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Installing TempoWeave Studio

TempoWeave Studio runs on macOS, Windows, and Linux. This guide walks you through downloading, installing, and getting started on each platform.

Downloading TempoWeave Studio

Visit the TempoWeave Studio website to download the installer for your operating system. You'll see options for:

  • macOS — PKG installer (recommended — required for automatic updates) or DMG disk image (contact us)

  • Windows — Standard installer

  • Linux — AppImage (available for both x64 and arm64 processors)

macOS Installation

Using the PKG Installer (Recommended)

The PKG installer is the recommended way to install TempoWeave Studio on macOS. It enables automatic updates, so you'll always have the latest version without needing to re-download.

  1. Double-click the downloaded .pkg file

  2. Follow the on-screen prompts — the installer will place TempoWeave Studio in your Applications folder

  3. Open TempoWeave Studio from your Applications folder or Launchpad

First Launch on macOS

macOS may show a security prompt the first time you open TempoWeave Studio. This is normal — Apple requires all applications to be verified before running.

If you see a message saying the app "cannot be opened":

  1. Open System Settings (or System Preferences on older macOS)

  2. Go to Privacy & Security

  3. Scroll down and you'll see a message about TempoWeave Studio being blocked

  4. Click Open Anyway

You only need to do this once. After that, TempoWeave Studio will open normally every time.

Tip: You can also right-click (or Control-click) the app and choose Open from the menu. This bypasses the security dialog directly.

Using the DMG Installer

If you prefer a DMG disk image:

  1. Double-click the downloaded .dmg file to mount it

  2. Drag the TempoWeave Studio icon to the Applications folder shortcut shown in the window

  3. Eject the disk image

  4. Open TempoWeave Studio from your Applications folder

Important: DMG installations do not support automatic updates. You'll need to download and install new versions manually. For this reason, we strongly recommend using the PKG installer instead.

macOS Compatibility

TempoWeave Studio runs natively on both Apple Silicon (M1, M2, M3, M4, M5) and Intel Macs. You don't need to choose a version — the PKG installer includes support for both processor types and will use the right one automatically.

Windows Installation

  1. Double-click the downloaded installer

  2. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation

  3. TempoWeave Studio will appear in your Start Menu

Windows SmartScreen

If Windows shows a SmartScreen warning ("Windows protected your PC"), click More info and then Run anyway. This can happen with newly released versions and is not a security concern. If your other anti-virus interferes with the installation, you may need to refer to your antivirus software instructions to temporarily allow installation.

Once installed, TempoWeave Studio will check for updates automatically and notify you when a new version is available.

Linux Installation

TempoWeave Studio is distributed as an AppImage, which is a self-contained application that doesn't require a traditional installation.

  1. Download the AppImage for your processor architecture (x64 or arm64)

  2. Make the file executable: right-click the file, go to Properties, and check "Allow executing file as program" — or run chmod +x on the file from a terminal

  3. Double-click the AppImage to launch TempoWeave Studio

No root or administrator access is required. The AppImage bundles everything it needs to run.

If the AppImage won't launch

Some Linux distributions (Ubuntu 22.04+, Fedora 36+, and others) don't include a library called libfuse2 that AppImages need in order to run. If you double-click the AppImage and nothing happens, you'll need to install it first.

On Ubuntu or Debian-based systems, open a terminal and run:

On Fedora, run:

After installing, the AppImage should launch normally. You only need to do this once.

Automatic Updates

TempoWeave Studio checks for updates automatically in the background. When a new version is available, a green Update button appears on the right side of the application just below the ribbon. Click it to open the update dialog, which shows:

  • The new version number

  • Release notes describing what's changed

  • A download size estimate

From there you can choose to:

  • Update Now — Downloads and installs the update, then restarts the app. If you have unsaved work, you'll be prompted to save first.

  • Later — Dismisses the notification. You'll be reminded next time.

  • Skip This Version — Won't ask about this specific version again. You'll still be notified about future versions.

Update checks happen every two hours while the app is running. You can disable automatic update checks in Settings if you prefer to update manually.

Note: Automatic updates require the PKG installer on macOS. If you installed from a DMG, you'll see a message suggesting you switch to the PKG installer for automatic updates.

Uninstalling

macOS: Drag TempoWeave Studio from your Applications folder to the Trash.

Windows: Use "Add or Remove Programs" in Windows Settings, or the uninstaller in the Start Menu.

Linux: Simply delete the AppImage file.

Your settings and preferences are stored separately and are not removed when you uninstall, so if you reinstall later your preferences will still be there.

Chromebook Installation

TempoWeave Studio runs on Chromebooks through the built-in Linux development environment (sometimes called Crostini). This guide walks you through enabling Linux on your Chromebook and installing TempoWeave.

Is my Chromebook compatible?

Most Chromebooks made from 2019 onward can run Linux apps. To check:

  1. Open Settings

  2. Look for About ChromeOS → Additional details

  3. Confirm your ChromeOS version is 80 or newer

  4. Open Advanced in Settings and look for Developers

If you see a Linux development environment option, you're good. If you don't see it at all, your Chromebook is too old or was sold into a school/enterprise account that restricts Linux. Ask your IT administrator, or try a different Chromebook.

