TextGen (ehemals text-generation-webui)

A desktop app for local language models: unzip, double-click, chat. No install, no cloud.

DifficultyBeginner

HardwareCPU is enough for small models · GPU (NVIDIA/AMD/Vulkan) or Apple Silicon is much faster

LicenseAGPL-3.0

LinksGitHub

TextGen from oobabooga is the successor to the popular text-generation-webui and now runs as a standalone desktop app in its own window. You download a ready-made package for your system with everything included, then chat offline with GGUF models. The app can also understand images and call tools. It sends no telemetry, and if you want, it provides an OpenAI-compatible API for other programs.

How to try it

Commands from the official guides – just copy them.

Linux

# 1. Download the right package from https://github.com/oobabooga/textgen/releases,
#    e.g. textgen-portable-4.9-linux-cpu.tar.gz (no GPU), -vulkan, -rocm7.2 (AMD) or -cuda12.4 / -cuda13.1 (NVIDIA)
# 2. Extract the package
tar -xzf textgen-portable-4.9-linux-cpu.tar.gz
# 3. Change into the extracted folder and start the app (a window opens)
cd <extracted-folder>
./textgen

macOS

# 1. Download the package from https://github.com/oobabooga/textgen/releases:
#    textgen-portable-4.9-macos-arm64.tar.gz (Apple Silicon) or -macos-x86_64.tar.gz (Intel)
# 2. Extract the package
tar -xzf textgen-portable-4.9-macos-arm64.tar.gz
# 3. Remove the macOS quarantine flag from the extracted folder (required per the official instructions)
xattr -cr /path/to/your/textgen-folder
# 4. Start the app
cd /path/to/your/textgen-folder
./textgen

Windows (PowerShell)

# 1. Download the right ZIP from https://github.com/oobabooga/textgen/releases,
#    e.g. textgen-portable-4.9-windows-cpu.zip, -vulkan, -rocm7.2 (AMD) or -cuda12.4 / -cuda13.1 (NVIDIA)
#    Tip: If nvidia-smi shows CUDA 13.1 or newer, pick cuda13.1, otherwise cuda12.4
# 2. Extract the ZIP (right-click > Extract All)
# 3. In the extracted folder, double-click textgen.bat and a window opens
.\textgen.bat

Commands from the official guide. New in the Toolbox since Nov 11, 2026.

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