Installation

Download TCP Streamer

TCP Streamer is distributed as pre-built binaries for all major platforms. Download the latest release from the official GitHub repository:

Download Latest Release

Download TCP Streamer v1.9.0 or later from GitHub Releases

Platform-Specific Installation

Windows
macOS
Linux

Windows Installation

TCP Streamer is available in two formats for Windows:

Download Installer

Download either:

tcp-streamer_1.9.0_x64.msi (recommended - MSI installer)
tcp-streamer_1.9.0_x64-setup.exe (EXE installer)

Run Installer

Double-click the downloaded file and follow the installation wizard.

You may see a Windows SmartScreen warning. Click “More info” → “Run anyway” to proceed.

Launch Application

After installation, launch TCP Streamer from:

Start Menu → TCP Streamer
Desktop shortcut (if created during installation)

Grant Permissions

Windows may prompt for microphone permissions. Click “Allow” to enable audio capture.

Windows-Specific Features

WASAPI Loopback - Windows users can capture system audio directly without virtual audio cables:

In TCP Streamer, check “Enable Loopback (Windows)”
Ensure speakers or headphones are plugged in (required for WASAPI loopback)
Select your audio output device as the input source

WASAPI loopback requires an active audio output device. If no speakers/headphones are connected, loopback capture will not work.

Alternative: Virtual Audio CableFor more advanced routing, install VB-AUDIO Cable to create virtual audio devices.

Updating on Windows

To update TCP Streamer:

Download the new installer
Run the installer - it will automatically detect and upgrade the existing installation
Your settings and profiles are preserved during the upgrade

macOS Installation

TCP Streamer is distributed as a standard macOS application bundle:

Download DMG

Download tcp-streamer_1.9.0_universal.dmg (supports both Intel and Apple Silicon)

Open DMG File

Double-click the downloaded .dmg file to mount the disk image

Install Application

Drag the TCP Streamer icon to the Applications folder

Launch Application

Open TCP Streamer from:

Applications folder
Spotlight Search (⌘ + Space, type “TCP Streamer”)
Launchpad

First Launch

On first launch, macOS may show a security warning:

Click “Open” if prompted
If blocked, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security
Click “Open Anyway” next to the TCP Streamer message

Grant Permissions

Grant microphone access when prompted:

System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone
Enable the checkbox for TCP Streamer

Removing Quarantine Attribute

If you see “App is damaged and can’t be opened”, remove the quarantine attribute:

xattr -cr /Applications/TCP\ Streamer.app

This is a security feature of macOS when downloading apps from the internet. The command above is safe and tells macOS to trust the application.

System Audio Capture on macOS

macOS does not have built-in loopback like Windows. To capture system audio, install:BlackHole (Free, Open Source)

brew install blackhole-2ch

GitHub: ExistentialAudio/BlackHoleOr use Loopback (Commercial)

Rogue Amoeba Loopback

Updating on macOS

Download the new .dmg file
Replace the old app in Applications folder with the new version
Settings are preserved in ~/Library/Application Support/com.jdavidoa91.tcp-streamer/

Linux Installation

TCP Streamer is available in multiple formats for Linux distributions:

Debian/Ubuntu (.deb)
AppImage

Installing on Debian/Ubuntu

Download Package

Download tcp-streamer_1.9.0_amd64.deb

Install with APT

Open terminal and navigate to the download directory:

cd ~/Downloads
sudo apt install ./tcp-streamer_1.9.0_amd64.deb

The ./ prefix is important - it tells apt to install from the current directory.

Launch Application

Launch from:

Application menu
Terminal: tcp-streamer

Updating Debian/Ubuntu Installation

Important: Do not double-click the new .deb file to update. Use the terminal:

cd ~/Downloads
sudo apt install ./tcp-streamer_*.deb

This command will correctly detect the installed version and upgrade in-place, preserving your settings.

If you see “Conflicts with existing package”, remove the old version first:

sudo apt remove tcp-streamer
sudo apt install ./tcp-streamer_*.deb

Using AppImage

AppImage is a universal format that works on most Linux distributions without installation:

Download AppImage

Download tcp-streamer_1.9.0_amd64.AppImage

Make Executable

chmod +x tcp-streamer_1.9.0_amd64.AppImage

Run Application

./tcp-streamer_1.9.0_amd64.AppImage

AppImage requires FUSE to run. Most modern distributions have it pre-installed. If not:

sudo apt install fuse libfuse2

System Dependencies

Most dependencies are bundled, but ensure you have audio system libraries:Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt install libasound2 libpulse0

Fedora:

sudo dnf install alsa-lib pulseaudio-libs

Arch:

sudo pacman -S alsa-lib libpulse

Audio System Configuration

TCP Streamer works with both ALSA and PulseAudio:Check PulseAudio status:

pulseaudio --check
echo $?  # Should output 0 if running

List available devices:

arecord -L  # ALSA devices
pactl list sources  # PulseAudio sources

System Audio Capture on Linux

To capture system audio, use PulseAudio Monitor:

Install PulseAudio Volume Control:
```
sudo apt install pavucontrol
```
Launch TCP Streamer and start streaming
Open pavucontrol → Recording tab
Set TCP Streamer to capture from Monitor of [your output device]

Autostart on Linux

TCP Streamer includes autostart support. Enable it in the application settings, and it will create a systemd user service or desktop entry.

