> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.comfy.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Managing Installations

> Launch, update, snapshot, and manage your ComfyUI installations

## The Manage Panel

The Manage panel content varies by instance type. The screenshots on this page show a **local standalone installation**. Cloud and remote instances have fewer tabs and settings.

Select **Manage** on an installation to open the settings panel.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/dripart/nieA_of_7hwqPqsM/images/desktop/usage/instance_settings_00.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=nieA_of_7hwqPqsM&q=85&s=7069079b3cd67b0601b336a0decdd6d8" alt="Accessing the Manage panel" width="1885" height="1344" data-path="images/desktop/usage/instance_settings_00.png" />

* Open the **Chooser** view (the home screen showing all your instances)
* Click the ⋮ icon on an instance card
* Select **Manage** from the context menu

The panel has six tabs:

### Update Tab

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/dripart/nieA_of_7hwqPqsM/images/desktop/usage/instance_settings_01_update.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=nieA_of_7hwqPqsM&q=85&s=748eff9f89b69d53f4f3b55432d38334" alt="Update tab" width="1885" height="1399" data-path="images/desktop/usage/instance_settings_01_update.png" />

This tab shows the current version, lets you check for updates, and configure the update channel.

* **Version**：Shows the current installed version and whether it's up to date.
* **Last checked**：Displays when updates were last checked.
* **Check for update**：Manually check for a new version.
* **Update Channel**：Choose the update channel from the dropdown:
  * **Stable** — Tested releases, recommended for most users. Default option.
  * **Latest on GitHub** — Newest commits from the master branch.

### Startup Args Tab

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/dripart/nieA_of_7hwqPqsM/images/desktop/usage/instance_settings_02_startup_args.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=nieA_of_7hwqPqsM&q=85&s=e24bdb16bce09e110d9e49360afda607" alt="Startup Args tab" width="1885" height="1399" data-path="images/desktop/usage/instance_settings_02_startup_args.png" />

Configure startup CLI arguments, launch mode, browser cache sharing, port conflict behavior, and environment variables.

* **Startup Arguments**：Custom CLI arguments for ComfyUI (e.g., `--enable-manager`). Click the gear icon for options.
* **Launch Mode**：Choose between **App window** (embedded) or **Browser tab**.
* **Browser Cache**：**Unique to this install** or **Shared across instances**.
* **If Port is Busy**：**Ask what to do**, **Auto-select a different port**, or **Fail to launch**.
* **Environment Variables**：Add custom environment variables with the **+ Add Variable** button.

<CardGroup cols={1}>
  <Card title="Startup Flags Reference" icon="book-open" href="/development/comfyui-server/startup-flags">
    See the full list of ComfyUI startup flags available for Startup Arguments.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Snapshots Tab

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/dripart/nieA_of_7hwqPqsM/images/desktop/usage/instance_settings_03_snapshots.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=nieA_of_7hwqPqsM&q=85&s=079a173c4b066f97aa4cb88fb5bc0ac4" alt="Snapshots tab" width="1885" height="1399" data-path="images/desktop/usage/instance_settings_03_snapshots.png" />

View, import, export, and create snapshots. Each entry shows version changes and package statistics.

* **Timeline**：Lists all snapshots chronologically with version changes and stats.
* **Latest**：Shows when the most recent snapshot was taken.
* **Import**：Import a snapshot from a file.
* **Export All**：Export all snapshots as a backup.
* **Create Snapshot**：Manually create a new snapshot at any time.
* Each snapshot entry shows:
  * Version change (e.g., `v0.20.1 → v0.24.1`)
  * Package changes
  * Node and package counts
  * **Export** and **Delete** buttons

<CardGroup cols={1}>
  <Card title="Complete Snapshot Management" icon="camera" href="/installation/desktop/usage/snapshots">
    Learn about automatic snapshots, comparison, and full snapshot management.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

### Storage Tab

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/dripart/nieA_of_7hwqPqsM/images/desktop/usage/instance_settings_04_storage.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=nieA_of_7hwqPqsM&q=85&s=31435bc61e15b0da07cf8ec62515fcab" alt="Storage tab" width="1885" height="1399" data-path="images/desktop/usage/instance_settings_04_storage.png" />

Configure shared model and input/output directory usage, and view the shared models list with Primary directory.

* **Use Shared Models**：Toggle whether this instance uses the shared model directories.
* **Use Shared Input/Output Folders**：Toggle whether this instance uses the shared input/output paths.
* **Shared Models**：Lists all shared model directories. The **Primary** directory is where new models save by default. See [Settings Storage](/installation/desktop/usage/settings#storage) for details.
* **Input Directory**：Where this instance looks for input files.
* **Output Directory**：Where this instance saves generated outputs.

### Console Tab

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/dripart/nieA_of_7hwqPqsM/images/desktop/usage/instance_settings_05_console.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=nieA_of_7hwqPqsM&q=85&s=257924bc82578b4702213dcc31e69f8a" alt="Console tab" width="1885" height="1399" data-path="images/desktop/usage/instance_settings_05_console.png" />

View live terminal output from the ComfyUI backend process, useful for debugging startup logs and errors.

A live terminal showing the ComfyUI backend process output.

* Useful for debugging: you can see startup logs, errors, and Python output in real time.

### About Tab

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/dripart/nieA_of_7hwqPqsM/images/desktop/usage/instance_settings_05_about.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=nieA_of_7hwqPqsM&q=85&s=4e6ed3c2e81e310bf0330fe898341403" alt="About tab" width="1885" height="1399" data-path="images/desktop/usage/instance_settings_05_about.png" />

View installation details: ComfyUI version, hardware, Python and PyTorch versions, disk path, and usage.

* **Current Version**：The installed ComfyUI version.
* **Hardware**：Detected hardware (e.g., `Apple Silicon (MPS)`).
* **Python**：Bundled Python version.
* **PyTorch**：Included PyTorch version.
* **Location**：The full installation path on disk. Click the copy button to copy it.
* **Disk Usage**：How much disk space the installation uses.

## Installation Actions

Right-click an installation card (or click the ⋮ icon) to access actions. See the [Instance Management](/installation/desktop/usage/instance-management) page for a full list of actions.