Install Payroll Manager Desktop
Payroll Manager Desktop runs payroll on your own computer, for one employer or for every client of a bureau. It works on Windows 10 and 11 and on Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora and most other distributions, 64-bit). One licence covers both Payroll Manager Cloud and Payroll Manager Desktop.
Before you start
- A licence key from Payroll Manager Cloud (it looks like
PPM-AB12C-34DEF-56GHI-78JKL). You can also start without one and try the app with demo data. - An internet connection the first time, so Payroll Manager can download the current tax rules and check the licence. After that it works offline, but it needs to check for rule updates at least every 3 days before you can finalise a payroll (see Updates and tax rules).
Download
- Open manager.payflo.ie/download in your browser.
- Choose the file for your computer:
| File | Use it when |
|---|---|
Setup (…-win-x64-Setup.exe) |
Windows, the normal choice. Installs for your Windows user only (no administrator rights needed) and updates itself. |
Portable (…-win-x64-Portable.zip) |
Windows computers where you cannot install software. Unzip and run from the folder. It does not update itself. |
| .deb | Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint. |
| .rpm | Fedora, Red Hat, openSUSE. |
| AppImage | Any other Linux. One file, nothing to install. |
Install on Windows
- Open the downloaded Setup file.
- Pilot builds are not code-signed yet, so Windows may show Windows protected your PC. Choose More info, then Run anyway.
- Payroll Manager installs and opens. You find it later in the Start menu as PayFlo Payroll Manager.
Install on Linux
- .deb: open the file with your Software app, or run
sudo apt install ./PayFloPayrollManager-…-linux-x64.deb. - .rpm: open the file with your Software app, or run
sudo dnf install ./PayFloPayrollManager-…-linux-x64.rpm. - AppImage: make the file executable (right-click → Properties → Allow executing file as program, or
chmod +x) and open it. On the first start, the setup offers to install it for your user, with a menu entry.
Payroll Manager then appears in your applications menu as PayFlo Payroll Manager.
Start for the first time
The first time you open Payroll Manager, a short setup asks for your licence key, where your data should live, backups and a PIN. See First start: the setup wizard.
Where your data is kept
Your payroll is kept in one encrypted file in your user's data folder. The key to it is kept in the computer's own credential store (Windows Credential Manager, or the keyring on Linux), so the file cannot be read on another computer or by another user. To move to another computer, use a backup or a data file: see Backups and moving data.