Install HF Connect
Install HF Connect on Windows, macOS or Linux, with the same setup as HF Local. No administrator rights are needed on Windows; HF SSH and HF FTP are replaced.
Download it from the Software page.
| Computer | Download | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit (x64 and ARM) | HF-Connect-<version>-Windows-Setup.exe |
The same setup as HF Local; installs for your user only. One setup for both: it installs the ARM64 program on Windows 11 on ARM |
| Windows x64, no setup | HF-Connect-<version>-Windows-portable.zip |
Unzip anywhere and open the program |
| Windows on ARM, no setup | HF-Connect-<version>-Windows-arm64-portable.zip |
Unzip anywhere and open the program |
| macOS 11 or newer (Apple Silicon and Intel) | HF-Connect-<version>-macOS.zip |
Unzip and drag the app into Applications |
| Ubuntu and Debian, 64-bit PC | hf-connect_<version>_amd64.deb |
sudo apt install ./hf-connect_<version>_amd64.deb |
| Ubuntu and Debian on ARM (Raspberry Pi, 64-bit) | hf-connect_<version>_arm64.deb |
sudo apt install ./hf-connect_<version>_arm64.deb |
| Other Linux, 64-bit PC | hf-connect-<version>-linux-amd64.tar.gz |
Unpack, then run ./install.sh (for your user, no root) |
| Other Linux on ARM, 64-bit | hf-connect-<version>-linux-arm64.tar.gz |
Unpack, then run ./install.sh (for your user, no root) |
HF-Connect-<version>-SHA256SUMS.txt lists every file's SHA-256 checksum.
Windows
If Windows shows Windows protected your PC, make sure you downloaded the file from https://hostfog.com,
then click More info and Run anyway. (Windows shows this for a download it doesn't know yet; it stops once a
version has been downloaded enough.)
Run the setup and click through it: Next on the welcome page, accept the licence, keep the suggested folder
(%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\HostFog\HF Connect) and click Install. Tick Open HF Connect now on the last page to
start it. The app appears in the Start menu under HostFog (next to HF Local) and on the desktop.
Coming from HF SSH or HF FTP? The setup closes them and removes them for you (their own uninstallers run silently). Your saved hosts, keys, known hosts and settings stay: HF Connect opens them as they are.
The window is drawn by Microsoft Edge WebView2, which Windows 10 and 11 already have. On a computer without it, the setup runs Microsoft's own WebView2 setup, which downloads it once.
To remove it: Settings › Apps › Installed apps › HF Connect › Uninstall, or Uninstall HF Connect in the Start menu.
macOS
Unzip the download: the HF Connect folder has the app, its README and a shortcut to Applications. Drag HF Connect.app into Applications and open it. Because the app isn't from the App Store, macOS asks first:
- macOS 15 (Sequoia) and newer: if it says the app can't be opened, open System Settings › Privacy & Security, scroll down and click Open Anyway next to HF Connect, then confirm.
- macOS 14 and older: Control-click the app, choose Open, then Open.
If macOS says the app "is damaged", run xattr -cr "/Applications/HF Connect.app" in Terminal and open it again.
To remove it, move the app to the Trash.
On a Mac, HF Connect shows its window in your browser, the way HF Local does: in a window of its own without an
address bar when Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Brave, Chromium or Vivaldi is installed, otherwise in a tab of your
default browser. The app has no Dock icon; opening it again brings the window back, and closing the window quits it
after a few seconds. File dialogs and the clipboard are macOS's own, and the window is reachable only from your Mac
(it listens on 127.0.0.1 and needs a key that changes every time the app starts).
Linux
Pick amd64 for an ordinary PC and arm64 for a 64-bit ARM computer such as a Raspberry Pi with a 64-bit system.
The .deb puts the program in /opt/hf-connect, the hf-connect command in /usr/bin and the app in your
applications menu; it replaces the hf-ssh and hf-ftp packages. The .tar.gz has install.sh, which installs it
for your user in ~/.local. Both need WebKitGTK (libwebkit2gtk-4.1-0 or libwebkit2gtk-4.0-37), which most
desktop Linux already has. Without it, run hf-connect --browser: the window opens in your browser instead, as on a
Mac (file dialogs then need zenity or kdialog, the clipboard wl-copy or xclip).
Your settings
The saved hosts are kept in your user's settings folder (HostFog/HF Connect). Uninstalling the app leaves them, so a
new install finds your hosts again. Passwords and private keys are never in that folder: they stay in your system's
keychain.