# Getting started

hyperwave is free and ships as a direct download — there is no store, no
account, and no license to activate.

## Download

The links below always resolve to the newest release — no version number to
track down.

| Platform | Download |
|----------|----------|
| macOS (Apple Silicon) | [Download for Apple Silicon](/hyperwave/download/mac) |
| macOS (Intel) | [Download for Intel](/hyperwave/download/mac/x64) |
| Windows | [Download for Windows](/hyperwave/download/windows) |

## Installing

### macOS
1. Open the DMG and drag **hyperwave** into your Applications folder
2. Launch it from Applications — the strip appears in your menu bar and
   starts moving with whatever is playing

### Windows
1. Run the installer
2. hyperwave docks a small toolbar to your desktop and sits in the system
   tray

## The one permission (macOS)

hyperwave captures system audio through a CoreAudio process tap, which needs
the **System Audio Recording** grant. The menu carries a
**"System Audio Access…"** item at all times — macOS does not always prompt
on its own, so if the bars sit flat while audio is playing, open it and
grant the permission there.

> **Note — Running from a terminal**
> If you launch the binary directly from a shell, macOS attributes the
> capture to the *terminal's* grant instead of hyperwave's, which can mask a
> missing permission. Launch through `open hyperwave.app` (or Finder) to
> exercise the real path.

## Building from source

hyperwave is open source under MIT. The [GitHub
repository](https://github.com/hypernuclear/hyperwave) has the code and a
build guide.

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From https://hypernuclear.com/docs/hyperwave/getting-started/