Install on Windows

Run Tuvima Library on a Windows 10 or 11 PC without Docker. The installer sets up the Engine and Dashboard as Windows services that start with your computer, then opens the Dashboard in your browser.

Early Access

The Windows installer is still being refined. Read Known limitations before using it with a library you care about, and keep your own backup of your original media. For the most predictable setup today, use Docker Compose.

Before you start

You need:

Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit.
An account with administrator rights.
Free disk space for the app and your catalogue, plus more if you plan to use local AI models.

Download the installer

Installers are attached to tagged releases on the GitHub Releases page. Download the newest TuvimaLibrary-Setup-<version>.exe and read that release’s notes. Releases named exiftool-<version> are not installers: they hold the unmodified ExifTool files the Library fetches for itself, so you can ignore them.

If no release is listed yet, use Docker Compose, or build the installer yourself (see Technical details at the end of this page).

Install

Run TuvimaLibrary-Setup-<version>.exe and approve the administrator prompt.
Choose the install folder, or keep the default C:\Program Files\Tuvima Library.
Choose whether to add a desktop shortcut.
Finish the installer. It starts both services and opens http://localhost:5016.
Complete first-run setup: create the administrator account, save the recovery codes outside this PC, and add media folders now or later.

Continue with Your first library.

What the installer sets up

Item	Details
App files	`C:\Program Files\Tuvima Library` (or your chosen folder)
Windows services	`TuvimaEngine` (port `61495`) and `TuvimaDashboard` (port `5016`), set to start automatically
Data folders	`config`, `db`, `watch` and `library` under `C:\ProgramData\Tuvima`
Media tools	FFmpeg, FFprobe and Tesseract, included with the app
Shortcuts	Open Tuvima Library in the Start menu, plus an optional desktop shortcut

The Engine listens only on this computer, so other devices reach Tuvima Library through the Dashboard on port 5016 only. Keep port 61495 blocked in Windows Firewall as an extra safeguard.

Helper tools

The installer includes FFmpeg, FFprobe and Tesseract, so the Library normally shows every tool as Ready. ExifTool is not in the installer. The Library fetches it by itself the first time, from Tuvima’s own GitHub copy of the official release, and then shows it Ready. To see them, open Settings > Tools and requirements in the Dashboard. The Library also checks the tools at first run and at every start-up.

If FFmpeg is missing or broken, open Settings > Tools and requirements and choose Download again on that page to repair it. Until FFmpeg is found, video and audio files show Waiting for media tools and finish by themselves; nothing fails. Tesseract is optional. Without it, scanned pages and photos of paper are not searchable.

Update or uninstall

To update, run the newer installer. It stops and replaces both services, and it keeps your existing configuration files.

To uninstall, use Settings > Apps in Windows or Uninstall Tuvima Library in the Start menu. Uninstalling stops and removes both services. Data under C:\ProgramData\Tuvima is not deleted. Back up that folder and your original media before an update or uninstall.

Known limitations

These apply to the current Early Access installer:

The Dashboard service does not receive the Engine’s configuration-folder setting.
The installer gives every signed-in Windows user modify access to the data folders.
Installers built by the release pipeline do not enable the bundled local AI runtime; locally built installers do.
The installer needs FFmpeg files at build time and does not include the host recovery console.

Technical details

The installer is defined in installer.iss (Inno Setup 6). build-installer.bat builds it locally, and .github/workflows/release.yml builds it for every v*.*.* tag and attaches it to the GitHub Release.

To build locally, you need the repository’s .NET SDK, Inno Setup 6, and approved FFmpeg and FFprobe binaries under tools/ffmpeg/. The builder checks their hashes and required encoders. From the repository root, run:

build-installer.bat

The script publishes self-contained win-x64 apps and writes dist\TuvimaLibrary-Setup-*.exe. Test a locally built installer in an isolated Windows environment before using it with real media.

Claim your server

Tuvima is open from the start: phones, TVs and computers on your Wi-Fi can reach the Dashboard and pair apps straight away, and Tuvima sign-in is always required. Keep your router’s ports closed, since that is what keeps the internet out; for access from outside, set up Tailscale or an HTTPS reverse proxy under Settings → Network → Remote Access (see Secure remote access). First-run setup needs no code from this computer or your home network.

Opening /setup from this computer or any device on your home network needs no code. You can start with just a name, using Start without a password. That account has no password, so any device that can reach the server can use it, with administrator rights, until you add an email and a password under Settings → Security.
Setup is open to any device that can reach the server until the administrator exists, so finish it before you open any router port.
Once the administrator exists, setup closes for good.