Building from Source

For developers or users who want to build from source:

Install Prerequisites

Required Tools:

Node.js v18 or later
Rust (latest stable)

Platform-Specific Dependencies:

Ubuntu/Debian
macOS
Windows

sudo apt install libgtk-3-dev libwebkit2gtk-4.0-dev \
  libappindicator3-dev librsvg2-dev patchelf libasound2-dev

xcode-select --install

Clone Repository

git clone https://github.com/NaturalDevCR/TCP-Streamer.git
cd TCP-Streamer

Install Dependencies

npm install

Run Development Build

npm run tauri dev

This launches TCP Streamer in development mode with hot reload.

Build Production Binary

npm run tauri build

Built applications will be in:

src-tauri/target/release/bundle/

Verifying Installation

After installation, verify TCP Streamer is working:

Launch Application

Open TCP Streamer from your applications menu or system tray

Check Audio Devices

The application should automatically detect and list your audio input devices

Check Version

Version information is displayed in the application UI (should be 1.9.0 or later)

Test System Tray

Minimize the application - it should appear in your system tray and remain accessible

Troubleshooting Installation

Windows: SmartScreen Warning

Issue: “Windows protected your PC” warning Solution: Click “More info” → “Run anyway”. This warning appears for applications without an expensive code signing certificate.

macOS: “Cannot be opened” Error

Issue: “TCP Streamer cannot be opened because the developer cannot be verified” Solution:

Try: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Click “Open Anyway”
Or run: xattr -cr /Applications/TCP\ Streamer.app

Linux: Missing Dependencies

Issue: Application fails to launch with library errors Solution: Install audio system libraries:

sudo apt install libasound2 libpulse0 libgtk-3-0

Permission Denied

Issue: Cannot access audio devices Solution: Grant microphone permissions in your system settings:

macOS: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone
Windows: Settings → Privacy → Microphone
Linux: User should be in audio group: sudo usermod -aG audio $USER (logout required)

Next Steps

Quick Start Guide

Now that you have TCP Streamer installed, learn how to configure and start streaming audio

Getting Started

Core Features

Configuration

Platform Guides

Use Cases

Troubleshooting

Download TCP Streamer

Download Latest Release

Platform-Specific Installation

Windows Installation

Windows-Specific Features

Updating on Windows

macOS Installation

Removing Quarantine Attribute

System Audio Capture on macOS

Updating on macOS

Linux Installation

Installing on Debian/Ubuntu

Updating Debian/Ubuntu Installation

Using AppImage

System Dependencies

Audio System Configuration

System Audio Capture on Linux

Autostart on Linux

Building from Source

Verifying Installation

Troubleshooting Installation

Windows: SmartScreen Warning

macOS: “Cannot be opened” Error

Linux: Missing Dependencies

Permission Denied

Next Steps

Quick Start Guide

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Getting Started

Core Features

Configuration

Platform Guides

Use Cases

Troubleshooting

​Download TCP Streamer

Download Latest Release

​Platform-Specific Installation

​Windows Installation

​Windows-Specific Features

​Updating on Windows

​macOS Installation

​Removing Quarantine Attribute

​System Audio Capture on macOS

​Updating on macOS

​Linux Installation

​Installing on Debian/Ubuntu

​Updating Debian/Ubuntu Installation

​Using AppImage

​System Dependencies

​Audio System Configuration

​System Audio Capture on Linux

​Autostart on Linux

​Building from Source

​Verifying Installation

​Troubleshooting Installation

​Windows: SmartScreen Warning

​macOS: “Cannot be opened” Error

​Linux: Missing Dependencies

​Permission Denied

​Next Steps

Quick Start Guide

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Download TCP Streamer

Platform-Specific Installation

Windows Installation

Windows-Specific Features

Updating on Windows

macOS Installation

Removing Quarantine Attribute

System Audio Capture on macOS

Updating on macOS

Linux Installation

Installing on Debian/Ubuntu

Updating Debian/Ubuntu Installation

Using AppImage

System Dependencies

Audio System Configuration

System Audio Capture on Linux

Autostart on Linux

Building from Source

Verifying Installation

Troubleshooting Installation

Windows: SmartScreen Warning

macOS: “Cannot be opened” Error

Linux: Missing Dependencies

Permission Denied

Next Steps