Installation
Clipthesis is a desktop app for macOS and Windows. Download the latest build from clipthesis.com or the releases page.
macOS
Choose the right build for your Mac:
| Chip | File |
|---|---|
| Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) | Clipthesis-x.x.x-arm64.dmg |
| Intel | Clipthesis-x.x.x-x64.dmg |
Not sure which chip you have? Click → About This Mac. If it says "Apple M…" you want the arm64 build.
- Open the downloaded
.dmg - Drag Clipthesis into your Applications folder
- Launch Clipthesis from Applications
First launch
macOS may show a security prompt the first time. Click Open to continue. If you see "cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified", right-click the app → Open → Open again.
Windows
Download Clipthesis-Setup-x.x.x.exe and run it. The installer sets everything up and launches Clipthesis automatically.
SmartScreen warning
The Windows installer isn't code-signed yet, so Windows SmartScreen may show "Windows protected your PC" on first run. Click More info → Run anyway to continue. Code signing is planned for an upcoming release.
Requirements
- macOS 12 (Monterey) or later, or Windows 11 (64-bit)
- FFmpeg — Clipthesis bundles its own copy, so you don't need to install it separately
- No internet connection required (the app works fully offline)
Data Locations
| Item | macOS | Windows |
|---|---|---|
| Database | ~/Library/Application Support/Clipthesis/clipthesis.db | %APPDATA%\Clipthesis\clipthesis.db |
| Thumbnails | ~/Library/Application Support/Clipthesis/thumbnails/ | %APPDATA%\Clipthesis\thumbnails\ |
| Scrub frames | ~/Library/Application Support/Clipthesis/scrubs/ | %APPDATA%\Clipthesis\scrubs\ |
| Playback proxies | ~/Library/Application Support/Clipthesis/proxies/ | %APPDATA%\Clipthesis\proxies\ |
| Backups | ~/Library/Application Support/Clipthesis/backups/ | %APPDATA%\Clipthesis\backups\ |
Platform Differences
Clipthesis works the same on both platforms — import, browse, tag, search, collections, Cloud Sync, and Clipthesis Backup are identical. A few features differ in v1:
| Feature | macOS | Windows |
|---|---|---|
| DaVinci Resolve integration | ✅ Full support | Not available yet |
| Transcription | GPU-accelerated (Metal) | CPU-only (slower, same quality) |
| HEVC / ProRes playback | Native via system decoders | Via automatic playback proxies |
| RAW photo previews | All major formats (Apple ImageIO) | TIFF-based formats (e.g. DNG); others show a placeholder |
| Installer signing | Signed & notarized | Unsigned (SmartScreen "Run anyway" needed) |
Libraries sync across platforms: sign in to the same account and your clips' metadata, tags, and collections appear everywhere. Drives are registered per machine, so plug your drive into the new machine and add it there once.
Updates
Clipthesis checks for updates automatically on both platforms. You can also check manually from Settings → General → App Updates → Check for Updates. When an update is available you'll see a download button, and after downloading a restart button to apply it.
Troubleshooting
Restart to install an update quits Clipthesis, but it never reopens (macOS) — the app quit on purpose, but the install never ran. macOS installs the update with a small helper program that the system's launchd service is supposed to start. A login session can get into a state where launchd accepts that helper and never starts it. Nothing is lost. Open Clipthesis again and you're back on the old version with the same update on offer.
To fix it, log out of macOS and back in (or restart the Mac), open Clipthesis, and click Restart on the update again.
If you'd rather not log out, click Restart, then run this in Terminal once the app has quit. It starts the helper by hand and the update goes through straight away:
launchctl kickstart gui/$(id -u)/com.clipthesis.app.ShipItNext Steps
Launch the app and follow the welcome screen — see First Launch for what to expect, then First Import to index your first drive.