CFTool Download

Downloads

Download CFTool for Windows, macOS (Apple Silicon) or Linux. Each download is a .zip — unzip it, then follow the short install notes for your platform.

Why a zip? Web security prevents the direct download of executable files, so every CFTool build is delivered inside a .zip. Download it, then unzip in a location of your choosing before installing.

01Windows

Download the Windows version (cftwin.zip)

Unzip the file and you will find CFToolSetup.exe inside. Run the installer and follow the instructions. It is strongly recommended to tick the boxes that associate CFTool project files with the application and create a desktop icon.

SmartScreen / Defender. Because the app is downloaded from the internet, Windows Defender SmartScreen may show a warning the first time you run it. Click More info at the top of the popup, then Run anyway. CFTool is code-signed, so this is normal for a newly released signed application and stops once it becomes established.

02macOS (Apple Silicon)

Download the macOS version (cftmac.zip)

The download unzips to a cftool.dmg package. Open it to mount the disk image — you will see a CFTool icon next to the Applications folder icon. Drag the CFTool icon onto the Applications icon to copy CFTool to your Applications folder.

First launch. CFTool is signed and notarised by Apple, so it isn’t flagged as an “unidentified developer.” The first time you open it, macOS simply asks you to confirm — because it was downloaded from the internet — so double-click CFTool and click Open.

03Linux

Download the Linux version (cftlinux.zip)

The Linux build is a self-contained AppImage. Unzip the download where you intend the install to live — a location like your Home directory (or an ~/Applications folder) rather than the Desktop. This matters because the association below points at the AppImage where it currently sits.

First-run setup

On first launch the AppImage asks:

“Add CFTool to your applications menu and open .cfp project files with it?”

  • Add — adds a menu entry and makes CFTool the handler for .cfp files. (On GNOME you may need to log out and back in for the menu entry to appear.)
  • Not now — skips it this time; CFTool asks again next launch.
  • Don’t ask again — skips it and stops asking.

Didn’t set it up, or want it back? If you chose Don’t ask again — or want to do it by hand — run the bundled cftool-desktop-setup.sh script next to the AppImage:

./cftool-desktop-setup.sh

It installs everything per-user under ~/.local (no sudo needed), adds CFTool to your applications menu, and registers the .cfp association. To undo it, run ./cftool-desktop-setup.sh –uninstall.

If you move the AppImage. The menu entry and file association point at the AppImage’s current location, so moving it later will break them. Just re-run cftool-desktop-setup.sh from the new location to repair the links.