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Manual

Getting Started

Motrix is a download manager for your computer. You give it a link, and it downloads the file for you — fast, resumable, and in the background. This page walks you through installing Motrix, opening it for the first time, and starting your first download.

Before you install

Your computerWhat you needPackage
MacmacOS 13 or newer.dmg (Apple Silicon and Intel)
WindowsWindows 10 or 11, 64-bit.exe installer
LinuxA 64-bit distribution (x86_64 or aarch64).deb, .rpm, or Flatpak

Get the right package for your computer from the download page — it detects your system and offers the matching one.

Note

Motrix includes its download engine; you do not need to install aria2 separately. Flatpak also needs a shared runtime, which Flatpak resolves during installation, and an optional host companion for browser integration.

Warning

If you used Motrix 1 before: back up your old task list and settings before installing Motrix 2. Moving data from Motrix 1 is not yet supported, and Motrix 2 will start fresh.

Install

Mac

  1. Open the downloaded .dmg file.
  2. Drag the Motrix icon into the Applications folder.
  3. Open Motrix from Applications or Launchpad.

Windows

  1. Open the downloaded .exe file.
  2. Follow the installer. Motrix starts when it finishes.

Note

Windows may show a blue “Windows protected your PC” screen the first time. This happens because current Motrix packages for Windows are not yet code-signed. Click More info, then Run anyway.

Linux

For Flatpak, follow the Flatpak guide, including the separate Native Messaging host installation if you use the browser extension.

Install the downloaded package with your usual package tool:

# Debian / Ubuntu
sudo apt install ./Motrix_*.deb

# Fedora
sudo dnf install ./Motrix-*.rpm

# openSUSE
sudo zypper install ./Motrix-*.rpm

First run

The first time Motrix opens, it asks you two things:

  1. Pick your language — choose Follow system or one of 25 bundled languages. Arabic and Persian use right-to-left layouts. You can change this later in Settings → Appearance → Language and display.
  2. Read the usage notice — Motrix manages downloads; what you download is your responsibility. Click Agree & Continue to move on.

Your choices are saved on your computer only. This screen won’t appear again.

Start your first download

  1. Click the + button at the top of the window, or press ⌘N (Mac) / Ctrl+N (Windows and Linux).
  2. Paste your link into the Links tab — if you copied it before opening the dialog, Motrix has already filled it in for you. You can paste several links at once — one per line, each becomes its own download.
  3. Check the folder under Save to, and change it if you like.
  4. Click Download.

That’s it. The task appears in the Downloads list, where you can watch its progress, pause it, or resume it. The tabs at the top — All, Active, Completed, Error — help you find tasks once the list grows.

Motrix understands more than plain links:

  • Magnet links — paste one and Motrix recognizes it right away and switches to the Torrent tab.
  • Torrent files — open the Torrent tab and drag a .torrent file in, or double-click a .torrent file once Motrix is set as your default torrent app.

When a download finishes

By default, Motrix notifies you when a download completes. Change where these notifications appear in Settings → General → Notifications. Select the task and choose Open folder to jump straight to the file on your disk.

Keep Motrix up to date

For Flatpak, use the bundle and companion update instructions.

For packages that support in-app updates, open Settings → About and click Check under App updates. When an update is available, Motrix downloads it and installs it after you choose Restart and install — it never restarts on its own. You can also let Motrix check automatically each time it starts.

Next steps