02 · Download and install

WorkBuddy is a desktop client, downloaded from workbuddy.cn. The whole thing takes five minutes, but two choices are easy to get wrong: the chip version on Mac and the install-for-user option on Windows.

System requirements

Platform	Requirement	Notes
Windows	Windows 10 or later	Windows 7 / 8 / 8.1 unsupported; Windows 11 ARM64 not yet supported
macOS	macOS 12 (Monterey) or later	Intel and Apple Silicon both supported, but with different packages
Network	Required	Model services are in the cloud
Account	Registered and signed in	Nothing works signed out

Machines below the version bar cannot install or launch it. This is a hard gate, not a configuration issue.

Windows

1. Open workbuddy.cn, click download, wait for the installer.
2. Double-click the installer.
3. Tick the licence agreement, Next.
4. Choose an install path (the default is fine), Next.
5. Confirm the Start menu folder, Next.
6. Tick "create desktop shortcut".
7. Confirm and click Install.
8. Click Finish.

Choose "install for me only"

The official guide recommends installing for the current user only. A machine-wide install needs administrator rights, which frequently blocks on a work laptop and causes permission problems on later updates.

macOS

Check your chip first

Apple menu → About This Mac, and look at the chip line:

• M-series (M1 / M2 / M3 / M4…) → download Mac ARM64
• Intel → download Mac X64

If the site cannot detect your machine, it gives you X64

That is a compatibility decision. The X64 package runs on M-series through Rosetta — slower, but it works. The ARM64 package will not run at all on an Intel Mac. When in doubt, the site hands you the one that always works.

If you are on Apple Silicon, pick ARM64 manually. The performance difference from running natively is obvious.

Install

1. Allow the download in your browser and wait for the .dmg.
2. Double-click the .dmg.
3. Drag WorkBuddy into Applications and wait for the copy to finish.
4. Eject the mounted disk image; delete the .dmg if you no longer need it.

Sign in

1. Launch WorkBuddy and click sign in.
2. Your default browser opens the sign-in page on workbuddy.cn.
3. In the sign-in dialog, tick the terms of service and privacy policy, then scan the QR code with WeChat. Phone number, email and SSO also work. The whole flow happens on that page with no redirect.
4. You are returned to the client automatically.

Personal users pick personal sign-in; if your company bought enterprise seats, pick enterprise. The two unlock different capabilities — see 03 Sign-in, accounts, credits.

Clicked sign in and nothing happened?

This is the single most common install problem, and it is almost always one of three things:

1. No default browser set. The client needs a system default browser to open the sign-in page; without one, clicking does nothing.

• Windows: Settings → Default apps → set Chrome or Edge as default, then retry "open in browser". You can also choose "copy link" and paste it into a browser yourself.
• macOS: System Settings → General → set the default browser → restart the app and sign in again.

2. No permission on the account directory. Diagnostic and repair commands are in Troubleshooting.

3. Security software blocking it. Huorong, 360 Total Security, Tencent PC Manager and Windows Security have all falsely flagged WorkBuddy. Quit the security tool, retry once, and if that fixes it, add WorkBuddy to the allowlist.

Switching interface language

Click your avatar (bottom left) → Language.

This book describes the Simplified Chinese interface. Where a screen label appears as English (中文原词), the Chinese in brackets is what you will see if your interface is in Chinese.

Updates

Click your avatar → Check for updates. Already current means nothing to do; a new version downloads and installs itself.

"A user project directory was detected in the install folder"

Updating or reinstalling clears the install directory and rewrites it. If you ever set a workspace inside that directory, those files get wiped.

To fix it:

1. Right-click the WorkBuddy icon → open file location. Typical paths:
   • Windows: C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Local\Programs\WorkBuddy
   • macOS: /Applications/WorkBuddy.app
2. The directory should contain only bin, locales, resources and tools. Move any conversation-generated folders and personal files somewhere else.
3. Reopen the client and run Check for updates.

The general lesson: never put a workspace inside the install directory. The desktop, your documents folder, anywhere you control — all fine.

Workspaces "disappearing" after an update

A known Windows behaviour: after an update and restart, previous workspaces vanish from the list. The files are usually still there; the list just did not restore.

Look in:

• Windows: C:\Users\<username>\workbuddy
• macOS: /Users/<username>/WorkBuddy

Open the date-named or custom-named folders through WorkBuddy and the history normally comes back.

The long-term advice: do not leave important output sitting only in the default workspace. Copy or upload a second copy to a directory you manage.

What next

Do not start typing yet. The next page covers sign-in choice and credits — two things that set your ceiling and your monthly bill, and worth three minutes: 03 Sign-in, accounts, credits.