Installation & Updates

Current release

Vast 0.5.0 is the current direct Windows x64 release. The previous direct release is 0.4.3. Read the release notes; 0.4.3 notes remain available for historical reference.

Package	Use it for	Updates
Windows installer	A normal installed copy of Vast	Built-in background updates from 0.4.3 onward, or the direct standalone updater
Portable	A separate portable copy	Download the newer Portable executable; close the old copy before replacing it
Microsoft Store	A Store-managed installation	Microsoft Store only

The Store has a separate review and rollout. Store 0.5.0 availability is unconfirmed. Its available version can lag the direct release; check the Store listing and your installed version. A development MSIX is not a Store submission or an official public package.

Windows x64 is the tested release target. macOS and Linux build targets do not imply equivalent release support.

Unsigned direct binaries

The installer, Portable, and standalone updater are intentionally not Authenticode-signed. Windows displays Unknown publisher, and SmartScreen may warn. Download only from Vast’s official site or its public GitHub release and compare published checksums before running. This is separate from Microsoft Store signing and certification.

Install and choose defaults

Run the installer and choose the installation directory. Application files and your profile are separate; changing the installation directory does not move the profile.

Use Settings → Search → Set browser as default to open Windows default-app selection. The installer also makes Vast available in Open with for PDFs. It does not silently replace your chosen PDF default.

Background updates for installed direct copies

Eligible packaged direct installations check for updates shortly after startup. When an update is available, Vast downloads it in the background and verifies it before preparing installation for the next launch.

Important for 0.4.2 users: its automatic updater can fail at the next-start installer handoff. The public legacy feed is therefore pinned to 0.4.2. Close Vast and run the 0.5.0 installer or standalone updater once. A direct-install upgrade preserves the profile. Installed 0.4.3 and later use stable-v2.yml for automatic updates to 0.5.0; latest.yml remains pinned to 0.4.2; do not wait for 0.4.2 to install 0.5.0 automatically.

Close Vast normally and reopen it to apply a prepared update. An external helper waits for the old browser process before installing. Windows may require an elevation prompt for protected installation locations. If the handoff cannot start, Vast keeps the current version available; failed attempts are bounded rather than retried indefinitely.

The installation and profile are matched when preparing an update, including custom installation and data paths. Portable, renamed executables, unpacked copies, development builds, and Store installations do not use this normal installed-browser automatic path. Read the update status in Settings when automatic updates are unavailable.

Standalone updater

The Vast 0.5.0 standalone updater downloads the public update manifest and verifies the update ZIP before replacing an existing direct installation’s runtime. It is not a fresh-install package.

Close Vast and use the updater for an existing direct installation. If installation detection fails, review the log and the updater’s explicit installation-path option instead of pointing it at a profile directory.

Do not use this executable for Microsoft Store/MSIX or Portable. A Store package must be updated by Microsoft Store. The standalone executable does not provide a Store migration or a dedicated MSIX-detection guarantee.

A 404 for the version’s public manifest means that release URL is unavailable. A private release candidate is not a public update feed. If you saw a stable-v2.yml 404 before the 0.5.0 publication, close and restart Vast to retry against the now-public release; if it persists, see Troubleshooting.

Portable updates

Close the portable browser, back up important data, and replace its executable with the new official Portable build. Keep its existing portable data directory. Do not run the installed-browser updater against the temporary extracted runtime of a portable executable.

Portable data can still contain OS-encrypted credentials and cookies that will not decrypt under another Windows account or on another computer.

Profile data and channel changes

Installed direct and Store builds use separate default profile roots; a custom data root selected in Settings takes precedence after restart. Portable builds use their separate portable location. Use Settings → Data → Open data folder to identify the profile actually in use.

Normal updates preserve profile data. Back up important data before a channel switch, close every Vast instance, and confirm the active profile after opening the other installation. Sharing a default path is not a guarantee that encrypted website sessions survive every migration or downgrade. See Data, Backup & Migration.

Verify a download

The release assets include SHA-256/SHA-512 lists, source provenance, update metadata, and FFmpeg corresponding source.

For example, compute a local installer hash in PowerShell:

Get-FileHash .\Vast-Setup-0.5.0.exe -Algorithm SHA256

Compare it with the matching installer entry in SHA256SUMS.txt. Do not run a file with a mismatching hash. The full update ZIP is an updater payload, not an MSIX package.