Try out Drupal CMS using the desktop app

Let’s get started creating a space to try Drupal CMS right on your computer. We’ll use the Drupal CMS Launcher, a standalone desktop application that allows you to run Drupal locally without additional software. This approach is ideal for evaluators of Drupal CMS or anyone who wants an extended amount of time to try out and explore Drupal CMS.

If you’re planning to extensively set up and configure a site which you will move to a hosting provider, you should install Drupal CMS locally with DDEV instead. The Drupal CMS desktop launcher is really meant as a trial tool, not a development tool. The launcher uses an sqlLite database, while most hosting providers will use MariaDB/MySQL. The DDEV installation process creates a MariaDB/MySQL database, making it straightforward to move your site to a hosting provider.

To try out Drupal CMS on a short-term basis without the need to install anything on your computer, and you’re not worried about losing any of the work you do, we recommend you go to Try Out Drupal CMS instead.

Try Drupal CMS on your computer

Step 1: Download the launcher application

• Visit the Drupal CMS Launcher download page.
• Locate the appropriate file for your operating system and click the link to download the file to your computer. (If you’re not sure which type of MacOS you have, see Mac computers with Apple silicon.)
• Open the downloaded file and install the application on your computer.

Step 2: Launch Drupal CMS

• Double-click the app to start. The first time you run the application, it may take a few minutes as it performs the necessary setup. The next time you open the launcher will be faster.
• Click the “Launch” button to open Drupal CMS in your browser.
• Follow the steps in the tutorial, Set up Drupal CMS.

Start over (reset) your local Drupal CMS site

To reset your local Drupal CMS site and start over from scratch:

1. Close the Drupal CMS Launcher.
2. Delete the ~/Documents/drupal directory (this contains the Drupal code and your site’s database).
3. Restart the Drupal CMS Launcher for a fresh environment.

Uninstalling the launcher application

To uninstall:

1. Remove the Drupal CMS Launcher from your Applications folder.
2. Delete the ~/Documents/drupal folder to remove all site data.

FAQs

Where are my site files?

• Site files and the SQLite database are stored at ~/Documents/drupal.
• SQLite database file location: ~/Documents/drupal/web/sites/default/files/.ht.sqlite.

Is this suitable for production?

• No. The launcher is strictly for local development and testing.

Can I add modules, themes, and recipes?

• Yes. Learn how to enable functionality with modules.

What are the limitations of the Drupal CMS launcher?

• The Mac application comes properly signed. If you're on Windows, you'll probably see a security warning. This will go away once the app has the appropriate code signing, which is currently in progress.
• Supports only SQLite databases.
• Limited or no email functionality.

What’s next?

Learn how to Set up Drupal CMS and start building your site.

Wrap-up

Using the Drupal CMS Launcher makes it easy and fast to explore Drupal CMS locally. It's an excellent tool for beginners or anyone needing a quick local Drupal CMS setup to experiment with.