Is it already running?
XDM keeps running in the background when you close its window, to capture browser downloads. Look for its icon in the system tray (Windows, Linux) or menu bar (macOS) and click it to bring the window back.
Two versions installed
XDM 8 and XDM 9 can’t run side by side. Both need port 8597, so the second one may exit or misbehave. Remove the old version as explained in Update & migrate.
Linux: blank or tiny window
- On Wayland, toggle Settings → Advanced → Native Wayland (or start with the environment
variable
XDM_WAYLAND=0) to run through XWayland instead. - On X11 with fractional scaling, update to the latest XDM. Scaling support has improved.
Reset XDM’s settings
As a last resort, quit XDM and rename its settings folder so XDM starts fresh:
| OS | Folder |
|---|---|
| Windows | %USERPROFILE%\.xdm-app |
| macOS / Linux | ~/.xdm-app |
Renaming (instead of deleting) lets you go back. The folder also holds your download list.
Report the problem
If XDM still doesn’t start, open an issue on GitHub with your OS
version and the newest file from the logs folder inside the settings folder.