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Getting started

These guides cover the full workspace included in the Pro trial. Compare Free, Starter and Pro for ongoing access; Assist and iPad Companion require Pro.

This takes you from nothing installed to Lexware open and ready — using a practice matter, so you don't have to touch any of your own files. It takes about five minutes.

What you'll need

• An Apple Silicon Mac, or a Windows PC. Check About This Mac for an Apple M-series chip; this release does not run on Intel Macs. On Windows it's Windows 10 or 11, with a build for Intel/AMD machines (x64) and one for Windows-on-ARM machines (arm64). Check Settings → System → About → System type to choose the right Windows build.
• An iPad running iPadOS 18 or later, if you want to use Lexware Companion. Companion works with Lexware running on the Mac or Windows computer; it is not a standalone copy of the matter.
• Nothing else to begin with. A few optional extras unlock extra features (more on those below), but you don't need any of them to get going.

Download and install

Start your free Pro trial, accept the licence agreement and verify your email. Your download page then offers the Mac, Windows x64 and Windows arm64 installers. No payment card is required; the two-month trial starts when you first open Lexware.

Start your free Pro trial Lexware Companion for iPad

On a Mac

The app is signed and notarised by Apple, so it opens normally — without the security warning, or the right-click-to-open workaround, that unsigned apps require.

1. Open the file you've just downloaded (it's named Lexware-macos-arm64.dmg).
2. Drag the Lexware icon into your Applications folder.
3. Open Lexware from Applications, the same way you'd open any other app.

On Windows

Not sure which button is yours? Choose x64 — it suits ordinary Intel/AMD PCs. The arm64 build is for Windows-on-ARM laptops, where it runs faster and lighter.

1. Run the file you've just downloaded (it's named Lexware-windows-x64-setup.exe or Lexware-windows-arm64-setup.exe).
2. The installer is digitally signed. If SmartScreen shows a warning, choose More info and check that the publisher is LEXWARE PTY LTD before choosing Run anyway.
3. Open Lexware from the Start menu, the same way you'd open any other app.

On an iPad

1. Install Lexware Companion from the App Store.
2. On the computer, open Settings → iPad access, turn on Allow iPad access, then choose Pair a device….
3. On Windows, if Windows Firewall asks, allow Lexware on private networks.
4. Open Lexware Companion and scan the QR code. Keep the computer awake with Lexware running, and connect both devices to the same local network or the computer's hotspot.

The desktop installers are on your personal download page after email verification; no beta password is needed. Lexware Companion is available through the App Store and requires Lexware running on your computer with an active Pro subscription or Pro trial.

Opening it for the first time

The welcome introduces reading shortcuts, search, the Intray and optional AI, then offers three starting points: Explore a sample matter, Set up a matter or Restore from a backup. You can restore an existing Lexware backup here without first creating an empty matter.

Choose Explore a sample matter to try the fictional Meridian Foods v Harlow Logistics brief, with documents, chronology entries, a transcript and other sample work already in place. It does not count against your plan's matter limit. When offered the guided tour, choose Start tour to walk through the real controls and every workspace section, or skip it and explore yourself. Replay it from Settings → Help & support → Show guided tour.

Once you reach the workspace, the dismissible Getting started checklist offers Outlook setup, your first backup and optional Ollama setup. They remain available later in Settings: Outlook, Backups and AI & extraction. The correspondence guide explains bringing in email.

Creating your first real matter

When it's time for a brief of your own, choose Set up a matter in the welcome, or New matter… from the matter menu at the top of the sidebar. Only the matter name is required; the proceeding number, court and brief colour are optional. Then pick how to begin:

• Import documents — choose a ZIP, including an eBrief Ready ZIP, or a compiled court-book PDF. Lexware creates the matter and opens an import preview; check it before confirming the documents to import.
• Use an existing brief folder — choose the folder. Lexware copies its documents into the matter and remembers the source folder for later checks. Your source files are never moved, renamed or changed.
• Start without documents — create the matter and add material later. The optional Standard filing structure supplies named groupings on Lexware's shelf; it creates no folders in your source brief.

Either way you land in the brief with a short note about the next step, and Importing a brief takes it from there.

Optional extras

You can read and organise a brief without these tools. Add them when you want the corresponding features; some options remain visible with setup instructions until the required tool is available. AI providers also need sign-in or model setup, and off-device AI needs consent for the open matter. The Assist guide explains those choices.

• Ollama — adds optional AI date extraction and Assist. The built-in rule-based pass finds dates without AI setup. Find Set up local AI (Ollama) in the Getting started checklist or Settings → AI & extraction. Ollama is local only when both its server and selected model run on this computer; a remote server or cloud model needs the matter's cloud-AI consent.
• Claude — uses Claude Code, Anthropic's command-line tool, installed and signed in with an eligible subscription. A browser login alone is not enough. Lexware does not ask you for an API key; your provider's subscription and usage limits apply.
• ChatGPT — uses OpenAI's Codex command-line tool, installed and signed in with an eligible subscription. A browser login alone is not enough. Lexware does not ask you for an API key; your provider's subscription and usage limits apply.
• External readers — send a document or exported bundle to LiquidText, or to DEVONthink or PDF Expert on Mac. Windows can fall back to its default PDF app if the LiquidText handoff fails. The Documents guide explains which copies include your markup.
• LibreOffice — an optional Word-preview converter that Lexware prefers when installed. Ordinary .docx files have a built-in preview on Mac and Windows. Mac also has a built-in path for older .doc files; Windows needs LibreOffice for those. Some complex Word documents still need the stronger converter or their original application.

Keeping Lexware desktop up to date

The desktop app checks for a new version when it opens and quietly re-checks while it's running. When one is ready, a small note appears — with the release notes a click away under Settings → About — and the update installs only when you choose Install and restart, so it never interrupts you mid-thought. After the restart, a one-time What's new card tells you what changed. You can also check yourself any time from Settings → About.

Lexware Companion updates are delivered through the App Store.

That's it — Lexware is on your machine and ready. Take the quick tour next: five minutes, and you'll know where everything lives.