Installation takes about a minute. This page covers choosing the right installer for your machine, the install wizard, and the first launch.
Choosing Your Installer: x64 or ARM64 #
Astro PM ships in two native builds:
- x64 – for the vast majority of Windows PCs with Intel or AMD processors.
- ARM64 – for Windows on ARM devices such as Snapdragon-powered Surface and Copilot+ PCs. This build runs natively on ARM – no emulation layer – so it is faster and lighter on battery than running the x64 build through Windows emulation.
Not sure which you have? Open Settings > System > About and check “System type.” If it says ARM-based processor, grab the ARM64 installer; otherwise use x64.
Running the Installer #
- Double-click the downloaded installer.
- If Windows SmartScreen appears, click More info and then Run anyway. This warning is normal for newly released versions and disappears as a release builds reputation.
- Follow the wizard: accept the agreement, choose an install location (the default is fine), and decide whether you want a desktop shortcut.
- Click Install, then Finish to launch Astro PM.
First Launch #
On first launch Astro PM creates its local database automatically. Everything you enter – equipment, projects, captured-image counts – is stored locally on this computer and preserved across updates (the database upgrades itself automatically when a new version adds features).
If Sky View or Weather Panels Appear Blank #
Those panels use the Microsoft WebView2 Runtime, which works natively on both x64 and ARM64. It ships with Windows 11 (including Windows on ARM) and most updated Windows 10 systems, but on a fresh or heavily locked-down machine it may be missing. Install the free WebView2 Evergreen Runtime from Microsoft and restart Astro PM.