Desktop App

The SyVault desktop app is built with Tauri, delivering near-native performance with a fraction of the memory footprint of Electron-based alternatives. It is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux.

Installation

Download the latest release from syvault.com/download:

Platform	Format	Architecture
macOS	.dmg	Universal (Intel + Apple Silicon)
Windows	.msi / .exe	x64, ARM64
Linux	.deb, .rpm, .AppImage	x64

Architecture

The desktop app wraps the SyVault web vault inside a Tauri webview window, augmenting it with native capabilities that are unavailable in a browser context:

• System Tray -- SyVault runs in the system tray for quick access. Click the tray icon to open a mini popup for searching and copying credentials. Right-click for options: lock, preferences, and quit.
• Biometric Unlock -- On macOS, the app integrates with Touch ID via the Secure Enclave. On Windows, it supports Windows Hello (fingerprint, facial recognition, PIN). On Linux, it uses polkit or libsecret for system credential storage.
• Native File Access -- Required for direct browser import (reading Chrome, Firefox, and other browser profile databases directly from disk).
• Global Shortcut -- Register a system-wide keyboard shortcut (default: Cmd+Shift+V on macOS, Ctrl+Shift+V on Windows/Linux) to bring SyVault to the foreground from any application.

Direct Browser Import

One of the desktop app's most valuable features is the ability to import passwords directly from installed browsers without manual export:

1. Open Settings > Import.
2. SyVault detects installed browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Brave) and displays them.
3. Select a browser and click Import. The app reads the browser's credential database:
   • Chromium-based: Reads Login Data SQLite database. On macOS, uses system Keychain access to decrypt. On Windows, uses DPAPI.
   • Firefox: Reads logins.json and decrypts using the Firefox primary password (if set) or the key4.db key store.
4. Imported credentials are encrypted with SyVault's key hierarchy and synced.

warning

Direct browser import requires that the browser is closed (or at minimum, not actively writing to the database). SyVault will prompt you to close the browser if it detects a lock on the database file.

Native Performance

Tauri apps use the operating system's built-in webview (WebKit on macOS, WebView2 on Windows, WebKitGTK on Linux) rather than bundling a full Chromium instance. This results in:

• App size: ~15 MB (vs. 150+ MB for Electron apps)
• RAM usage: ~60-80 MB at idle (vs. 200+ MB for Electron)
• Startup time: Under 1 second on modern hardware

The Rust backend handles all IPC between the webview and native APIs (biometrics, file system, system tray, global shortcuts), providing strong memory safety guarantees.

Offline Mode

The desktop app caches your encrypted vault locally. If you lose internet connectivity, you can still access, search, and copy credentials from the local cache. Changes made offline are queued and synced automatically when connectivity is restored, with conflict resolution for concurrent edits.

Auto-Updates

The desktop app checks for updates on launch (configurable). When an update is available, a non-intrusive banner appears. Updates are downloaded in the background and applied on the next restart. All update packages are code-signed and verified before installation.

Settings

Desktop-specific settings are available under Settings > Desktop:

• Start on login: Launch SyVault at system startup (minimized to tray).
• Global shortcut: Customize the system-wide shortcut key.
• Minimize to tray on close: Keep running in the background when the window is closed.
• Auto-lock: Lock the vault after a period of inactivity (independent of the web vault setting).