Install

Trace Eagle ships as a desktop app for macOS, Windows, and Linux. Phone traffic (iOS, Android) is also captured through a connected computer, so no matter what you want to capture, the desktop app is where you start.

Grab the installer for your platform from the download page.

macOS

1. Download the version for your chip (Apple Silicon or Intel).
2. Open the .dmg and drag the app into Applications.
3. On first launch, if the system blocks it, go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and click “Open Anyway” to allow it.

Windows

1. Download the installer (.exe), run it, and follow the prompts to install.
2. NIC capture depends on the Npcap driver; the app installs it automatically when needed, so you don’t have to download it separately.
3. Launch it from the Start menu.

Linux

1. Download the AppImage or .deb.
2. AppImage: add executable permission with chmod +x, then run it directly; .deb: install with your package manager.
3. Launch it from the application menu or terminal.

About permissions

Low-level capture methods like NIC capture and system-level capture need higher system privileges. The first time you use them, the app requests authorization (administrator / root on macOS / Linux, administrator on Windows); just approve. It’s usually not needed for proxy capture and per-process capture alone.

Note

Authorization is used only for the capture itself. After you stop capturing, the app automatically restores any network settings it changed (such as the system proxy), and there’s a recovery fallback for abnormal exits too, so it won’t break your normal internet access.

After installing

Open the app and you’ll see an empty request list waiting for traffic. Then follow Getting Started to capture your first request.