Want a friendly animated companion living on your screen but not sure where to start? This step-by-step guide shows you exactly how to get a virtual pet on your computer using Luna, a free desktop dog for macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Step 1: Choose your platform
Luna runs natively on all three major operating systems. Identify which one you are on:
- macOS — Apple Silicon or Intel Macs running Ventura, Sonoma, or Sequoia.
- Windows — Windows 10 or Windows 11.
- Linux — Ubuntu, Debian, Arch, Fedora, and other major distributions.
Step 2: Download the installer
Head to the download section and pick the file for your platform: a .dmg for macOS, a .exe installer for Windows, or a universal .AppImage for Linux.
Step 3: Install
Installation is quick:
- macOS: Open the .dmg and drag Luna into your Applications folder. If macOS says the app is "damaged," run
xattr -cr /Applications/"Luna Desktop Dog.app"in Terminal — this simply clears the quarantine flag on independently distributed apps. - Windows: Run the .exe and follow the setup wizard. No special permissions are needed.
- Linux: Make the AppImage executable with
chmod +x, then run it.
Step 4: Meet your pet
Launch Luna and she appears on your desktop within seconds. Move your cursor and watch her eyes follow. Click on her to pet her. Right-click to open her menu, where you can feed her, play games, and open Settings.
Step 5: Make her yours
In Settings you can rename her, resize her, pick a color palette, add accessories, and choose between vector or pixel art. Set her needs-decay speed to match how much attention you want to give her.
That is it — a virtual pet on your computer in under five minutes. Download Luna free and get started.