---
title: "Install and activate"
description: "Download, drag, launch, activate. Four steps, and the trial starts without a license key."
canonical: "https://getdroppy.app/docs/install"
last-updated: "2026-09-09"
---

# Install and activate

Download, drag, launch, activate. Four steps, and the trial starts without a license key.

1. **Download Droppy** Get the `.dmg` from [getdroppy.app](https://getdroppy.app/). The download is signed and notarized by Apple, so macOS opens it without a warning.
2. **Drag Droppy to Applications** Open the disk image and drag the app into the Applications folder shown beside it. Droppy has to live in Applications: some features refuse to run from the disk image or the Downloads folder, and Droppy tells you if it finds itself in the wrong place.
3. **Launch it** Droppy appears at the top of your screen and in the menu bar. Onboarding walks you through the permissions it needs and lets you pick your first Droplets.
4. **Activate, or start the trial** Enter your license key under Settings, License. Without a key, the 3-day trial runs everything, so you can try the whole app first.

## Updating

Droppy updates itself, and an update never touches your data. Settings, clipboard history, file tray contents, Droplet configuration and your license all carry across, including a jump between [release channels](https://getdroppy.app/docs/updates).