Local Install
Run PC2 on your own computer. Choose your preferred method.
Option 1: Desktop Launcher (Mac and Linux)
Download the ElastOS Desktop Launcher for a visual interface:
| Platform | Download |
|---|---|
| macOS | Download .dmg |
| Linux | Download .AppImage |
The launcher provides one-click Start/Stop, status monitoring, log viewing, and automatic update detection with one-click PC2 updates.
Local Windows installation is complex. We recommend using a VPS instead. See the Windows section below for details.
Mac Installation (One-Time Setup)
macOS shows a security warning for apps downloaded outside the App Store. Follow these steps once:
- Download the
.dmgfile from the link above - Double-click the downloaded file to open the disk image
- Open Terminal (
Cmd + Space, type "Terminal", press Enter) - Run this command (replace VERSION with the version you downloaded, e.g. 1.0.0):
cp -R "/Volumes/ElastOS VERSION-arm64/ElastOS.app" /Applications/ && xattr -cr /Applications/ElastOS.app && open /Applications/ElastOS.app
To find the exact volume name, run ls /Volumes/ after opening the .dmg.
Next time, just open ElastOS from your Applications folder.
Option 2: Terminal Install
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Elacity/pc2.net/main/scripts/start-local.sh | bash
Wait for it to finish, then open http://localhost:4200 in your browser.
Works on macOS and Linux.
Common Commands
pm2 status # Check if running
pm2 logs pc2 # View logs
pm2 stop pc2 # Stop server
pm2 start pc2 # Start server
pm2 restart pc2 # Restart server
Updating
Desktop Launcher: The launcher shows your current version and an "Update" button when a new release is available. Click it to update automatically.
Terminal install:
cd ~/pc2.net && git fetch origin && git reset --hard origin/main && cd pc2-node && npm install --legacy-peer-deps && npm run build && pm2 restart pc2
Windows Users (WSL2)
Local Windows installation requires WSL2 and hardware virtualization. We recommend a VPS instead for the easiest experience ($5/month, 24/7 access).
- Install WSL2 with Ubuntu:
wsl --install -d Ubuntu
- Open "Ubuntu" from Start menu and run the install command:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Elacity/pc2.net/main/scripts/start-local.sh | bash
- Hardware virtualization must be enabled in BIOS (varies by manufacturer)
File Locations
| What | Location |
|---|---|
| PC2 installation | ~/pc2.net/ |
| Your files | ~/pc2.net/pc2-node/data/ |
| Configuration | ~/pc2.net/pc2-node/config/ |
Troubleshooting
"Command not found: pm2" -- Run source ~/.nvm/nvm.sh first.
PC2 won't start -- Check if port 4200 is in use: lsof -i :4200. Kill the process and try pm2 start pc2.
See full troubleshooting guide for more issues.
Uninstalling
pm2 stop pc2
pm2 delete pc2
rm -rf ~/pc2.net
This deletes all your uploaded files. Back up ~/pc2.net/pc2-node/data/ first if needed.