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BackDown for Linux, macOS and Windows.

The BackDown 1.0 beta is out now for Linux, macOS and Windows: the app, with an installer for each system, or the command line on its own.

v1.0.0-beta.5

Linux

.deb · AppImage · CLI

A .deb for Debian and Ubuntu or an AppImage for any distribution, each for x86-64 and ARM64. The command line on its own is one static binary.

Download .deb · x86-64
SHA-256 checksum4c4e564fd47852992534f5f69d73c584b7b0f20f34552a88f936f392f41784e8
Download .deb · ARM64
SHA-256 checksumd9a372e329a560d900706327b90d117085bfdac9bcd35e0698d58364b663e608
Download AppImage · x86-64
SHA-256 checksume673ff6ab05883246c29ec437a298f49c2c4adf2c502ed0c4ab8e54b9179d361
Download AppImage · ARM64
SHA-256 checksumb986af069e190b7da207ca8058879154a8ddaf3575604632165df5e3b720b93c
Download CLI · x86-64
SHA-256 checksumf1ff5d767859104f3138a6a1a3700404e9c5860c40d7f0c1a0b940a9e3d638bc
Download CLI · ARM64
SHA-256 checksum9bbe34aca731f8e07fbc7c4585d7c4ac982e6f38ac6831fd1aed07ff086775cf
v1.0.0-beta.5

macOS

.dmg · CLI · universal

The app as a disk image, for Apple silicon and Intel. The command line on its own is one universal binary.

Download .dmg
SHA-256 checksum9b4d5e757ce4e22bf2cba810dcd6c2ad54ae0b9bcb073afdba84186c235918e9
Download .app · .zip
SHA-256 checksum38a11b110f77bdbd3e07311a46d9ab3660a55c76d1be600dfaad9690c4bba5a4
Download CLI
SHA-256 checksumf5ea1248c0097ac7ad09d902fb33dd3b4ab1ec3e8df32bbbaaec225262b311fc
v1.0.0-beta.5

Windows

.msi · setup · CLI

An installer for 64-bit Windows that needs no administrator rights, or the command line on its own.

Download .msi
SHA-256 checksum17383aa00f8e4302cce17c987cb0aba788b7f4e7189d28d21f9e055175d7a329
Download setup · .zip
SHA-256 checksum5cd07259cef4119d360ed97bb34a425876bba8b5040d84abe2bd28f8f28cff9f
Download CLI
SHA-256 checksum26a990e9985c2fd29f96d52a3c2b7880139c034361c24f96ce8ca3a63d92123d

Every release comes with SHA-256 checksums. Beta builds aren't signed yet: on macOS, right-click the app and choose Open the first time; on Windows, SmartScreen may ask you to confirm. All releases and checksums

Quick start

From download to your first verdict in five minutes.

BackDown only ever reads your drives. The index lives in your own data folder, and nothing leaves your machine.

  1. Install it

    Run the installer for your system. For the command line on its own, unpack the archive and move backdown somewhere on your path.

    tar xzf backdown-*.tar.gz
sudo mv backdown /usr/local/bin/

  2. Index your drives

    Point it at every drive or folder you want to understand. Each run is a scan you can come back to.

    backdown index /media/old-drive /media/archive

  3. Find duplicates, get a verdict

    dupes lists what's duplicated, biggest first. check says whether a drive is safe to wipe: it exits with 0 when every file has a verified copy elsewhere.

    backdown dupes --min-size 10M
backdown check /media/old-drive

  4. Browse it

    Opens BackDown in its own window: every folder at any scan, with previews, copies and versions. The installers put it in your applications menu too.

    backdown app

  5. Keep it running

    Installs a background service (systemd on Linux, a login item on macOS, a task at logon on Windows) that rescans drives when they're due or plugged back in.

    backdown service install
backdown open
Check your download

Every file has a checksum.

Download SHA256SUMS.txt from the release page next to your download, then check it. Beta builds aren't signed yet, so this is how you know the file is ours.

# Linux
sha256sum -c --ignore-missing SHA256SUMS.txt
# macOS
shasum -a 256 -c --ignore-missing SHA256SUMS.txt
# Windows (PowerShell)
Get-FileHash .\backdown-*.zip

Hear when 1.0 is out.

The 1.0 beta is out now for Linux, macOS and Windows. Leave your email and we'll send one message when the final version is out.

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