspace, not a browser tab. Drag by the title bar, resize from any edge or corner, dock left/right, minimize, maximize, cascade, or tile from the Window menu.
• Sidebar: Hidden by default — toggle it from the View menu if you prefer persistent navigation.
• Command palette: Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + P from anywhere searches for any command, report, or record by name.
• Dashboard: The default landing view — account balances, A/R and A/P totals, profit, pending approvals, scheduled journal entries, bank-feed exceptions, and Company Doctor status. Widgets can be resized, reordered, and saved.

If you ever get lost, the command palette is usually faster than hunting through menus.