Canto
Tulip
opsty
subtankUpdates and betas
On this page 6 sections
Canto updates itself. It checks for a newer version on GitHub, where its releases are published, downloads it in the background, and installs it the next time you quit or restart. The check sends nothing about you or your notes.
Automatic checks#
A few seconds after launch and every 6 hours, Canto asks GitHub whether a newer version exists. Settings › Updates shows where things stand, with one key:
| You see | Means |
|---|---|
| Canto is up to date | And when it last checked |
| Version is available | A newer version exists. With automatic downloads on, it's already downloading. |
| Downloading version · 42% | It installs when you restart Canto |
| Getting version ready | macOS is checking the download before it can be installed |
| Version is ready | Restart to update installs it now; otherwise it installs when you quit. Your notes are saved first. |
When an update is ready, a short message at the bottom of the window says so, with Restart, and the Settings sidebar marks Updates. If a check or a download fails, Settings says so in plain words, and Canto tries again at the next check.
Canto › Check for Updates… opens the same page and checks right away (Check now).
Update settings#
In Settings › Updates:
- Check automatically (on). Off: Canto checks only when you press Check now. This is the same switch as Update checks in Settings › Memory & privacy › What leaves this Mac.
- Download updates automatically (on). A new version downloads in the background and installs when you quit Canto. Off: Canto asks before downloading. It's greyed out while automatic checks are off.
- Get beta versions, shown only on a beta: see below.
Betas#
Canto 1.0 is in beta. A beta is an opt-in download from lonelyduck.io/canto; the stable release, 0.10.3, is on lonelyduck.io/download.
- Once you install a beta, Canto keeps you on betas. It updates to each new beta, and to the finished 1.0 when it ships.
- A copy of 0.10 never receives a beta. Moving to 1.0 is always your choice; read Upgrading from Canto 0.10 first.
- To leave the betas, turn off Settings › Updates › Get beta versions. Your copy then waits for the next finished version. Canto never installs an older version over a newer one.
A beta can have rough edges. Keep backups (Backups, history and the Trash), and tell us what you find with Help › Send Diagnostics… (see Getting help).
What's New#
The first time a new version opens, Canto shows what changed in it, once. You can read it again any time from Help › Release Notes or Settings › About › What's new.
The release notes are part of the app itself, written for each version, so they're there offline too.
Finishing the upgrade#
The first launch after an update can have one-time work to do, all on your Mac: backing up and updating your notes database, turning 0.x notebooks into notes, clearing data the old sync left behind, building the search index. While it runs, the toolbar's status dot says Finishing the upgrade, and its panel lists each step with its figures ("41 of 72 sources") and when it's done. A catch-up of the search index says Updating the search index.
You can keep working meanwhile. Before Canto updates the database, it saves a copy of it; see Upgrade copies.
Installing by hand#
To install a version yourself, download it from lonelyduck.io/canto and drag it into Applications, replacing the copy you have. Your notes aren't in the app: they stay in your data folder and open in the new version.
Canto needs a Mac with Apple silicon and macOS 14 or later. See Install and set up.
For how LonelyDuck's apps update in general, see Updates and betas.