Sketchbug is on Windows, Mac, and Linux
Download the Sketchbug desktop app for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Same account, library, brushes, and live sketch as the web app, now in its own window.
Written by
Hussain Mehdi
Sketchbug is a desktop app now. You can download it for Windows, Mac, and Linux, sign in with the same Google or email account you already use, and draw in a real window instead of a browser tab.
The web app at sketchbug.art is not going anywhere. Desktop is the same Sketchbug, closer to the rest of your computer.
Why a desktop app
The browser is still the fastest way to try Sketchbug. A lot of drawing, though, happens at a desk: a tablet on the side, a second monitor, a file you want to keep on this machine.
Desktop Sketchbug is for that. It opens as its own app. Cloud sketches stay in your library. Local sketches can stay on the computer. When a new version is ready, the app can install it and restart, so you do not have to go back to the website every time.
Get it
Download Sketchbug — pick your computer, then install.
- Windows 10 or later. Open Sketchbug-Setup.exe. If SmartScreen appears, choose More info, then Run anyway. It adds a Start Menu shortcut.
- macOS 12 or later. Open the disk image and drag Sketchbug to Applications. There is a build for Apple Silicon and one for Intel. If macOS blocks it the first time, right-click the app, choose Open, then confirm.
- Linux. Download the AppImage, mark it as executable, and run it.
The app is free. It uses the same free and Pro plans as the website. Hosting a live sketch session still needs Pro. Joining one does not.
The same Sketchbug
You get the editor you already know: pen, pencil, brushes, shapes, text, layers, and a library that remembers what you made.
Cloud sketches sync with sketchbug.art. Start something in the browser and finish it on the desktop, or the other way around. Local sketches can live only on that computer when you want them close and offline.
Live sketch
Live sketch works in the desktop app too. Open a saved sketch, start a session, and draw on the same canvas with someone else. Strokes, cursors, and layers stay in sync. Invite by email or share a link, the same way you do on the web.
Brush Hub
Brush Studio is in the desktop app. Shape, grain, taper, and a test canvas you can actually paint on. Save a brush to your library and it is there the next time you sketch, on the desktop or in the browser.
Font Hub
Upload a font, preview it in its own typeface, and use it when you add text. Share fonts with the community the same way you share brushes. Your type library follows your account.
What stays the same
There is no separate “desktop account.” Sign in, and it is the same library, the same brushes, the same fonts, the same live sessions.
The browser is still a full Sketchbug. Install the desktop app if you want a window on your dock. Skip it if a tab is enough.
Updates
This first desktop build is 0.1.1. Install that from the downloads page. After that, when we publish a new version, Sketchbug can show a card at the bottom of the window. Later dismisses it. Install downloads the update, replaces the app, and restarts.
What is next
We will keep tightening the desktop window, local files, and that update flow. Mobile is still coming, Android first.
If something feels off on your machine, use Give feedback or Report a bug in the footer. We read it.
Download it: sketchbug.art/downloads
Draw it. Keep it. Now on your computer too.