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Installation

Step 1: Get access

Gero is distributed through Patreon. Subscribe to get access to download links:

  1. Go to patreon.com/geroappdev
  2. Subscribe to a tier that includes app access
  3. You'll get access to a shared Dropbox folder with the latest builds

One-time purchase

Once you download and install Gero, the app is yours forever. Even if you cancel your Patreon subscription, everything keeps working. You only miss new features and updates.

Windows installation

The easiest way to get started. The Windows build bundles everything you need: the API server, web UI, SQLite database, FFmpeg, and yt-dlp.

Install steps

  1. Download the latest Gero-x.x.x-win-x64.zip from the Dropbox folder
  2. Extract the ZIP to a folder of your choice (e.g., C:\Gero)
  3. Run Gero.Startup.exe from the extracted folder
  4. Open your browser and navigate to the URL shown in the application window

That's it! Storage paths and other settings can be configured inside the app after first launch.

The data folder

After first launch, Gero creates a data/ subfolder inside your installation directory. This is the most important folder in your installation:

C:\Gero\
├── api/                # Application files
├── web/                # Application files
├── launcher/           # Application files
├── Gero.Startup.exe    # Entry point
└── data/               # ⚠️ Important!
    ├── storage/        # All your media files (videos, thumbnails, etc.)
    └── gero.db         # SQLite database with all your settings and metadata

Back up your data folder regularly

The data/ folder contains everything: your database, all media files, and configuration. If this folder is lost, your entire library is gone. Make regular backups of this folder to an external drive or cloud storage.

Updating

When a new version is available on Dropbox:

  1. Close Gero if it's running
  2. Download the new Gero-x.x.x-win-x64.zip from the Dropbox folder
  3. Extract the ZIP to the same folder as your current installation (e.g., C:\Gero)
  4. When prompted, choose to replace all existing files
  5. Run Gero.Startup.exe to start the updated version

Your data is safe

Updating only replaces the application files (api/, web/, launcher/, etc.). Your data/ folder with the database and media files is not overwritten — everything stays intact.

Database migrations run automatically on startup, so your data is always compatible with the new version.

Docker installation

Coming soon

Docker installation is not yet available. This section will be added in a future update. Stay tuned!

Having problems?

  1. Check the FAQ
  2. Report a bug
  3. Search GitHub Issues