Translator releases: which file to download
People looking for translator releases want the exact filename that matches their OS, not a blog that renames every setup. Pot publishes Windows setups, macOS dmgs, and Linux deb or AppImage assets on the same GitHub tag for pot-app/pot-desktop. Start on GitHub Releases, then pick the asset this guide maps for your machine.
The live stamp for the current release is injected at build time from gh.json. When you write a ticket, copy the filename you actually downloaded beside the OS version so the next bump stays boring.
Windows assets
Prefer pot_*_x64-setup.exe for a normal 64-bit Windows translator install. Arm64 and x86 setups exist on the same tag when the CPU needs them. The larger fix_webview2_runtime setups exist for images that lack WebView2.
Ignore .nsis.zip and .sig companions unless you are verifying signatures on purpose. The everyday translator door is the plain setup exe.
macOS assets
Intel Macs take pot_*_x64.dmg. Apple silicon takes pot_*_aarch64.dmg. Opening the wrong dmg wastes time and confuses Gatekeeper prompts. Optional Homebrew install steps are documented upstream but stay secondary to the dmg when you want the tag asset.
Linux assets
Debian-family desks can install pot_*_amd64.deb with sudo dpkg -i. AppImage builds suit portable folders. Rpm and arm64 deb files ship for other layouts. Pick one door and stick to it so updates do not fork.
How to read a tag
Open the tag, confirm the date, then scan for the OS you need. If a future tag drops an architecture, stay on the last tag that still ships your file until you validate the replacement. Safe download habits: download safely.
Related: GitHub overview, Windows install, first hour.
Desk checklist that stays boring
Write the Releases URL, the exact filename, and the hotkey list on the same ticket you use for OS imaging. A translator desk fails when those three facts live in different chat threads. After every reimage, install the same file, restore the same services, and prove one selection pass before you install plugins.
Shared rooms should appoint one person to watch the upstream tag notes when a new release appears. That person updates the ticket, not a random mirror bookmark someone saved during a blocked SmartScreen prompt. The goal is a dull, repeatable translator path that survives staff turnover.
If two people insist on different doors, pick one official path for demos and keep the other as a documented exception. Mixing deb and AppImage on one Linux image is how silent update drift begins. Mixing a Releases exe with an unknown “translator setup” zip is how adware returns.
Filename discipline
Copy filenames character for character. Pot assets use a predictable pattern: pot_, version, architecture, then setup, dmg, deb, or AppImage. Extra words inserted by download portals are a warning sign. If the browser renames a file during save, rename it back to the Releases name before you archive it on a USB key.
Checksum companions and signature files exist for people who verify them. Everyday desks can still be honest without a full signature lab, as long as the bytes came from the official tag and the name still matches. When in doubt, delete the local copy and download again from Releases instead of repairing a suspicious binary.
Keep screenshots of the Releases page beside the ticket when auditors ask where the translator binary originated. A dated screenshot plus the filename is enough evidence for most classroom and contractor inventories.
Service and plugin hygiene
Services decide where text travels. Plugins expand OCR, dictionary, or collection features. Neither should be installed from a random attachment. Prefer links documented in the upstream README or the official plugin templates, and store .potext files next to your ticket notes.
When a service requires an API key, store that key in the password tool you already trust, not in a plaintext sticky note on the desktop. Rotating keys is easier when the translator client is only one consumer among several.
Review the enabled list quarterly. Unused cloud engines still expand the set of vendors that could see text if a hotkey is pressed by accident. Offline-friendly engines deserve the same review so you know which desks can work on a plane.
Teaching the selection habit
New users often paste into a browser because that muscle memory is older than any overlay. Sit with them for three short documents and only allow the Pot selection hotkey. The fourth document usually sticks. If it does not, the hotkey is probably fighting another app.
Clipboard listening is optional and intense. Turn it on for dedicated translation sprints, then turn it off so ordinary copy operations stop opening panels. Screenshot OCR is the right tool when text cannot be highlighted, not the first tool for every paragraph.
Document success with a one-line note: date, filename, hotkey, and service name. That line is the seed for the next rebuild and for the first-hour checklist on installed.
FAQ
Is the GitHub Releases door enough for a translator install?
Yes. Prefer pot_*_x64-setup.exe, matching macOS dmg files, or Linux deb or AppImage from pot-app/pot-desktop Releases. That keeps the translator binary aligned with the tag you documented on the machine ticket.
Do I need a package manager for this translator?
No. This guide treats GitHub Releases as the primary door. Optional package-manager commands that were not locked for the site stay out of the main story so the install remains honest.
What if SmartScreen blocks the translator setup?
Confirm the file name matches Releases, open the more-info path when Windows shows it, and avoid a second download from a random mirror. If the hash or name drifts, stop and re-check the official tag assets.