Install Desktop and Mobile App

This guide explains how to install, update, and manage Rocket.Chat client applications across desktop and mobile devices. It is intended for both individual users and IT administrators deploying at scale.

Rocket.Chat provides native applications for:

• Desktop: Windows, macOS, Linux

• Mobile: iOS, Android

Before installation, review the Minimum Requirements for Client Apps to confirm your device is supported. Select the desktop app or mobile app tab to view installation instructions for your device:

After installation, see Access Your Workspace to continue with the next steps.

Update desktop & mobile apps

Silent installation for desktop app

For large-scale enterprises, you can install Rocket.Chat desktop app silently in the background without displaying any windows, progress bars, or pop-up prompts.

Before proceeding, confirm that your target environment meets the minimum requirements below:

With the requirements confirmed, you can proceed with the installation. Select the platform that matches your OS and follow the corresponding instruction:

rocketchat-4.12.0-win.exe /S /allusers

rocketchat-4.12.0-win.exe /S /currentuser

rocketchat-4.12.0-win.exe /S /disableAutoUpdates

msiexec /x rocketchat-<version>-win-x64.msi /quiet

sudo installer -pkg rocketchat-4.12.0-mac.pkg -target / -verboseR

sudo installer -pkg rocketchat-4.12.0-mac.pkg -target / \
-dumplog 2>&1 | tee /tmp/rocketchat-install.log

sudo installer -pkg rocketchat-4.12.0-mac.pkg -target / -allowUntrusted

Override settings in Rocket.Chat desktop

You can customize the Rocket.Chat desktop app's default behavior using a configuration override file. This is useful for enforcing organization-wide settings such as disabling automatic updates, hiding the tray icon, or restricting users to a single server.

How to apply overrides

1. Choose where to save the file. The first location in each list is the user data folder, which applies the settings to one user. The second is the installation folder, which applies the settings to everyone who uses the app on that device. If both folders have the file, the settings in the installation folder take priority.

2. In that folder, create a file named overridden-settings.json.

3. Add only the settings you want to override. For example, to prevent users from adding new workspaces:

   {
     "isAddNewServersEnabled": false
   }

   You can also include multiple overrides in the file like this:

   {
     "isAddNewServersEnabled": false,
     "isTrayIconEnabled": false,
     "isMinimizeOnCloseEnabled": false
   }

Any setting defined in this file will take precedence over the app's defaults and any individual user preferences whenever the app is launched.

Settings you can override

Preset workspaces in Rocket.Chat desktop

You can add workspaces to the desktop app for your users with a servers.json file. When the app starts with no workspaces in the sidebar, it adds every workspace listed in the file. Users skip the Connect to server screen and go straight to the login screen of the first workspace.

Create the servers.json file

List each workspace as a name and URL pair. The name is the label users see in the sidebar.

{
  "Acme Workspace": "https://chat.acme.com",
  "Acme Partners": "https://partners.acme.com"
}

Save the servers.json file

Save the file in one of these folders:

Installation folder: Bundle the file with the app when you deploy it. The app reads the file whenever the sidebar has no workspaces. On macOS, the app uses /Library/Preferences/Rocket.Chat/servers.json first if it exists.

User data folder: Use this folder to add workspaces after the app is installed. The app reads the file once, adds the workspaces, and then deletes the file.

The app reads servers.json only when the sidebar has no workspaces, for example, on first launch or after a user removes every workspace. Uninstalling the app doesn't remove the user's existing workspaces, so the file isn't read again after a reinstall unless the user data folder is also cleared.

Lock users to specific workspaces

To make sure users connect only to the workspaces you choose:

1. Add the workspaces to servers.json in the installation folder.

2. In overridden-settings.json, set isAddNewServersEnabled to false. See Override settings in Rocket.Chat desktop.

Users then see only the preset workspaces, and the options to add a workspace are turned off.

After installing your desktop or mobile app, login to start using Rocket.Chat.