Install and launch Orion

Orion is a local media app. Its public website includes a clearly labelled sample organiser; that demo uses fictional files and never accesses your computer. The standalone bundled app is for Windows; you can also run Orion from source on supported Python platforms.

Windows bundle

If you have a verified Orion release archive, download it from the project's release page, verify the archive and checksum using the release instructions, then extract the entire archive into a new application folder. Keep the _internal directory beside Orion.exe; moving only the executable will break the app. Start Orion.exe and let it open its local browser window. The bundle does not require Node or a system Python installation. Windows builds are unsigned, so Windows may show an unknown-publisher prompt.

No published release is asserted by this guide. A CI artifact or locally built ZIP is not automatically a published release. To check release files, use the release verification instructions and confirm the assets and checksums belong to the approved tag.

Build and run from source

For source operation, use Python 3.11 or 3.12 and Node 24. The following PowerShell commands build and run Orion from a cloned repository on Windows:

python -m venv .venv
.venv\Scripts\python -m pip install --require-hashes -r requirements-web.lock
npm --prefix frontend ci
npm --prefix frontend run build
.venv\Scripts\python -m orion --port 0

The launcher prints its loopback URL and opens it in your browser. Node is needed to build the interface, but not to run a Windows bundle. Keep Orion bound to the local machine; public network hosting is unsupported.

On Linux or macOS, install Python 3.11 or 3.12 and Node 24, then run these commands from the cloned repository:

python3 -m venv .venv
.venv/bin/python -m pip install --require-hashes -r requirements-web.lock
npm --prefix frontend ci
npm --prefix frontend run build
.venv/bin/python -m orion --port 0

The source launcher prints its loopback URL. To use a separate data directory and stop that instance later, for example on Linux or macOS:

.venv/bin/python -m orion --data-dir "$HOME/OrionData" --port 0 --no-browser
.venv/bin/python -m orion stop --data-dir "$HOME/OrionData"

Native Linux and macOS installers have not been verified; these commands describe source operation only.

To create a separate workspace for a trial or test, set its data directory explicitly:

.venv\Scripts\python -m orion --data-dir "D:\OrionData" --port 0 --no-browser
.venv\Scripts\python -m orion stop --data-dir "D:\OrionData"

The default Windows data directory is %APPDATA%\Orion. The app stores its SQLite database and preferences there; provider credentials use the OS keychain. See runtime data before migrating an existing installation, and recovery for backup and restore steps.

First launch

In Settings, add a source folder and a destination folder you control. Then follow the first workflow. Begin with a small test folder and inspect the generated preview carefully before approving any operation. Orion does not overwrite an existing destination file; an occupied path must be resolved through the selected conflict behavior.