Deploying to endpoints

To back up a computer with Arq Pro you install the Arq app on it and activate it with your Arq Pro license code. For a handful of machines you can do this by hand; for a fleet you can do it fully unattended with your MDM.

Overview

Enrolling a computer takes three steps:

Install the Arq app.
Activate it with your Arq Pro license code — this associates the computer with your account.
(Optional) Assign it to a group so it picks up that group’s backup plans and storage locations.

Steps 1 and 2 are all that’s required for a computer to appear in your console. Step 3 can also be done later from the console.

Download the installers

The installers and your license code are shown in the console on the Dashboard (and the Computers page), under Downloads:

macOS — ArqSilent7.pkg — a silent installer suitable for unattended deployment.
Windows — Arq7.msi

Interactive install and activation

On a single machine, run the installer, open Arq, and enter your license code when prompted to activate. The computer then appears on the Computers page in the console.

Unattended deployment with arqc

Arq ships with a command-line tool, arqc, that lets a script do everything the activation UI does — no interaction required. It’s located at:

macOS — /Applications/Arq.app/Contents/Resources/arqc
Windows — C:\Program Files (x86)\Arq 7\arqcExe\arqc.exe

After the installer has run, activate the license from your deployment script:

# macOS
ARQC=/Applications/Arq.app/Contents/Resources/arqc
"$ARQC" acceptLicenseAgreement
"$ARQC" activateLicense <your-license-code>

:: Windows
arqc.exe acceptLicenseAgreement
arqc.exe activateLicense <your-license-code>

Once activated, the computer checks in with the console and receives the backup plans and storage locations for its group.

Deploying via MDM

Any MDM (Mosyle, Jamf, Kandji, Intune, Addigy, and others) can deploy Arq Pro because the whole flow is just a package install plus a couple of arqc commands. There is no special configuration profile or plist to author — the license code is the only credential the app needs. The general pattern is:

Deploy the installer as a package/app:
- macOS: push ArqSilent7.pkg.
- Windows: push Arq7.msi.

Run a script/command on each machine that activates the license:

# macOS
ARQC=/Applications/Arq.app/Contents/Resources/arqc
"$ARQC" acceptLicenseAgreement
"$ARQC" activateLicense <your-license-code>

(Optional) Assign the computer to a group at scale using a script key — see Assigning computers to groups at scale below.

The same license code can be used on every computer in your account.

Example: Mosyle (macOS)

Mosyle is the primary macOS MDM we document; the same approach applies to Jamf, Kandji, Addigy, and others (the exact menu names differ by product).

Add the installer. Upload ArqSilent7.pkg to Mosyle’s package/app deployment and scope it to the devices you want to enroll.
Run the activation command. Create a Mosyle Custom Command (a shell script that runs as root) scoped to the same devices:
```
#!/bin/sh
set -e
ARQC=/Applications/Arq.app/Contents/Resources/arqc
"$ARQC" acceptLicenseAgreement
"$ARQC" activateLicense YOUR-LICENSE-CODE
```
Sequence the command to run after the package install so arqc exists when it runs.
(Optional) Join a group. If you use a script key, deploy arqpro-script-key.json to each device and add arqc setGroup to the script (below).

Assigning computers to groups at scale

You can put computers in a group from the console, or automate it during deployment with a script key — a credential that lets a script assign computers to one specific group without anyone logging in. Create the key in the console (Edit Group → Script keys), deploy the downloaded arqpro-script-key.json to each machine, and run:

# macOS — after the license is activated
ARQC=/Applications/Arq.app/Contents/Resources/arqc
"$ARQC" setGroup --credentials=/usr/local/etc/arqpro-script-key.json

:: Windows — after the license is activated
arqc.exe setGroup --credentials="%ProgramData%\Arq\arqpro-script-key.json"

arqc setGroup must run after the license is activated and Arq is running. For full details and ready-to-use scripts, see Script keys.

Verifying enrollment

Open the Computers page in the console. Each enrolled computer appears there after it activates and checks in, showing its name, group, and last check-in time.