Framed releases panel naming MSI, dmg, and linux tar.zst assets on the same tag.
Releases panel for the MSI, dmg, and linux tar.zst assets this install guide maps. Deck Quill original card-stack geometry for this install guide (not an upstream project logo).

By Deck Quill editorial team · Last verified [date] · Current release [tag]

Command

brew install --cask anki

Upgrade later with brew upgrade --cask anki. Dmg fallback: macOS install. Pillar: home.

Why the official door matters

Labs waste hours when someone grabs a renamed installer from an advertising mirror. Matching the GitHub asset name keeps SmartScreen and Gatekeeper conversations shorter because the publisher details line up with what your runbook already printed. Winget and Homebrew help when those catalogs are allowed, and they still resolve to the same upstream project on the review date.

Write the door you used beside the machine name. After imaging season, prove one card or deck add before you call the desk ready. That single prove step catches vanished install folders, half-finished dmg drags, and adware shortcuts that reappear from old browser downloads.

Shared rooms should keep a spare copy of the current Windows setup on trusted media when the Store is flaky. Mac rooms should document whether brew or the dmg is the blessed path. Linux rooms should pin the tar.zst folder path so updates replace one file.

Everyday controls after install

Set the default collection folder away from a nearly full system volume when you can. Note the sync preference under connection options. Enable optional cloud sync only when your network policy allows it. Daily limits keep shared lines usable during meetings.

Optional optional cloud sync access needs a strong password before you flip the switch. Remote access across the open internet needs more than the default checkbox. Treat optional cloud sync as an advanced habit after the desktop window already works.

Categories and tags help when many decks share one disk. Start with a short list. Rebuild fancy rules only after a week of stable reviews. RSS habits can wait until the basic prove-one-add loop is boring.

Support notes for tickets

Ask for the filename or package id, the approximate install date, and whether a VPN or firewall changed during the complaint. Vague reports that only say downloads feel slow waste a day. Trainers should keep a quiet prove-one-card checklist instead of demoing on a huge busy deck.

Rollback plans need a previous setup on trusted storage, an uninstall note, and an owner for the hash list if your organisation verifies signatures. Rollback fails when the only old copy sat on a retired laptop.

Internal runbooks should quote winget id Anki.Anki, brew cask anki, and the Releases URL without marketing adjectives. Staff skim under stress. Five clear boxes beat a long essay.

Return to the anki home for the install panel. Asset chooser: releases. Repo map: Anki GitHub. Safe habits: download safely. Computer chooser: for this computer.

Lab checklist without drama

Shared rooms move faster when the ticket names the installer door, the OS build, and the exact symptom. Attach a screenshot of the Decks list when reviews look wrong. Mention whether sync toggled during the failure.

Borrowing a random USB installer from a drawer is how adware returns. Prefer a hashed copy on trusted media or the same package id the fleet already allows. When package managers are blocked, the Releases asset is the honest fallback.

Trainers should rehearse the prove step on a tiny local deck so demos stay short. Students learn the habit faster when the checklist fits on an index card. Overnight monitors appreciate a note that says whether cloud sync is expected on that image.

When a semester ends, uninstall from machines that leave the pool and clear local collections per retention rules. Keep checksum verification optional for threat models that require hashes from the same tag.

Imaging season notes

Golden images should freeze only after a reboot and a prove-one-review step. Login scripts that delay first launch hide broken Start Menu shortcuts. Antivirus first scans that quarantine a fresh installer need a known exception path written for the helpdesk.

Internal runbooks should quote the package id, the brew cask, and the Releases URL without marketing adjectives. Staff skim under stress. A short checklist with five boxes outperforms a long essay nobody finishes.

Include a rollback line: where the previous installer lives, how to uninstall, and who owns the software library hash list. Rollback plans fail when the only copy sat on a retired laptop.

Translate jargon for volunteers. Say use the official GitHub installer file instead of assuming everyone knows which mirror is safe. Clarity beats cleverness during the first week of a new semester.

Frequently asked questions

Where are official downloads?

Use GitHub Releases for anki/anki, the project site, winget id Anki.Anki, or Homebrew cask anki. Those doors publish named assets on non-prerelease tags without Softonic-style wrappers. Prefer official GitHub Releases or the verified package doors, then prove one review after install.

Is anki free?

Yes. Source is AGPL-3.0-or-later and official binaries are AGPL-3.0-or-later per upstream LICENSE. You can install without a paid seat. Donations on the project site are optional and separate from the binary doors. Prefer official GitHub Releases or the verified package doors, then prove one review after install.

Which Windows file should I take?

Prefer anki-*-win-x64.msi from the current non-prerelease tag, or use winget with id Anki.Anki. Take arm64 builds only when you know you need that ARM64 line. Prefer official GitHub Releases or the verified package doors, then prove one review after install.