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Installation

Requirements

SWAT+ Toolbox 4.0.1 runs on:

System Processor
Windows 10 or newer x64 or ARM64
Linux x86_64 or aarch64
macOS 11 or later Apple Silicon only

You also need at least 500 MB of free disk space, an i5-class processor with 8 GB of RAM, and a screen of 1920 x 1080 (1080p) or larger.

The download includes everything the program needs, so you do not have to install .NET or any other runtime. SWAT+ Toolbox installs in your home folder for your user account on every system, and you do not need administrator rights.

Note

An updated build of 4.0.1 was published for Windows, Linux and macOS on 19 October 2026. If you installed or updated SWAT+ Toolbox before 23:40 CDT on 19 October 2026 (04:40 UTC, 20 October), install again as described below to get it, because Check for Updates does not offer a build with the same version number. On Windows, run the installer from the zip again, or run the PowerShell command with -Force (see Getting Updates).

Installing

You can install SWAT+ Toolbox with the installer or with a PowerShell command. Both install the same program in the same place:

  • the program goes in %USERPROFILE%\SWATPlus\SWATPlusToolbox, where SWAT+ Editor looks for it
  • a SWAT+ Toolbox shortcut is added on the desktop and in the Start menu
  • SWAT+ Toolbox is added to Settings > Apps, where you can uninstall it

Installer. Download the installer for your computer, unzip it and run the .exe:

PowerShell command. Open PowerShell and run:

irm https://install.swat.tamu.edu/spt.ps1 | iex

The script checks that the computer runs Windows 10 or newer on an x64 or ARM64 processor, downloads the setup for your processor and installs SWAT+ Toolbox without asking any questions. Running the command again updates SWAT+ Toolbox when there is a newer version and does nothing otherwise. Add -Force to install the same version again. Close SWAT+ Toolbox before you run it; the script does not run while SWAT+ Toolbox is open.

To install without the wizard, run the installer from the zip with /S. If SWAT+ Toolbox is open, the installer closes it without asking, and unsaved work is lost.

To check the requirements without installing anything, run:

& ([scriptblock]::Create((irm https://install.swat.tamu.edu/spt.ps1))) -Check

SWAT+ Toolbox from another installer

If another installer has already put a SWAT+ Toolbox entry in Settings > Apps, the script warns you about it. Remove that entry in Settings > Apps before you install, because its uninstaller deletes files that SWAT+ Toolbox uses.

Full SWAT+ installer. The official installer for SWAT+ tools installs the SWAT+ model, SWAT+ Editor, SWAT+ Toolbox and the other SWAT+ tools together. It puts SWAT+ Toolbox in the same folder, %USERPROFILE%\SWATPlus\SWATPlusToolbox.

.spt project files are not linked to SWAT+ Toolbox on Windows, so double-clicking one does not open it. Open projects from SWAT+ Toolbox instead (see Opening a Project).

Open a terminal and run:

curl -fsSL https://install.swat.tamu.edu/spt.sh | bash

The script needs curl and tar. It downloads the package for your processor and:

  • installs the program in ~/.local/share/SWATPlus/SWATPlusToolbox
  • adds a swatplus-toolbox command in ~/.local/bin
  • adds SWAT+ Toolbox to your application menu
  • registers .spt project files, so the file manager shows the project icon and opens projects in SWAT+ Toolbox when you double-click them

Start SWAT+ Toolbox from the application menu, or run swatplus-toolbox. If ~/.local/bin is not on your PATH, the script says so; add it to use the command, or run ~/.local/bin/swatplus-toolbox.

Offline install. Download the .tar.gz for your processor from the Downloads page, extract it into ~/.local/share/SWATPlus/SWATPlusToolbox, and run ./swatplusToolboX in that folder. An offline install does not update itself. Run the install command once you are online to switch to an install that updates.

Open Terminal and run:

curl -fsSL https://install.swat.tamu.edu/spt.sh | bash

The script installs SWAT+ Toolbox.app in the Applications folder of your home folder (~/Applications). It signs the app for this Mac, removes the download quarantine flag and registers the app with macOS, so you can start it from Launchpad or Spotlight. .spt project files open in SWAT+ Toolbox when you double-click them.

The script works only on Apple Silicon Macs and stops on an Intel Mac.

Program files you can edit

The installed program includes its configuration files (assets/config) and the bundled SWAT+ executables (assets/executables), and you can edit them or add other SWAT+ executables. What happens to your changes when SWAT+ Toolbox updates depends on the system.

An update replaces the whole program folder, %USERPROFILE%\SWATPlus\SWATPlusToolbox\current. Files you edit or add inside it, for example extra SWAT+ executables in assets\executables, can be lost. Keep a copy of such files outside the installation folder and add them back after an update.

Updates keep your changes to any file the new version does not change. When a new version changes a file you edited, the new file replaces yours. Files you add yourself are never touched.

See Getting Updates.

Uninstalling

Uninstall SWAT+ Toolbox from Settings > Apps like any other program, or run:

& ([scriptblock]::Create((irm https://install.swat.tamu.edu/spt.ps1))) -Uninstall

Close SWAT+ Toolbox first. Your projects are not touched.

curl -fsSL https://install.swat.tamu.edu/spt.sh | bash -s -- --uninstall

This removes the program, the swatplus-toolbox command, the menu entry, the icons and the .spt file type. Any files you added to ~/.local/share/SWATPlus/SWATPlusToolbox are deleted with it. Your projects are not touched.

curl -fsSL https://install.swat.tamu.edu/spt.sh | bash -s -- --uninstall

This removes ~/Applications/SWAT+ Toolbox.app. Your projects are not touched.