Windows Desktop App

Install and use the InfinitelyZero Windows desktop app: Local vs Cloud storage, backups, encryption, updates, and platform details.

InfinitelyZero is available as a native Windows desktop application. It delivers the same budgeting experience as the web app — in a dedicated window on your PC, without needing a browser. For the product overview, see the Windows budgeting app page.

What is the desktop app?

The Windows desktop app is a native application you install on your PC. The budgeting features — accounts, categories, transactions, plans, bills, and reports — are identical to the web experience.

The desktop app is designed for users who prefer a dedicated application rather than keeping a browser tab open. It supports both Local and Cloud storage modes, native Windows file dialogs for backups. Update behavior depends on how the app was installed.

Local vs Cloud on desktop

When you open the desktop app, you choose whether to store your budget data locally on this PC (Desktop Local) or in the InfinitelyZero Cloud (Desktop Cloud).

Desktop Local

Desktop Local stores each budget's encrypted financial state in application storage for this Windows installation. It does not expose the live budget as a normal user-editable database or file.

The Local budget is kept on this PC and is not automatically copied to InfinitelyZero Cloud. Optional online features may still send limited task-specific data when you choose to use them.
Local budgets are separated by InfinitelyZero user account — signing in with a different account will not expose another user's local budgets.
Desktop Local does not automatically sync to other computers. Each PC has its own independent local storage.
To move your budget to another PC, export a backup and restore it on the destination machine.

Warning: Keep regular exported backups of Desktop Local data. Do not rely on uninstalling and reinstalling the application to preserve it; a recent backup is the dependable recovery method.

Note: Desktop Local and Web Local (browser) are separate storage environments. A budget stored in the desktop app's Local mode will not appear in a browser's Local mode, and vice versa. See Local and Cloud Editions for a full comparison.

Desktop Cloud

In Cloud mode, your budget data is stored in InfinitelyZero's Cloud service — the same cloud storage used by the web app. Cloud data is available on any supported device after signing in with your account. A Cloud subscription is required.

Local encryption and everyday unlock

Windows stores each Local budget's protected key in Windows Credential Manager, where it is backed by DPAPI for the current Windows user. The desktop app uses that native key wrapper during ordinary launches and budget opens. You should not need to enter a recovery key, recovery kit, or recovery passphrase as part of everyday native use.

Recovery material is used for first-time setup, a lost or invalid platform key, a new device or reinstall/restore, or an explicit recovery action. It unlocks encrypted Local data that still exists; it is not a backup copy of the budget.

Switching between Local and Cloud on the desktop app works the same way as in the web app: switching changes which storage is active but does not copy or move any data.

Desktop backups

Desktop backups are files you export from InfinitelyZero. You choose where to save them each time. InfinitelyZero does not currently operate its own desktop cloud-backup service — your backup files are yours to store and manage.

Backup formats

.izbackup: A full backup of your entire InfinitelyZero data — all budgets, accounts, transactions, and settings. Use this to fully restore or transfer everything at once.
.izbudget: A backup of a single budget. Use this to back up or share one budget independently of the others.

Choosing where to save backups

When you create a backup, a Windows file dialog opens and you choose the destination. You can save the backup file to any location available on that dialog:

A local folder on your PC.
An external drive or USB stick.
A NAS or network location mapped as a drive.
A folder managed by a third-party sync or backup service — such as OneDrive, Proton Drive, Google Drive, or Dropbox — so the file is copied off your PC automatically by that service.

Tip: Saving your backup to a folder that a third-party service already syncs is a convenient way to keep an off-device copy. InfinitelyZero does not integrate directly with these services — you are simply choosing a folder they already manage. Synchronizing that backup file is not live synchronization of the Local budget inside InfinitelyZero.

How to create a desktop backup

Open Menu → Budgets & Storage → Backup & Restore in the desktop app and choose the backup option. A Windows file dialog will appear. Choose a file name and destination, then save. The backup file is written immediately.

