Getting started

Quaesito runs on one computer, usually the laptop connected to the TV. Everyone else joins from their phones over the same Wi-Fi; no internet connection is needed.

1. Download and start it

Pick your system. Downloads are on the latest release page, under Assets.

WindowsmacOSLinux

1. Download quaesito-…-windows-x86_64.zip.
2. In your Downloads folder, right-click the zip and choose Extract All…, then Extract. Put the folder wherever you like, say on the Desktop.
3. Open the folder and double-click start.bat.
4. If a blue "Windows protected your PC" box appears (quaesito is not signed by a paying publisher), click More info, then Run anyway.
5. When Windows asks whether to let quaesito through the firewall, tick Private networks and click Allow: this is what lets phones connect.

A black window opens with the server's log, and your browser opens quaesito. Leave the window open while you play; close it to stop.

For Macs with Apple silicon (M1 and later). On an Intel Mac, build it from source.

1. Download quaesito-…-macos-arm64.tar.gz. Safari unpacks it by itself; otherwise double-click it in your Downloads folder.
2. Open the quaesito-… folder and double-click start.command.
3. The first time, macOS says it cannot verify the app, because it is not signed by a paying developer. Click Done (or Cancel).
4. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down to the message about start.command, and click Open Anyway. Double-click start.command again and confirm with Open Anyway (and your password or Touch ID). On macOS 14 and earlier, right-clicking start.command and choosing Open, then Open again, does the same.
5. If macOS asks whether to accept incoming network connections, click Allow: this is what lets phones connect.

A Terminal window opens with the server's log, and your browser opens quaesito. Leave the window open while you play; close it to stop. Next time, a double-click is enough.

For 64-bit PCs (x86-64).

1. Download quaesito-…-linux-x86_64.tar.gz.

2. Unpack it and start it from a terminal:

   tar xzf quaesito-*-linux-x86_64.tar.gz
   cd quaesito-*-linux-x86_64
   ./start.sh
   

3. If your computer runs a firewall, let phones reach port 8080, for example with sudo ufw allow 8080/tcp.

The terminal shows the server's log, and your browser opens quaesito. Leave it running while you play; press Ctrl+C to stop.

The server window shows where quaesito is and the admin password:

────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
  quaesito is running

  On this computer:  http://localhost:8080
  Phones join at:    http://192.168.1.20:8080
  Admin password:    3f9c1a7b2e44   (set QUAESITO_ADMIN_PASSWORD to choose your own)
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

The browser did not open?

Open http://localhost:8080 yourself, on the computer running quaesito.

2. Log in as admin

Click the icon in the top right corner and type the admin password from the server window. A new password is made at every start unless you choose your own (see configuration).

3. Try the demo quiz

Your quiz list starts with a Demo quiz holding one question of each kind. Press 🧪 Test to play it with pretend phones next to the big screen, or open it to see how it is made. Delete it when you no longer need it; it does not come back.

4. Play with friends

Press ▶ Start next to a quiz and put the big screen on the TV. Friends join by scanning its QR code with phones on the same Wi-Fi as the computer: see running the game. If phones cannot connect, see troubleshooting.

This guide comes with the app too: the icon on the home page and Help in the admin pages open it, even without an internet connection.

Your quizzes, pictures and games are kept in the data folder next to the start script. Copy it to back up or move everything to another computer.

Next: build your first quiz.