Kavanah's Windows app is a free beta for 64-bit Windows 10 and 11, downloaded as a setup file from kavanah.ai. It is not code-signed yet, so the first time you run the installer Windows will probably show a "Windows protected your PC" SmartScreen warning. That warning is about the missing signature, not about anything the installer does. Here is why it appears, how to get past it if you trust the download, and an honest list of what the Windows app does today.
1. Why SmartScreen Warns You
Microsoft's documentation explains it plainly. SmartScreen checks the reputation of downloaded files using two signals: whether the file is signed by a known publisher, and whether that exact file has been downloaded without signs of trouble. A file with no signature gets the "Windows protected your PC" warning, and the user must choose Run anyway before it can run. Even a signed, brand-new file can warn until its reputation builds. Kavanah's installer is unsigned while code signing is completed, so expect the warning.
2. How to Proceed, Safely
Only continue if you downloaded the installer yourself from the Download for Windows button on kavanah.ai/download; Microsoft's own advice is to proceed only after verifying the publisher and trusting the download source. Then select More info on the warning, and Run anyway. Two cases where that will not work: Microsoft notes enterprise policy can prevent continuing past the warning entirely, and on Windows 11, Smart App Control may block unsigned files that have no positive reputation. If either applies to your PC, use Kavanah in Edge or Chrome instead; it is the same workspace.
3. What the App Is
The Windows app is a Tauri app, which means it runs Kavanah's web app in the web view Windows already has. On Windows that is WebView2, which Microsoft describes as a way to embed web technologies in native apps using Microsoft Edge as the rendering engine. In practice you get the same workspace, with every web feature, in its own window with its own taskbar icon, rather than one tab among many.
4. What It Does Not Do Yet
It does not update itself yet: when a new version is out, download it again from the download page. And it does not have its own push notifications; Kavanah's push today goes to the Mac, iPhone, iPad and Android apps and to browsers. If you want desktop alerts on Windows now, keep Kavanah open in Edge or Chrome and allow its notifications there. Those browsers support the Push API, which MDN describes as letting a web app receive messages from a server whether or not it is in the foreground. Email notifications still arrive either way.
5. Who Should Use It
If Kavanah is open all day on a Windows PC and you would rather have it in its own window than lose it among browser tabs, the beta is worth installing. If you rely on desktop notifications, or your PC is managed and blocks unsigned software, the browser is the better choice until signing and push land.
We would rather you see the SmartScreen warning explained here than meet it cold. Download the Windows beta, or any of the other apps, from the Kavanah download page.
