Installation & First Launch

The desktop edition is a Windows tray app / macOS menu-bar app with a built-in backend, frontend, and SQLite database. No database or Docker installation is needed — just run the installer and start using it.

System Requirements

• Windows 10 / 11 (64-bit)
• macOS 13 Ventura or later (Apple silicon or Intel)
• AI features require access to an AI provider, such as Gemini / OpenAI / Alibaba Cloud.

Download and Install

1. Open GitHub Releases and download the latest QuestionBank-Setup-x.y.z.exe.

2. Double-click the installer to run it (administrator rights required).
3. Follow the wizard to finish installing. Optional checkboxes:
   • Launch at startup: starts automatically in the background after you sign in to Windows.
   • Create a desktop shortcut.

Installing on macOS

1. From GitHub Releases, download the DMG that matches your Mac:

   • Apple silicon (M1 / M2 / M3 …): QuestionBank-x.y.z-macos-arm64.dmg
   • Intel: QuestionBank-x.y.z-macos-x86_64.dmg

   Not sure? Click → About This Mac and check the Chip or Processor line.

2. Open the DMG and drag QuestionBank into the Applications folder.

3. Double-click QuestionBank in Applications to start it.

Once started, the QuestionBank icon appears in the menu bar (top right) and in the Dock:

• Click the Dock icon (or open the app again) to open the question bank;
• Click the menu-bar icon for the Open QuestionBank / LAN sharing / Open at Login / Restart / Quit menu;
• ⌘Q or right-clicking the Dock icon → Quit also stops the built-in service.

"Cannot verify the developer" / "is damaged"?

Builds that are not notarized by Apple are blocked on first launch. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, find the QuestionBank message near the bottom, click Open Anyway and confirm. It opens normally from then on.

If it still says the app "is damaged and can't be opened", run this in Terminal and open it again:

xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine /Applications/QuestionBank.app

Start at login

Click the menu-bar icon and check Open at Login to start QuestionBank in the background every time you sign in (off by default). It is the same setting as System Settings → General → Login Items, so you can change it in either place. If you turned it off in System Settings, checking it again opens that page so you can re-allow it there.

First Launch

Once installed, the app stays in the bottom-right corner of the taskbar as a tray icon.

Right-click the tray icon to see the menu:

Menu item	Description
Open QuestionBank	Opens the question bank in your default browser
LAN sharing	When checked, opens access to devices on the same subnet (off by default); see LAN Sharing
Open at Login	macOS only: when checked, starts automatically when you sign in to your Mac (off by default)
Restart	Restarts the built-in service
Quit	Closes the app and the built-in service

Interface language

The installer picks Simplified Chinese or English automatically based on the Windows display language; for any other language it first shows a language selection dialog. The tray menu and dialogs start out in the language chosen during installation; after that, when you switch the language in the web interface on this computer, the tray follows. Colleagues switching languages over the LAN do not affect this computer's tray.

The first time you click Open QuestionBank, you enter the setup wizard:

1. Choose a database: the desktop edition uses the built-in SQLite by default, with no extra configuration.
2. Create an administrator account (username + password).
3. Once done, sign in and start using it.

What if the port is in use?

The desktop edition listens on 8000 by default (8001 for the Preview version). If another program on your computer is already using that port, the app automatically switches to the next free port and tells you in a pop-up; Open QuestionBank in both the tray menu and the Start menu opens the correct address. If LAN sharing is on, give your colleagues the new address.

Double-clicking the icon again does not start a second instance — when the app detects it is already running, it just brings up the interface.

Where Is the Data Stored?

All desktop edition data is stored in:

%APPDATA%\QuestionBank                          (Windows)
~/Library/Application Support/QuestionBank     (macOS)

On Windows, paste the path into the File Explorer address bar; on macOS, press ⇧⌘G in Finder and paste it. Typical contents:

• config.json — local configuration (including the auto-generated SECRET_KEY)
• SQLite database file — your question bank data
• logs\app.log — runtime log (check it when troubleshooting)

Backups are easy

After closing the app, simply copy the entire data directory to make a backup. See Personal Use · Backup and Restore.

Next Steps

• Day-to-day workflow → Personal Use
• Let colleagues use it too → LAN Sharing
• Configure AI providers → AI Providers & Models