> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://cortex-foundation-add13747-droid-1a2462c9-cor-444-sanitize.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Desktop app (Chat + Code)

> The Cortex desktop app carries Chat and Code, and adds This PC and SSH hosts for Code sessions. The browser stays Cloud-only.

The Cortex desktop app is the same Chat and Code you know from the browser, with one addition that only a native app can offer: Code sessions can run on **This PC** or over **SSH** as well as in the Cloud. Download it from [releases.cortex.foundation](https://releases.cortex.foundation) and sign in when the app asks — same account as the web.

## Install and sign in

<Steps>
  <Step title="Download">
    Open [releases.cortex.foundation](https://releases.cortex.foundation) and pick the build for your platform.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open and sign in">
    Launch the app. It asks you to sign in with your Cortex account; guests cannot use Code, so the desktop app expects a member.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose a host for Code">
    Start a Code session and pick **Cloud**, **This PC**, or **SSH**. Chat needs no host — it works exactly as it does in the browser.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What desktop adds

| Surface             | In the browser | On desktop                                             |
| ------------------- | -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------ |
| Chat                | Yes            | Yes — same account, same projects                      |
| Code Cloud          | Yes            | Yes                                                    |
| Code on **This PC** | No             | Yes                                                    |
| Code over **SSH**   | No             | Yes — shell only, no desktop                           |
| Bot Cloud           | Yes            | Use the web app or the [Bot desktop app](/bot/desktop) |
| Design working UI   | No             | Separate [Design desktop app](/design/desktop)         |

Web Code stays Cloud-only. That is host placement — the code runs where the host is — not a missing catalog entry.

## Hosts for Code

| Host        | Where the workspace tools run                        | Good for                                     |
| ----------- | ---------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------- |
| **Cloud**   | An isolated Cloud guest prepared for your repository | Anything you would do in the browser         |
| **This PC** | Your machine, in the project directory you choose    | Local toolchains, private networks, hardware |
| **SSH**     | A host you register, over its shell                  | Servers and build boxes you already have     |

This PC and SSH need an already connected Code session; Cortex never silently substitutes the Cloud for a host you selected. The CLI exposes the same hosts through `CORTEX_COMPUTER` — see [Code on desktop](/code/desktop) and [CLI configuration](/cli/configuration).

## Two desktop apps

The Cortex desktop app has a **Chat and Code** sidebar. Bots live in their own desktop app with an **agents, routines, and channels** sidebar and no Chat or Code — see [Bot desktop](/bot/desktop). Design's working UI is a third app — see [Design desktop](/design/desktop).

## Next

* [Code on desktop](/code/desktop) — choosing and using This PC and SSH.
* [Install the CLI](/cli/install) — the same hosts from a terminal.
* [Downloads](/getting-started/downloads) — every way to run Cortex.