Installation
Windows
- Download the installer (
.msior.exe) from the download page - Double-click the file and follow the prompts
- Sparrow appears in your Start menu — open it and sign in
No administrator password needed.
macOS
- Download the
.dmgfile - Open it and drag Sparrow into your Applications folder
- Open Sparrow from Applications
If macOS asks about an unrecognized developer, go to System Settings > Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.
Linux
Ubuntu / Debian
sudo dpkg -i sparrow_latest_amd64.deb
Fedora / RHEL
sudo rpm -i sparrow_latest_x86_64.rpm
AppImage
chmod +x Sparrow_latest.AppImage
./Sparrow_latest.AppImage
Staying in the background
Sparrow can run quietly in the background so you get notified about new mail:
- Start on login — turn on in Settings > General so Sparrow opens automatically when you log in
- Close to tray — when enabled, closing the window hides Sparrow to the system tray instead of quitting
- System tray — left-click the tray icon to show Sparrow, right-click for quick options
- Notifications — get desktop alerts for new messages. You can limit notifications to VIP contacts only in Settings > Notifications