Windows 64

Requirements

Windows 10 or Windows 11, 64-bit (x64)
An internet connection for the download, the robot skill store and sign-in

Nothing else needs to be installed first. ARCx includes everything it needs to run.

Install

Download the installer:

https://synthiam.com/api/download/builder?arcx=true

The file is named ARCx Installer Windows 64 (Pro).exe.
Run the installer and follow the prompts.
The installer adds three shortcuts to the Start menu and the desktop. They are explained in the next section.

How ARCx runs: a server and a browser

ARCx is not a normal Windows program with its own window. It comes in two parts:

The ARCx server. This is the program that does the work. It connects to your robot, runs your project, scripts and robot skills, and talks to the Synthiam website. It runs in a black console window full of text messages. That console window is ARCx. If it is closed, ARCx is not running.
The ARCx interface. This is what you see and click on. It is a web page that the server provides, so you view it in a web browser such as Edge, Chrome or Firefox. The browser is only a screen for the server. Closing the browser does not stop ARCx or your robot, and opening the browser does not start ARCx.

Because the interface is a web page, it can be opened from this PC or, if you allow it, from a phone, tablet or another computer. The server shortcut you choose decides who is allowed to connect.

You only ever run one server at a time. Pick one of the two server shortcuts; do not start both.

The three shortcuts

Shortcut	What it starts	Who can open the interface
ARCx Server (Local Only)	The ARCx server	Only this PC
ARCx Server (Bind Any)	The ARCx server	This PC, plus any device that can reach this PC over the network
ARCx GUI (Launch Browser)	Nothing. It only opens a browser tab	Connects to the server already running on this PC

ARCx Server (Local Only)

Use this one unless you have a reason not to. It is the safest choice.

It starts the ARCx server and opens the interface in your web browser at http://127.0.0.1:5000.
The server only accepts connections from this PC. A phone, tablet or another computer cannot open the interface, even on your home network, and nothing from the internet can reach it.
Use it when you sit at the PC that is connected to the robot.

ARCx Server (Bind Any)

Use this one when you want to control ARCx from a different device, such as a phone, a tablet, or a laptop in another room.

It starts the same ARCx server, but the server accepts connections on every network the PC is connected to (it is started with -b http://0.0.0.0:5000).
On this PC, the interface still opens at http://127.0.0.1:5000.
Any device on the same network can open the interface by browsing to this PC's address, for example http://192.168.1.25:5000. See Connect from another device for how to find the address.
The first time you start it, Windows Firewall asks whether to allow ARCx. Allow it on Private networks only.
It is not reachable from the internet unless you deliberately open or forward port 5000 in your router or firewall. If you do that, anyone on the internet who finds the address can use ARCx.

Warning: ARCx has no login screen of its own. Anyone who can open the interface can control the robot, run scripts, and read or delete files on this PC. Only use Bind Any on a network you trust, such as your home network. Never use it on public Wi-Fi (coffee shops, hotels, schools, airports).

Do not tick "Stay signed in" if ARCx can be reached from the internet. When you sign in to your Synthiam account in ARCx, the Stay signed in box keeps your account signed in on this PC. Anyone who connects to the interface is then using ARCx as you, with your account and your subscription. If ARCx is exposed to the internet, leave Stay signed in unticked.

ARCx GUI (Launch Browser)

This shortcut does not start ARCx. It is only a web link to http://127.0.0.1:5000, the same as typing that address into your browser.

Use it when the ARCx server is already running (the console window is open) but you closed the browser tab or window. Click it to get the interface back.
If the server is not running, the browser shows that it cannot connect. Start ARCx Server (Local Only) or ARCx Server (Bind Any) first.
You do not have to use this shortcut. Typing http://127.0.0.1:5000 or localhost:5000 into the address bar of any browser does the same thing. You can also bookmark it.

Run

Start ARCx Server (Local Only) or ARCx Server (Bind Any) from the Start menu or desktop.
A console window opens and shows the ARCx start-up messages. Leave it open; this window is ARCx. You can minimize it.
Your default web browser opens the interface at http://127.0.0.1:5000. If it does not, or if you closed the tab, use the ARCx GUI (Launch Browser) shortcut or type that address into any browser.

Stop

Click the ARCx console window and press Ctrl+C, or close the console window. Allow around 20 seconds for a clean shutdown.

Closing the browser tab does not stop ARCx. The server and your robot keep running until the console window is closed.

Open a project automatically

To open a project every time ARCx starts, add -f and the project file to the server shortcut you use:

Right-click the ARCx Server (Local Only) or ARCx Server (Bind Any) shortcut and choose Properties.
At the end of Target, after the closing quote and after anything already there, add:
```
 -f "C:\Users\<you>\Documents\ARCx Data\My Projects\MyRobot.arcx"
```
Click OK.

Connect from another device

To use a phone, tablet or another PC:

On the PC connected to the robot, start ARCx with the ARCx Server (Bind Any) shortcut. Close any ARCx that is already running first.
When Windows Firewall asks, allow ARCx on Private networks only.
Find this PC's IP address: open a Command Prompt and run ipconfig. Look for IPv4 Address (for example 192.168.1.25).
On the other device, connect to the same network and browse to http://192.168.1.25:5000 (use your own address). Do not use 127.0.0.1 or localhost on the other device; those addresses always mean "this device", not the ARCx PC.

Warning: ARCx has no login. Anyone who can reach that address can control the robot and read or delete files on this PC. Do not allow ARCx on public networks, and do not tick Stay signed in if ARCx can be reached from the internet.

Browser windows

Robot skills and scripts can show web pages - a robot face, a dashboard, a video call, a kiosk screen - in Chromium windows on the monitors plugged into this PC. Chromium ships inside ARCx, so there is nothing to install. Views, Browser Windows lists them and has a form to try one. If a window opens but stays black or blank, turn off GPU acceleration there and press Restart.

Browser data (cookies and site storage) is kept in C:\ProgramData\ARCx Data\Browser Data.

Update

When the interface shows that an update is available:

Stop ARCx (Ctrl+C in the console window).
Download and run the latest installer from the link above.

Your projects and settings in Documents\ARCx Data are kept.

Uninstall

Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps, find ARCx, and choose Uninstall.
Optional: to remove your projects and settings too, delete these folders:
- Documents\ARCx Data
- C:\ProgramData\ARCx Data

Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
The console window opens and closes straight away	Another program is already using port 5000, or another copy of ARCx is running (for example, both server shortcuts were started). Close the other copy, or start ARCx with a different port: `-b http://127.0.0.1:5001`
The browser says it cannot connect	ARCx is still starting, or it is not running. The ARCx GUI (Launch Browser) shortcut does not start ARCx; check that the console window is open, then refresh.
Another device cannot connect	Check that ARCx was started with the ARCx Server (Bind Any) shortcut, that the firewall allowed it on the network you are using, that both devices are on the same network, and that you used the PC's IPv4 address, not `127.0.0.1`.
Start-up log	`Documents\ARCx Data\Logs`
A browser window does not appear	Open Diagnostics in ARCx; the Browser Windows section says why. Chromium's own log is `C:\ProgramData\ARCx Data\Logs\browser-cef.log`.