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Typeward Docs

Install on Windows

This guide installs Typeward on Windows and ends with the app running. For another platform, see Install on macOS or Install on Linux. Installing creates no account and contacts no Typeward server, because Typeward has neither.

Requirements

Section titled “Requirements”
  • 64-bit Windows 10 or 11, on x64 or on ARM64. Each architecture has its own installer, and no 32-bit build exists.
  • The Microsoft Edge WebView2 runtime, which Typeward uses to draw its interface. On a machine without it, the installer downloads and runs Microsoft’s WebView2 bootstrapper silently, so setup there needs an internet connection.
  • No TeX distribution on x64, because that installer bundles the Tectonic engine. Typeward can use MiKTeX or TeX Live instead when you have one installed. See Choosing a compile engine.
  • A TeX distribution on ARM64, because the ARM64 installer ships without Tectonic: upstream publishes no ARM64 Windows binary. MiKTeX, TeX Live, or a tectonic command on your PATH all work, and Typeward compiles with whichever it finds.
  • The typst command for Typst projects, which no installer bundles. See Typst projects.

Download and install

Section titled “Download and install”
  1. On the Typeward releases page, download Typeward-windows-x64-setup.exe for an Intel or AMD machine, or Typeward-windows-arm64-setup.exe for an ARM machine.
  2. Verify the file with the checksum and provenance checks in Verify your download.
  3. Run the installer. It installs for the current user and needs no administrator rights, and Windows SmartScreen warns about it on the way.
  4. Launch Typeward from the Start menu.

Each release attaches the same two installers under their versioned names, Typeward_<version>_x64-setup.exe and Typeward_<version>_arm64-setup.exe. Windows releases carry an NSIS installer only, with no MSI package.

The installer registers Typeward as an editor for .tex (“LaTeX Source”), .typ (“Typst Source”), and .bib (“BibTeX Bibliography”) files. Double-clicking one of those opens it in Typeward, and a Typeward window that is already open takes the file and comes to the front.

Verify your download

Section titled “Verify your download”

Typeward builds carry no code signature, so a checksum and a provenance attestation are the whole integrity story. Every release attaches a SHA256SUMS file listing the hash of every asset.

  1. In the folder holding the installer, open PowerShell and hash the file:

    Terminal window
    Get-FileHash .\Typeward-windows-x64-setup.exe -Algorithm SHA256

  2. Compare the value under Hash with the line for that filename in SHA256SUMS. The two must match, though the comparison ignores case.

  3. Verify the build provenance attestation with the GitHub CLI:

    Terminal window
    gh attestation verify .\Typeward-windows-x64-setup.exe --repo typeward/app

If the hashes differ, delete the file and download it again. Never run it.

A matching hash proves the file was not corrupted or swapped in transit. The attestation proves the installer came out of the release workflow in the typeward/app repository, rather than being assembled somewhere else.

Each release repeats both checks in a “Verify your download” section of its notes. An unsigned release carries an “Unsigned build” section as well, saying that SmartScreen warns.

Windows SmartScreen

Section titled “Windows SmartScreen”

Because the installer carries no code signature, Microsoft Defender SmartScreen raises a “Windows protected your PC” dialog when you run it.

  1. In the SmartScreen dialog, select More info.
  2. Select Run anyway.

The prompt is expected, and it returns for each new version you download. Open source and licensing explains why the builds carry no signature, and Verify your download is what establishes that the file is the one that was released.

Check that it worked

Section titled “Check that it worked”

You should now see the Typeward window, which starts with the first-run setup on a new installation.

If Typeward does not start:

  1. Confirm that you ran the installer for your architecture, Typeward-windows-x64-setup.exe on Intel and AMD machines and Typeward-windows-arm64-setup.exe on ARM machines.
  2. Check that the Microsoft Edge WebView2 runtime is installed, because the installer can only fetch it on a machine with an internet connection.
  3. Hash the installer again and compare the value with SHA256SUMS, because a file that fails that comparison is not the installer that was released.

Updating

Section titled “Updating”

Typeward does not update itself. The built-in update checker is dormant, and no build makes an update request.

To update:

  1. On the Typeward releases page, download the installer for your architecture.
  2. Verify it with the steps in Verify your download.
  3. Run the installer over your existing installation.

Your settings, projects, and version history survive that, because they live outside the installation folder. See How updates work.

Uninstalling

Section titled “Uninstalling”

Uninstall Typeward from Windows Settings or from its Start menu entry. Uninstalling removes the app and leaves your projects in place, by design. Projects live under Documents\Typeward by default, and in any other folder you have pointed Typeward at.

Uninstalling also leaves the app data folder, which holds your settings, version history, custom themes, and templates. Windows Credential Manager keeps any credentials you saved for optional integrations, such as a WebDAV password, a Zotero API key, or an AI provider key. Typeward never writes those credentials to plain files. See Data locations, credentials, and uninstall for every location and how to clear it.

Next steps

Section titled “Next steps”