System Compatibility for Windows, macOS, and Linux

Lightning Assist runs natively on the three major desktop operating systems

Lightning Assist runs natively on Windows, macOS and Linux. The Windows installer is code-signed, the Mac app is notarized by Apple, and your snippets and folders sync to the same library on every computer you sign in to. Below you'll find the versions we support, what we have tested, the permissions the app asks for and why, and the known limits on each system.

Windows support

Supported versions

Windows 10 and Windows 11, 64-bit. We publish an x64 build only: Windows on ARM PCs run x64 apps through Windows' built-in emulation, which we haven't tested, and we haven't tested Windows Server either. Tested in July 2026: as-you-type expansion on 48 Windows keyboard layouts, with key presses sent through Windows' own input system.

Installer and updates

The code-signed installer (EXE) installs Lightning Assist for your Windows user account, in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs, so it needs no administrator rights, and adds a Start menu shortcut. The app checks for updates when it starts, downloads them in the background and installs them once you confirm the restart.

Permissions and integrations

Lightning Assist notices the shortcuts you type through a system-wide Windows keyboard hook and pastes the expansion into the app you're typing in. On first launch, Windows SmartScreen may ask you to confirm; check the publisher and continue. It works in any app where you can type, with one limit that Windows sets: it can't type into a window running as administrator, such as an elevated PowerShell or Command Prompt, unless Lightning Assist runs as administrator too. The app detects this case and offers to restart as administrator.

macOS support

Supported versions

macOS 12 (Monterey) or newer, on both Apple Silicon and Intel Macs: the download is one universal app that runs natively on either.

Installer and updates

The DMG contains the app, notarized by Apple: drag it to Applications. The first time you open it, macOS asks you to confirm opening an app downloaded from the internet; click Open. After that, the app checks for updates when it starts and installs them once you confirm the restart.

Permissions Lightning Assist requests

macOS asks you to allow three things, all in System Settings → Privacy & Security, and the app walks you through them on first run: Accessibility and Input Monitoring, so it can notice your shortcuts in any app and type the expansion, and the microphone, for AI Speech. What you type is processed on your Mac. Audio is recorded only while you hold the push-to-talk hotkey and is sent to our servers to be transcribed. One macOS limit applies to every text expander: while Secure Input is on — in password fields, and in apps that switch it on, such as some terminals and password managers — macOS hides keystrokes from all of them. Lightning Assist tells you which app is holding Secure Input.

Linux support

Supported distributions

Recommended: Ubuntu 22.04 or later. We have installed and started the app in clean test installations of Ubuntu 24.04, Ubuntu 22.04 and Debian 12 (.deb), and of Ubuntu 24.04, Fedora 40 and Arch (AppImage). Both X11 and Wayland are supported. On Wayland the app asks once for input access — click “Grant access” and enter your password — and as-you-type expansion, the hotkey and push-to-talk work right after.

Packages and updates

Two packages, both for 64-bit PCs: an AppImage, which runs without installing, and a .deb for Debian and Ubuntu. The download page also has a one-line install command that picks the right package for your distribution. There is no Snap or Flatpak. Both packages check for updates inside the app.

Integrations and quirks

On X11, as-you-type expansion, the hotkey and push-to-talk work without extra setup. On Wayland, Lightning Assist reads the keyboard directly from the system rather than through the desktop, which is why it needs the one-time input access; for the same reason it doesn't depend on GNOME, KDE or any particular compositor. Input that the system doesn't see as a keyboard, such as remote-desktop sessions and on-screen keyboards, isn't picked up. Snippets and AI commands work the same as on Windows and macOS.

System requirements at a glance

Measured on Windows 11 with version 2.6.4, while idle: about 360 MB of memory (the Memory column in Task Manager) and about 450 MB of disk after installation. A network connection is needed only for AI features and account sync; snippets already on your device keep expanding offline. No GPU is needed: AI Speech is transcribed on our servers.

How Lightning Assist works on each OS

Lightning Assist notices your shortcuts at the operating-system level: through a keyboard hook on Windows, through Accessibility and Input Monitoring on macOS, and on Linux through the X11 input system or, on Wayland, the keyboard device itself. That is why it needs no browser extension. When a shortcut matches, it deletes what you typed and pastes the expansion, the same way you would paste text yourself. AI commands send only the text you selected, with the command, to our servers for the AI model; they don't capture or stream keystrokes.

Compatibility FAQ