Installation

This guide walks you through downloading, installing, and activating Exaplay 3 on a Windows PC. By the end, you will have the application running and ready for the Quick Start Tutorial.

What You'll Need

• A Windows 10 or 11 PC (64-bit) — see System Requirements for full specs
• Administrator access to install software
• An internet connection (for downloading and license activation)
• Your Exaplay 3 license key (provided by your reseller or via email)

Step 1 — Download the Installer

Download the latest Exaplay3_Setup.exe from the official release page.

The installer is a single executable file, approximately 150 MB. No separate downloads are needed — all prerequisites are bundled.

Step 2 — Run the Installer

1. Double-click Exaplay3_Setup.exe.
2. Windows may show a User Account Control (UAC) prompt — click Yes to allow the installation.
3. Follow the on-screen wizard. The default installation path is C:\Program Files\Exaplay3\.

The installer automatically handles these prerequisites:

Prerequisite	Purpose
Microsoft runtime components	Required Windows components for Exaplay 3
Microsoft WebView2 Runtime	Hosts the web-based editor UI

Both are installed silently if not already present on your system.

What gets installed?

• Application files → C:\Program Files\Exaplay3\
• .vpp file association → Double-clicking a .vpp project file opens it in Exaplay 3
• Start Menu and Desktop shortcuts
• Watchdog system service (monitors the engine for crash recovery)

Step 3 — Launch Exaplay 3

Start the application from the Desktop shortcut or the Start Menu.

On first launch, Exaplay 3 will:

1. Create a working directory at Documents\Exaplay3\ (in your Windows Documents folder) — this is where projects, media references, and auto-heal data are stored.
2. Start the background Watchdog service that monitors the engine and can automatically resume playback after a crash.
3. Open the web-based editor in a WebView2 window.

You will see the Exaplay 3 icon in the Windows system tray. Right-click it for quick access to the UI, show mode, and other options.

First-Run Welcome Screen and Setup Wizard

On a fresh installation, Exaplay 3 can open with a Welcome Screen and Setup Wizard to help you create a starter project more quickly.

The Setup Wizard walks through:

1. Use Case — choose a starting point such as live show, installation, concert, or corporate event
2. Output — select the display you plan to use first
3. Audio — choose the audio device for the project
4. Project Settings — set the project name, composition name, and frame rate

When you finish, Exaplay creates a starter project so you can begin working immediately.

Skip it if you prefer to build manually

You can close the wizard at any time and create screens, outputs, and timelines yourself. You can also reopen the welcome screen later from Settings → Interface → Show Welcome Screen.

Step 4 — Activate Your License

Exaplay 3 uses the Soraco QLM licensing system.

1. On first launch, an activation dialog appears.
2. Enter your license key in the field provided.
3. Click Activate.

Activation requires an internet connection. For offline environments, contact your reseller for a response file that can be imported manually.

Verify activation

After activation, check Settings → About in the web UI to confirm your license status and edition.

Step 5 — Verify the Installation

Before moving on, confirm everything is working:

• [ ] The Exaplay 3 icon appears in the system tray
• [ ] The web UI opens and shows an empty project
• [ ] The tray icon right-click menu is accessible
• [ ] Settings → About shows your license is active

If any of these checks fail, see Troubleshooting → Crashes & Recovery for common first-launch issues.

Uninstalling

Use Windows Settings → Apps → Exaplay 3 → Uninstall, or run Uninstall.exe from the installation folder.

WARNING

The working directory (Documents\Exaplay3\) is preserved during uninstall so you don't lose projects. Delete it manually if you want a completely clean removal.

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Advanced: Command-Line Flags

When launching the executable from a command prompt or shortcut, you can pass optional flags to customise startup behaviour:

Flag	Description
-log	Enable detailed logging to a file (useful for debugging)
-fresh	Start with a clean state, ignoring any auto-heal data
-w [ms]	Add a startup delay in milliseconds (useful for waiting for display initialisation)
-f [path]	Load a specific .vpp project file on startup
-playcomp	Automatically play the first composition after loading
-playcue	Automatically play the first Playlist after loading
-playvideo [path]	Directly play a video file without requiring a project file
-ui	Open the web UI automatically on start
-autoheal-restore	Restore playback state from auto-heal data (used by Watchdog)

Example: Kiosk Shortcut for a Specific Video

You can create a Windows desktop shortcut that opens Exaplay 3 and immediately plays a video — no project file needed. This is ideal for kiosk setups and visitor stations.

1. Right-click the Desktop → New → Shortcut.
2. In the Location field, enter:

   "C:\Program Files\Exaplay3\exaplay3.exe" -playvideo "C:\Videos\welcome.mp4"

3. Click Next, name it (e.g. "Play Welcome Video"), and click Finish.

You can combine flags — for example, add -ui to also open the editor:

"C:\Program Files\Exaplay3\exaplay3.exe" -playvideo "C:\Videos\welcome.mp4" -ui

TIP

Enclose file paths that contain spaces in double quotes. If the video file is not found, Exaplay 3 starts normally with an empty project.

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What's Next?

Your installation is ready! Continue to Key Concepts to learn the terminology, then follow the Quick Start Tutorial to play your first video.