Recommended specs

  • RAM: 4 GB minimum, 8 GB recommended for larger drafts

  • Storage: At least 10 GB free on your Chromebook

  • Processor: Intel, AMD, or ARM — TempoWeave supports all three

Step 1: Turn on Linux

  1. Open Settings

  2. Click Advanced in the left sidebar, then Developers

  3. Click Turn on next to Linux development environment

  4. Follow the setup wizard — accept the defaults. Choose a username (any name is fine) and allocate at least 10 GB of disk space

  5. Wait a few minutes for the setup to finish. A Terminal app will open when it's ready

You only need to do this once.

Step 2: Find out if your Chromebook is ARM or Intel/AMD

TempoWeave Studio comes in two Linux builds — one for ARM processors and one for Intel/AMD. Most newer, lightweight Chromebooks use ARM. Most larger or higher-end Chromebooks use Intel or AMD.

In the Terminal app, run:

  • If it says aarch64 — download the ARM64 build

  • If it says x86_64 — download the x64 build

Step 3: Install the required library

TempoWeave uses the AppImage format, which needs a small library called FUSE. In the Terminal, run:

Enter your Linux password when prompted. This only needs to be done once.

Step 4: Download TempoWeave Studio

  1. Open the Files app on your Chromebook

  2. Sign in to your account at tempoweave.com and download the Linux build that matches your architecture from Step 2

  3. The file will land in Downloads (the ChromeOS Downloads folder, not the Linux one)

Move the download into the Linux container

Linux apps can't see ChromeOS files by default. You need to share the file with Linux:

  1. In the Files app, find the downloaded TempoWeave AppImage

  2. Right-click the file and choose Share with Linux, or drag it into the Linux files folder in the sidebar

Step 5: Make it executable

In the Terminal app:

(If you put the file somewhere other than your Linux home folder, adjust the path accordingly.)

Step 6: Launch TempoWeave

Double-click the AppImage in the Linux files folder, or in the Terminal:

The first launch takes a few seconds longer than later launches.

TempoWeave will appear in your ChromeOS app launcher after the first run, so you can pin it to your shelf for quick access.

Working with your draft files

Opening WIF files from ChromeOS

Linux apps can only open files that live in the Linux files folder, or folders you've explicitly shared with Linux. To work with your WIF files:

  • Easiest: Keep your WIF files in the Linux files folder

  • Alternative: Right-click any folder in the Files app and choose Share with Linux — that folder and its contents become visible to TempoWeave

Saving files

When you save from TempoWeave, files are saved inside the Linux container by default. They show up in the ChromeOS Files app under Linux files — you can copy, email, or upload them from there.

Google Drive and cloud storage

Google Drive files don't sync into the Linux container automatically. To open a Drive file in TempoWeave, first copy it from Google Drive into Linux files using the ChromeOS Files app.

Automatic updates

TempoWeave checks for updates automatically after the first launch. Updates install in the background — you don't need to download new versions manually.

Performance notes

  • Lightweight Chromebooks (4 GB RAM, older ARM chips) run TempoWeave fine for small to medium drafts. Very large drafts with 3D Interlacement or Cloth Simulation may feel slow.

  • Higher-end Chromebooks (8 GB+ RAM, newer chips) handle large drafts comfortably.

  • TempoWeave's rendering is optimized for low-end hardware — viewport culling means only visible cells are drawn.

Known limitations on Chromebook

  • Printing: Printing from the Linux app may not reach an app that can render the PDF. In TempoWeave, every Print button — Print Threading, Print Project Report, Print Sleying Guide, etc. — generates a PDF on its own and tries to open it in your system's default PDF viewer.

    If you get a message that "Your file couldn't be accessed" error, that is a known Chromebook quirk where nothing opens. TempoWeave runs inside the Chromebook’s Linux container (Crostini), and it generates the PDF on the Linux side. Chrome OS's built-in viewer can't see into the Linux container's files, so the handoff fails.

    The fix for Chrome, is to install a Linux-native PDF viewer so the PDF opens within Linux instead of trying to cross over to Chrome OS. The easiest one:

    1. Open the Linux Terminal.

    2. Run: sudo apt install evince

    3. Enter your password if prompted, then y to confirm.

    After that, click any Print button in TempoWeave and it should pop the PDF up in Evince (a clean, simple PDF reader). From inside Evince you can save the PDF to Linux files in your Files app — and from there Chrome OS can grab it to send to a real printer.

  • File associations: Double-clicking a .wif or .twa file in the ChromeOS Files app won't open TempoWeave automatically. Instead, open TempoWeave first, then use File → Open.

  • Audio chimes: The Weave Assistant's chime feature depends on Linux audio passthrough. On most Chromebooks this works, but if chimes are silent, try adjusting your ChromeOS volume or restart the Linux container (Settings → Developers → Linux → Shut down).

Troubleshooting

"AppImages require FUSE to run" — Go back to Step 3 and install libfuse2.

"Permission denied" when launching — Go back to Step 5 and run chmod +x on the AppImage.

The app window is blank or flickers — Restart the Linux container (Settings → Developers → Linux → Shut down), then try launching again.

Fonts look wrong or blocky — Install a basic font package in Terminal:

The app won't launch at all — Run it from the Terminal to see the error message:

Copy the error and send it to barry@loftyfiber.com.

Getting help

For Chromebook-specific issues, contact barry@loftyfiber.com with:

  • Your Chromebook model (Settings → About ChromeOS)

  • The output of uname -m from Terminal

  • The error message (if any)

For general TempoWeave questions, the full documentation is at tempoweave.com.

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