Installing on Windows¶

Prerequisites¶

1. Python 3.12 or newer. Download from https://www.python.org/downloads/windows/. During installation, tick "Add Python to PATH".

2. pipx (recommended). After Python is installed, open a Command Prompt or PowerShell window and run:

python -m pip install --user pipx python -m pipx ensurepath

Close and reopen your terminal so the new PATH takes effect.

Install lights-off¶

pipx install lights-off

That is all. pipx creates an isolated environment and adds the lights-off command to your PATH automatically.

Launch¶

lights-off

Or search for lights-off in the Start menu if your %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Python\... Scripts folder is in PATH.

Screen readers on Windows¶

Lights Off uses Tolk, a Windows-native library that can talk to NVDA, JAWS, or fall back to SAPI. See Screen Readers — Windows for details and troubleshooting.

Upgrading¶

pipx upgrade lights-off

Uninstalling¶

pipx uninstall lights-off

Building a standalone executable¶

If you want a single .exe that does not require Python to be installed, see scripts/build.bat in the repository. It uses Nuitka to compile the application:

pip install nuitka
scripts\build.bat

The output lands in c:\tempbuild\quinter.dist\. Run scripts\copy.bat to assemble the final distribution folder.

Note: The Nuitka build is optional. Most users should just use pipx.