Windows Installation

AeroFTP provides three distribution formats for Windows 10 and later: the MSI installer, the NSIS .exe installer, and a no-install portable ZIP.

.msi Installer (Recommended)

The MSI installer is the recommended way to install AeroFTP on Windows:

1. Download AeroFTP_3.7.0_x64-setup.msi from GitHub Releases
2. Double-click the .msi file to launch the installer
3. Follow the installation wizard
4. AeroFTP will appear in your Start Menu

The MSI installer:

• Registers file associations (.aerovault encrypted containers)
• Adds a Start Menu shortcut
• Supports standard Add/Remove Programs uninstallation

.exe Installer (NSIS)

For users who prefer not to use the MSI format, AeroFTP also ships an NSIS-based .exe installer:

1. Download AeroFTP_3.7.0_x64-setup.exe from GitHub Releases
2. Run the executable and follow the wizard

Note: Despite being a single .exe, this is an installer (it extracts and installs AeroFTP, adds a Start Menu entry, and supports Add/Remove Programs). For a no-install, run-from-anywhere build, use the portable ZIP below.

.zip Portable (no install)

The portable ZIP is the true run-from-anywhere build: no installer, no admin rights, no registry footprint.

1. Download AeroFTP-<version>-portable-windows-x64.zip from GitHub Releases
2. Extract it to any folder you can write to (Desktop, USB drive, network share)
3. Double-click AeroFTP.exe to launch

All your data (saved servers, AeroAgent chats, AeroVault, cache, logs) stays inside the extracted folder under data\, so you can move the whole folder to another machine and pick up where you left off. To uninstall, delete the folder.

Command-line tools (since v4.0.8): the portable ZIP also ships aeroftp-cli.exe and aeroftp-dispatch.exe next to AeroFTP.exe. They are not added to PATH: run .\aeroftp-cli.exe --help from the extracted folder, or add the folder to your PATH. The CLI shares the same portable data\ folder, so the servers and vault you set up in the GUI are visible from the command line. See the CLI installation guide for the full reference.

Windows SmartScreen

Since AeroFTP is not signed with a paid Windows code signing certificate, you may see a SmartScreen warning on first launch:

1. Click "More info"
2. Click "Run anyway"

This warning only appears once. The application is built in a clean GitHub Actions CI environment and all release checksums are published on the Releases page.

Launch on Startup

AeroFTP can start automatically with Windows. Enable this in Settings > General > Launch on Startup. This adds a Registry entry under HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run.

Uninstalling

Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps, find AeroFTP, and click Uninstall. Alternatively, use the Add/Remove Programs control panel.

Next step: Follow the Quick Start guide to connect to your first server.