How to restore a desktop backup

Open Menu → Budgets & Storage → Backup & Restore and choose Import Backup. A Windows file dialog will open. Navigate to your backup file and select it. InfinitelyZero will read the file and restore your data to the currently active storage mode.

Warning: Make sure the correct storage mode (Local or Cloud) is active before restoring. The backup will be restored to whichever storage is currently selected.

Backup encryption

Desktop backup files are encrypted with a password. That password is required to restore the file, and InfinitelyZero cannot recover or reset a forgotten backup password. The backup password is separate from the Local recovery key and recovery passphrase.

Windows Credential Manager

InfinitelyZero can offer to save your backup password using Windows Credential Manager — a secure part of Windows that stores credentials for your current Windows user profile. If you accept, the password can be recalled automatically the next time you create or restore a backup on the same PC and profile, without re-entering it.

Note: Windows Credential Manager can contain two separate kinds of InfinitelyZero secret: the app-managed key used for routine Local-budget unlock and, if you choose, a remembered backup password. Neither Credential Manager nor DPAPI is itself a backup.

Warning: Windows Credential Manager stores credentials for your current Windows user profile. If you reinstall Windows, switch to a different user profile, or move to a different PC, the saved password will not be available there. Keep a copy of your backup password in a safe place that is independent of this machine.

Closing and backup behavior

Closing the desktop app window with the standard × button performs a normal close and does not create a backup.

To perform the configured Backup-on-Close operation and close the app in one step, use InfinitelyZero's power button: Save & Close.

Note: The normal operating-system X is not the same as Save & Close and bypasses the Backup-on-Close operation.

Keyboard shortcuts

InfinitelyZero includes configurable keyboard shortcuts for opening Dashboard, Budget, Cash Flow, Transactions, Reports, and Planning Hub; adding a transaction; and moving to the previous or next main section. Review or customize them in App Info.

The defaults use Alt+1 through Alt+6 for the main sections, Alt+Shift+1 through Alt+Shift+6 for the same destinations, Alt+N for a new transaction, and Alt+Shift+Left or Alt+Shift+Right for the previous or next section.

Desktop updates

Update behavior depends on the installation channel. This distinction does not imply that every channel is currently publicly available.

Direct-download desktop

The normal direct-download desktop release uses InfinitelyZero's desktop release path and may check for signed updates through the in-app updater described below.

Microsoft Store desktop

For a Microsoft Store installation, Microsoft Store manages installation and updates. The Store build does not use InfinitelyZero's direct-download updater.

Checking for direct-download updates

Open App Info in the desktop app. The current version and update status are shown there. If a newer version is available, you will see the option to download it. The app may also notify you when an update is found.

How direct-download updates work

Downloading an update and installing it are two separate steps. You stay in control of when the installation happens:

An update is found and shown in App Info.
You choose to download it. The download runs in the background.
Once downloaded, you choose Install and restart when you are ready.
The app restarts with the new version installed.

The update will not install without your confirmation. You can continue using the app normally after a download until you choose to install.

Signed update verification

Direct-download updates are signed and verified before installation. This helps confirm that a downloaded update came from InfinitelyZero and has not been altered in transit.

Uninstall and reinstall

Uninstalling the desktop app removes the application from your PC. Backup files you have saved to other locations — a folder, an external drive, a cloud-synced folder — are separate from the app installation and are not affected.

Warning: Internal app data on the PC may be removed when you uninstall. Export a backup before uninstalling if you want to preserve your Desktop Local budget data.

To reinstall, download and run the InfinitelyZero installer again. After reinstalling, use the restore option to import your budget from a backup file.

InfinitelyZero recommends keeping at least one recent exported backup in a location outside the application — an external drive, a cloud-synced folder, or another safe location — so you can restore your data after any reinstall or PC change.

Platform support

The Windows desktop app is the currently supported desktop platform. macOS and Linux desktop apps are not currently available.