Installing on Windows
Updated July 17, 2026
Installing on Windows
Installing Hiberden takes a few minutes and does not require admin rights. This page walks through getting the installer, checking its signature, and what happens the first time the app opens.
Before you start
Hiberden runs on Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit. See System requirements for the details, including the note on free disk space for large archives.
Downloading and installing does not start your trial and does not create any account. The 30-day trial starts only when you explicitly opt in later, the first time you try to archive without a license.
Get the installer
Go to hiberden.app/download and enter your name and work email. The download link appears on the page, and the same link arrives by email so you can grab it again later. The installer itself is served from cdn.hiberden.app.
Check the signature
The installer is code-signed by Agave Information Solutions, LLC, the company behind Hiberden. To confirm you have the genuine file: right-click the downloaded installer, choose Properties, and open the Digital Signatures tab. The signer name should read AGAVE INFORMATION SOLUTIONS, LLC. Then select that signature, click Details, and check that Windows reports the signature as valid ("This digital signature is OK").
An honest note: because Hiberden is from a new publisher, your browser or Windows SmartScreen may show a warning on a fresh release. That warning reflects how new the publisher is, not whether the file is safe. The digital signature is the thing to check. If the signature verifies as valid and the signer is AGAVE INFORMATION SOLUTIONS, LLC, you have the file we shipped. A signature that merely lists that name but does not verify is not good enough.
Run the installer
Run the installer and follow the prompts. Hiberden uses a per-user install:
- No admin rights are needed, and Windows will not ask for an administrator password.
- The app installs into your own Windows profile.
- Other accounts on the machine are not affected.
Hiberden's interface runs on Microsoft's WebView2 runtime, which comes preinstalled on almost all Windows 10 and 11 machines, so there is normally nothing extra to install.
First launch
When Hiberden opens for the first time, it creates its local catalog on your machine (at %LOCALAPPDATA%\Hiberden\catalog.db) and invites you to create your first project. There is no sign-in, no telemetry, and no phone-home: everything lives locally.
From there you can add destinations, assign a policy, and write your first verified archive. When you make that first archive without a license, the app will ask for your email to start the free 30-day trial; that is your choice to make, not something that happens at install.
If anything goes wrong during install, write to support@hiberden.app.