Updates

How the desktop app updates itself, what a forced update does, and how to install one by hand if the download fails.

The desktop app updates itself. Optional updates are taken on demand; forced updates install before work continues.

Platforms	macOS
How it checks	Automatically in the background, while the app is open
Where you see it	An update prompt in the sidebar
Two kinds	Optional — take it when you like · Forced — installs before you can continue
Watch out	A forced update restarts the app. Save your open test file before you start one

Prerequisites

• Drizz desktop app running from /Applications, not from a mounted .dmg

• Network access to the Drizz download host

• No unsaved test files open

Update types

Optional

1. Read the update prompt in the sidebar.

2. Click the prompt to download and install, or ignore it and keep working.

3. Confirm the app restarts on the new version.

Ignoring the prompt leaves the current version running. The app has no changelog surface, so a skipped update is the first thing to rule out when behavior changes.

Forced

1. A full-screen overlay with a progress bar appears.

2. The download and install run to completion.

3. The app restarts itself.

A forced update cannot be deferred, and it restarts the app mid-authoring. Save the open file when the overlay appears. Forced releases carry fixes for defects that break runs — a broken device connection, a failing sign-in.

When the automatic download fails

A flaky network or a corporate proxy blocking the download host stops the automatic download. The overlay offers a manual installer download.

1. Click the manual installer link.

2. Open the downloaded .dmg.

3. Drag Drizz Desktop into /Applications, replacing the existing copy.

4. Launch the app from /Applications and confirm the new version loads.

If the download is unreachable from your network, run Help → Network Preflight first. Blocked update downloads and blocked sign-in have the same causes. See Networks, proxies & preflight.

Common mistakes

What you do	What happens
Run Drizz from the mounted .dmg instead of /Applications	Updates fail silently — the app can't replace itself on a read-only volume
Leave an unsaved test file open for days	A forced update restarts the app underneath you. Save your work
Ignore the sidebar prompt for weeks, then report a bug	You may be reporting something already fixed. Update first, then report
Quit the app during a forced update	You'll get the overlay again on next launch. Let it finish
Reinstall from an old .dmg you kept	You go backwards, and the next forced update immediately pulls you forward again

Next

• Download & install

• Networks, proxies & preflight

• Report an issue

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Last updated: 6 August 2026