Free GST Billing Support & About
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Install on a Mac, step by step

Paste one line into Terminal and press Return. About 3 minutes, no password, and no "Apple cannot check it" message. Every step says what you will see.

Which guide is mine?

Windows (most PCs and laptops): Install on Windows. Mac (Apple logo top left): Install on a Mac. Linux or a NAS: Install on Linux or a NAS. Already installed? Updating. Wondering whether it is safe? Is it safe? Security and privacy.

#Before you start

  • macOS 11 Big Sur or newer. To check: click the Apple menu (the apple logo at the top left), then About This Mac.
  • Internet for the install. After that the app works offline.
  • About 600 MB of free space.

#Install with one line

  1. Copy this lineClick the Copy button at the right end of the line below. (Or select all of it and press Cmd + C.) 
    curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/IamRamgarhia/Free-GST-Billing-Software/main/install.sh | bash
  2. Open TerminalPress Cmd + Space, type Terminal and press Return. A plain text window opens. (More help: Opening Terminal on a Mac.)
  3. Paste and press ReturnPress Cmd + V, then Return.
  4. Watch it workIt shows four steps, each ending in OK: [1/4] Checking this computer, [2/4] Downloading (also Node.js, the engine the app runs on, if this Mac does not have it), [3/4] Installing, [4/4] Adding icons.
  5. Answer two questionsAdd Free GST Billing to the Dock? [y/N] and Open Free GST Billing by itself when this computer starts? [y/N]. Type y and press Return for yes, or just Return for no.
  6. The app opensIt says Done! Opening Free GST Billing... and the app appears in its own window if you have Chrome or Edge, or in Safari otherwise. A short welcome asks for your business details; see The first-run setup. You can close Terminal.

Every day after that: click Free GST Billing in the Dock or in Launchpad. (It lives in the Applications folder inside your home folder: Finder → Go → Home → Applications.)

To update or repair it: paste the same line again. It backs up your data to Documents/FreeGSTBill Backups and replaces only the app's own files; your invoices, clients and settings stay as they are.

If something goes wrong, Terminal shows PROBLEM and, under it, what to do. Do that, then paste the line again.

The app's files are in Applications/Free GST Billing in your home folder; your data is in _system/data inside it.

#Removing the app

The easy way: in the app, open Control Panel and use Remove…, then tick what else to delete. See Remove the App.

Or paste this into Terminal and press Return:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/IamRamgarhia/Free-GST-Billing-Software/main/install.sh | bash -s -- --uninstall

It removes the app and its icon. Your invoices are kept unless you type DELETE when it asks. If the app is in the Dock, drag it out.

#Other way: download the ZIP

Three parts: install Node.js, download the app, open it. About 10 minutes.

#Part 1: Install Node.js (once)

Node.js is free software the app runs on. It installs like any other Mac app.

  1. Go to nodejs.orgOpen nodejs.org/en/download in Safari or Chrome.
  2. Download the macOS InstallerClick the button for the macOS Installer (.pkg) of the LTS version. (LTS means the stable version.)
  3. Open the downloaded fileClick the download arrow in your browser, or open Finder → Downloads, and double-click the file whose name starts with node-v and ends in .pkg.
  4. Click through the installerContinue, Continue, Agree, Install. Type your Mac password when asked and click Install Software. Then Close. (If it asks to move the installer to the Bin, that is fine.)

#Part 2: Download and unzip the app

  1. DownloadDownload Free GST Billing
  2. Find it in DownloadsOpen Finder (the blue face in the Dock) and click Downloads on the left. Safari usually unzips it for you, so you see a folder called Free-GST-Billing. If you see Free-GST-Billing.zip instead, double-click it to unzip.
  3. Move the folder to DocumentsDrag the Free-GST-Billing folder onto Documents on the left of Finder, so it is not deleted when Downloads is cleared. Your invoices will be kept inside it.

#Part 3: Open it the first time

Apple asks you to confirm apps that are not from the App Store. This is needed once.

  1. Control-click the launcherIn the Free-GST-Billing folder, hold the Control key and click Free GST Billing - MAC (or right-click it, or click with two fingers on a trackpad). Choose Open.
  2. ConfirmA box says macOS cannot check the developer. Click Open.
  3. On macOS 15 Sequoia or newer, if there is no Open buttonClick Done. Open the Apple menu (the apple logo) → System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down to the message about Free GST Billing - MAC, click Open Anyway, type your password, then Open Anyway again.
  4. A Terminal window opensIt is a plain text window; you do not need to type anything in it. (A download from before version 1.10.83 asks Install now? [Y/n]: press Return.)
  5. Wait up to a minuteWhen it says Server running. This window can be closed, the app opens in your browser at http://localhost:47371.
  6. Close the Terminal windowThe app keeps running. A short welcome asks for your business details; see The first-run setup.

#If the Mac shows a message

  • "could not be executed because you do not have appropriate access privileges": you have a download from before v1.10.82. Download it again (Part 2), or fix this copy: open Terminal (see Opening Terminal on a Mac), type chmod +x and a space, drag Free GST Billing - MAC from Finder into the Terminal window, press Return, then go back to Part 3.
  • "Node.js is not installed" in the Terminal window: do Part 1, then open the launcher again. If it asks Open the Node.js download page now? [y/N], type y and press Return.
  • "Node.js ... is too old": install the current LTS from nodejs.org (Part 1); it replaces the old one.
  • "The app cannot reach the internet" or the install stops: check the Wi-Fi, then open the launcher again; it carries on.

More in The Mac will not open the launcher.

#Every day after that

  1. Double-click "Free GST Billing - MAC"After the first time, a normal double-click works. If the app is already running it just opens your browser.

Tip: make a Desktop shortcut. Control-click the launcher → Make Alias, and drag the alias to your Desktop. You can also bookmark http://localhost:47371 in your browser; it works while the app is running.

To stop the app: in the app open Control Panel in the sidebar and click Stop Server. Restarting the Mac also stops it.

Your data is in Free-GST-Billing/_system/data. Updating: see Updating on a Mac; never drag a new download over the old folder.

Free GST Billing Software is free and open source under the MIT licence, made by DiceCodes. Something wrong or missing on this page? Tell us on GitHub.