---
layout: docs
page_title: Boundary Desktop overview
description: >-
  Learn how to install the Boundary Desktop application to browse and connect to targets.
---

# Boundary Desktop

Boundary Desktop is a standalone application that provides a simple interface
for browsing and connecting to targets on your local computer (macOS and Windows
currently supported). Launch a session in Boundary Desktop and then make a connection
using your favorite tooling!

## Get started

-> If you're running Boundary for the first time, [download the latest binary](/boundary/downloads)
and run it in `dev` mode locally so you can have a server to run against:

```shell-session
$ boundary dev
```

### Install Boundary Desktop

1. Download the latest .dmg installer or .exe archive from our [releases page](https://releases.hashicorp.com/boundary-desktop). Alternatively, if you're a homebrew user, you can run `brew install hashicorp-boundary-desktop`
1. In macOS, double-click the downloaded .dmg to run the installer by draggin and dropping Boundary into the applications folder
   ![](/img/desktop/macos/boundary-desktop-drag-to-install.png)
1. In Windows, extract downloaded archive and find .exe to launch

### Run Boundary Desktop

1. Open the Boundary Desktop application

<Tabs>
<Tab heading="MacOS">


![](/img/desktop/macos/boundary-desktop-open.png)

</Tab>
<Tab heading="Windows">


![](/img/desktop/windows/boundary-desktop-open.png)

</Tab>
</Tabs>


1. You'll be prompted for the Boundary server origin, this is the URL for the client
   to connect to the Boundary API. If you are running a local `dev` mode server, this
   URL will be `http://localhost:9200`

<Tabs>
<Tab heading="MacOS">


![](/img/desktop/macos/boundary-desktop-origin.png)

</Tab>
<Tab heading="Windows">


![](/img/desktop/windows/boundary-desktop-origin.png)

</Tab>
</Tabs>


1. You can now login to Boundary. We're using a `dev` mode server in this example with the
   username `admin` and the password `password`

<Tabs>
<Tab heading="MacOS">


![](/img/desktop/macos/boundary-desktop-login.png)

</Tab>
<Tab heading="Windows">


![](/img/desktop/windows/boundary-desktop-login.png)

</Tab>
</Tabs>


1. After logging in, you should see the targets your user is authorized to connect to. Since
   we are using a `dev` mode server we see the default generated target for `127.0.0.1:22`

<Tabs>
<Tab heading="MacOS">


![](/img/desktop/macos/boundary-desktop-landing.png)

</Tab>
<Tab heading="Windows">


![](/img/desktop/windows/boundary-desktop-landing.png)

</Tab>
</Tabs>


### Connect!

-> The rest of this example assumes you're running Boundary in `dev` mode.

1. Click on `connect` next to the default target. A pop-up window will display the local
   address of the proxy and the ephemeral port for the session

<Tabs>
<Tab heading="MacOS">


![](/img/desktop/macos/boundary-desktop-connect.png)

</Tab>
<Tab heading="Windows">


![](/img/desktop/windows/boundary-desktop-connect.png)

</Tab>
</Tabs>


1. Navigate to the `Sessions` pane and you'll see this session is in `pending` state because we
   haven't made a connection to it yet (but will!)

<Tabs>
<Tab heading="MacOS">


![](/img/desktop/macos/boundary-desktop-pending.png)

</Tab>
<Tab heading="Windows">


![](/img/desktop/windows/boundary-desktop-pending.png)

</Tab>
</Tabs>


-> The next step assumes you have a SSH server running that the default target will connect to.

1. On the CLI, `ssh` to the target using the local ephemeral port created in the previous step

```shell-session
$ ssh -p 49250 127.0.0.1
The authenticity of host '[127.0.0.1]:49250 ([127.0.0.1]:49250)' can't be established.
ECDSA key fingerprint is SHA256:glO05n2iT8Roqak5G63gMKnW8qsE0lxy0MPWcWC7iqg.
Are you sure you want to continue connecting (yes/no/[fingerprint])? yes
Warning: Permanently added '[127.0.0.1]:49250' (ECDSA) to the list of known hosts.
Password:
Last login: Thu Feb 11 17:49:09 2021
$
```

1. Navigate back to the sessions view and you'll see this session is now active

<Tabs>
<Tab heading="MacOS">


![](/img/desktop/macos/boundary-desktop-active.png)

</Tab>
<Tab heading="Windows">


![](/img/desktop/windows/boundary-desktop-active.png)

</Tab>
</Tabs>


1. Click `Cancel` to cancel the session and you'll see the status go to `canceling` briefly, then `terminated`

<Tabs>
<Tab heading="MacOS">


![](/img/desktop/macos/boundary-desktop-terminated.png)

</Tab>
<Tab heading="Windows">


![](/img/desktop/windows/boundary-desktop-terminated.png)

</Tab>
</Tabs>


1. Navigate back to the CLI and you'll see your SSH session has closed
