Amazon Quick Reaches Desktop—Free Access Ends After 30 Days
Amazon Quick is now generally available as a desktop application for Windows and macOS. Amazon’s September 9 product update also says its cloud-based agents can continue working after a laptop is closed, with chats, folders and other activity synchronized across desktop and mobile devices.
The immediate setup gates are the user’s plan, computer and—at larger organizations—the identity configuration. AWS’s desktop setup documentation says access is included with Plus and Enterprise accounts, Free accounts can use the application during their first 30 days, Enterprise sign-in requires administrator-configured extension access, and supported computers need macOS 12 or later on Apple Silicon or 64-bit Windows 10 or later on x86_64 hardware, at least 8 GB of RAM, 500 MB for installation and preferably 10 GB or more for indexing and knowledge-graph features.
Each account tier follows a different sign-in path
Plus users can download the installer, open the application and choose Continue with. The available personal-account providers include email, Amazon, Apple, Google and GitHub. Quick opens its Home screen after provider authentication and any required multifactor check.
Free users follow the same provider-based route, but desktop eligibility is temporary. The limit applies to access through the desktop application; it does not mean that the underlying Free account is automatically closed when the evaluation period ends.
Enterprise users select Continue with SSO instead of a personal provider. They may select their organization’s AWS Region or let Quick detect it dynamically, then authenticate through the corporate identity service. That route will not work until the organization has enabled desktop extension access.
The installer is smaller than Quick’s working storage allowance
On macOS, the documented process is to download and open the DMG package, move Amazon Quick into Applications, and launch it from Applications or Launchpad. The published processor requirement excludes Intel-based Macs even if they run a recent version of macOS.
On Windows, users download the x64 EXE package, run it and follow the installer prompts before opening Quick from the Start menu or desktop shortcut. The first launch can trigger a macOS security notice or Windows SmartScreen prompt, so an organization distributing the application to managed devices may need to approve the package through its normal endpoint controls.
The installation footprint should not be treated as the full storage budget. Quick can index permitted local content and use it for its personal knowledge graph, making the larger recommended allowance relevant to deployments that enable those features. Internet connectivity is also required for sign-in, model access and connected services.
Enterprise distribution must wait for administrator configuration
Enterprise deployment has an organizational prerequisite that Plus and Free installations do not: an administrator must configure access for the desktop extension before employees download or receive the application. Distributing the installer first can leave users with a visible SSO option that cannot complete authentication.
After the configuration is in place, IT can install the application on a test device, choose Continue with SSO and verify that the corporate authentication route succeeds before wider distribution. Users then sign in with the identity already managed by their organization rather than selecting one of the personal-account providers.
The account’s AWS Region also matters. Desktop availability depends on a Region supporting the full Amazon Quick feature set; a Region limited to Quick Sight capabilities does not provide the desktop application. Restricted corporate networks must also allow traffic to the relevant Quick and identity-service endpoints.
Local folders and cloud services connect separately
Quick’s initial onboarding divides work context into email and calendar, messaging, and local files. A user may connect a category immediately, dismiss it or skip onboarding and return later through Settings, Capabilities and Connectors.
Local content is added by granting Quick access to selected folders on the computer. Those folder permissions determine which files can participate in local search indexing and the personal knowledge graph, allowing directories outside the approved scope to remain unindexed.
Cloud work data follows a different path: each service opens its own authentication and permission flow. Supported examples include Microsoft Outlook, Gmail, Google Calendar, Slack, Microsoft Teams and Google Drive. Access therefore depends on the third-party account and permissions granted to Quick, not on the folders selected for local indexing.
The new mobile activity feed builds on those connections rather than replacing them. GeekWire’s September 10 coverage describes a synchronized feed that combines items from email, Slack, calendars and CRM systems, while cloud-hosted agents continue assigned work after the computer is closed.
The Free deadline creates a defined upgrade decision
A Free user reaches the decision point when the initial desktop evaluation expires. Continuing in the installed application requires a plan that includes desktop access; retaining a Free account does not extend the desktop entitlement.
The general-availability position is therefore clear: Plus users can install and authenticate through a supported provider, Enterprise users depend on administrator-enabled extension access and working SSO, and Free users have a limited evaluation path. Once authentication succeeds, local folder permissions and separately authorized business-service connectors determine which work context Quick can use.
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