Downloads and the desktop app
What this is for
Restodesk runs in a browser. There's one job a browser can't do on its own — printing straight to a USB printer without a dialogue — and that's what the desktop app is for.
Under Settings › Downloads and Settings › Desktop Application.
Do you need it?
| Your printers | Need the desktop app? |
|---|---|
| Network printers (have their own IP address) | No. Restodesk prints to them directly. |
| USB printers plugged into a computer | Yes, on that computer. |
| Browser popup printing only | No, but someone taps "print" every time. |
If you're buying printers, buy network ones. They print with no dialogue, no extra software and no computer that has to stay awake — which matters most in a kitchen at 8 pm.
What the desktop app does
Installed on a machine with a USB printer attached, it lets Restodesk send print jobs to that printer directly. No dialogue, no confirmation, no one standing there tapping.
The connection uses your Domain URL and a branch API key, both shown in the desktop application settings. The screen shows whether it's Connected or Disconnected — check that before troubleshooting anything else.
Installing it
- Go to Settings › Downloads and download the app.
- Install it on the machine with the printer attached.
- Enter the Domain URL and API key from your desktop application settings.
- Confirm the connection shows Connected.
- Add the printer in Settings › Printers as a USB Printer, with Direct Print.
- Test it.
The app must be running for printing to work. It's worth setting it to start automatically with the machine — a computer rebooted overnight with the app not running is a kitchen with no tickets in the morning.
Browser popup printing as a fallback
Without the desktop app, USB printers can still be used through Browser Popup Print — the browser's own print dialogue.
It works anywhere with no extra software, and it has two costs: someone confirms every print, and pop-ups must be allowed for the site. Allow them on every till before you need to.
Fine for a receipt printer at a staffed counter. Poor for a kitchen.
When printing stops
- Is the desktop app running on that machine, and does the connection show Connected?
- Is the printer on, connected and loaded?
- Does Settings › Printers show it online?
- Is it assigned to a kitchen or a POS terminal? A printer with no assignment prints nothing.
- Using popup printing? Allow pop-ups.
- Was the machine rebooted? The app may not have restarted.
See Receipts and printers for the full sequence.
Good to know
- The desktop app is per machine. Two computers with USB printers need it on both.
- The API key is per branch. Treat it like a password.
- Nothing else requires it. Restodesk itself runs entirely in the browser — see Signing in for the first time.
- A kitchen screen removes the need for kitchen printing altogether, which removes this problem with it.