Installation

Rayforge is available for Linux and Windows. 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

Grant Permissions (Important!)

Permissions Required

The Snap version runs in a sandbox and requires manual permission grants for hardware access.

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.

Troubleshooting Snap Permissions

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

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.

Need Help?

Snap permissions: If your device isn't detected, see the Snap Permissions Guide.

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

Next Steps

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