Installation

Rayforge is available for Linux, Windows, and macOS. Choose your platform below and follow the installation instructions.

Select your operating system:

Choose installation method:

Snap Package

The Snap package works on most Linux distributions and includes all dependencies in a sandboxed environment.

Install Rayforge

sudo snap install rayforge

Add User to dialout Group

Permissions Required

On Debian-based distributions, your user must be in the dialout group even when using Snap, to avoid AppArmor DENIED messages.

sudo usermod -a -G dialout $USER

Important: Log out and log back in for this change to take effect.

Grant Snap Permissions (Important!)

For USB Serial Port Access:

# Enable experimental hotplug support (one-time setup)
sudo snap set system experimental.hotplug=true

# Connect your laser via USB, then grant access
sudo snap connect rayforge:serial-port

For Camera Access:

sudo snap connect rayforge:camera

Verify Permissions

snap connections rayforge

Look for serial-port in the list. If it shows "connected", you're ready to go.

Verify Installation

✓

Launch Rayforge

Launch Rayforge from your application menu or terminal. You should see the main window with the canvas and toolbar.

✓

Check Version

Check Help - About to confirm the installed version.

✓

Connect Your Machine

Connect your laser controller via USB and verify that the serial port appears in Rayforge's machine settings.

tip

On Linux, laser controllers typically appear as /dev/ttyUSB0 or /dev/ttyACM0.

Troubleshooting

Permission issues?

If your device is not detected, see the Snap Permissions Guide. Snap Permissions Guide

Serial port still not working?

Replug the USB device: Unplug your laser controller, wait 5 seconds, plug it back in.
Restart Rayforge: Close completely and relaunch.
Check the device exists:
```
ls -l /dev/ttyUSB* /dev/ttyACM*
```

Reinstall if needed:

sudo snap remove rayforge
sudo snap install rayforge
sudo snap connect rayforge:serial-port

Need Help?

For additional help, report an issue on GitHub or join our Discord. GitHub | Discord

Next Steps

Now that Rayforge is installed, proceed to First Time Setup to configure your machine.