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Dew

Deploy and manage the desktop app

Use the tool you already manage computers with to deploy the Dew desktop app and its settings together, so every computer gets both. People open Dew and it’s already connected to your server.

What you need

Section titled “What you need”
  • The Dew desktop app installer for each platform you deploy to, from the download page:
    • Mac: the installer package (.pkg). The disk image (.dmg) is for installing by hand.
    • Windows: the .msi, for x64 or Arm64 computers.
    • Linux: the .deb or the .rpm.
  • Your Dew server address, for example https://files.example.com.

What you can set

Section titled “What you can set”
Setting in your tool In Dew What it does
Server address Server URL on the sign-in screen The Dew server people sign in to.
Verify server certificates Verify SSL certificates in Settings Keeps the app’s HTTPS certificate checks on, and stops people from trusting an unrecognized certificate. You can turn checks off for a test server.
Start Dew at sign-in Auto-start on login in Settings Opens Dew when a person signs in to the computer, or stops it from opening then.

The first column is the setting’s name in Group Policy and in Intune for Windows. The second is the label in the Dew app, which is what you look for when you check a computer. Verify SSL certificates appears in Dew’s Settings only when you set it.

Set only the ones you need. Any setting you leave out stays under each person’s control. Settings you set are locked in the app: people can see them but can’t change them.

Choose your guide

Section titled “Choose your guide”

Mac

Windows

Linux

If your Dew server uses a certificate from your own certificate authority, read Use a server with a private certificate before you turn off certificate checks.

What people see

Section titled “What people see”

With the server address set, Dew starts in the menu bar or system tray without opening its window; people click its icon to sign in. On a Mac, the installer package starts Dew right after installing it. On Windows and Linux, each person opens Dew once, from the Start menu or the applications menu. From then on, Dew starts each time the person signs in to the computer, unless you turn Start Dew at sign-in off.

In the app’s Settings, each setting you manage is locked, and hovering over it shows Managed by your organization. A server address you set is filled in as the Server URL on the sign-in screen and can’t be changed.

When changes take effect

Section titled “When changes take effect”

Before a person signs in, Dew checks for new settings each time its window opens. If Dew is installed before its settings arrive, the sign-in screen fills in the next time someone opens the Dew window.

Once a person is signed in, changes apply the next time Dew starts. To apply a change right away, quit Dew from its icon in the menu bar or system tray, then open it again.

To give a setting back to people, remove it from your policy. It unlocks the next time Dew starts.