Bloom setup
A step-by-step guide to running Bloom privately on your own machine — no technical background needed.
Docker is the free program that runs Bloom. Download Docker Desktop for Mac (a .dmg file) from docker.com, open it, and drag Docker into your Applications folder.
Open Docker once so it finishes setting up. To confirm it worked, open Terminal (see Step 3) and run:
docker --versionOpen Terminal: press ⌘ + Space to open Spotlight, type Terminal, and press Return. Paste this one line and press Return — it downloads Bloom and starts it for you:
curl -fsSL https://install.bloomtocollege.com | shThe first run downloads Bloom and takes several minutes; when it finishes it prints a link to open. Running it again later is safe — it just refreshes Bloom.
Prefer to do it by hand? Get the Bloom folder from your Bloom host, open Terminal, then run:
cd path/to/bloom/selfhost/familydocker compose up -dDocker is the free program that runs Bloom. Download the Docker Desktop installer from docker.com, then double-click it and follow the prompts.
Open Docker Desktop once so it finishes setting up. To confirm it worked, open PowerShell (see Step 3) and run:
docker --versionOpen PowerShell: click Start, type PowerShell, and open it. Paste this one line and press Enter — it downloads Bloom and starts it for you:
irm https://install.bloomtocollege.com/win | iexThe first run downloads Bloom and takes several minutes; when it finishes it prints a link to open. Running it again later is safe — it just refreshes Bloom.
Prefer to do it by hand? Get the Bloom folder from your Bloom host, open PowerShell, then run:
cd path\to\bloom\selfhost\familydocker compose up -dOpen your terminal and run Docker's official install script:
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | shThen let your user run Docker without sudo:
sudo usermod -aG docker $USERLog out and back in for that to take effect. The Compose plugin ships with this install, so there's nothing else to add. Confirm it worked:
docker --versionIn your terminal, run this one line — it downloads Bloom and starts it for you:
curl -fsSL https://install.bloomtocollege.com | shThe first run downloads Bloom and takes several minutes; when it finishes it prints a link to open. Running it again later is safe — it just refreshes Bloom.
Prefer to do it by hand? Get the Bloom folder from your Bloom host, then run:
cd path/to/bloom/selfhost/familydocker compose up -dIn your web browser, go to:
http://localhost(If another program on your computer already uses port 80, Bloom will be at http://localhost:8100 — the installer tells you which.)
You'll see a screen that says "Connect to your Bloom server".
For the server address, enter:
https://admin.bloomtocollege.comThen enter the claim code your Bloom host sent you. Claim codes are single-use and expire, so if it doesn't work, ask your host for a fresh one.
After this, Bloom opens from an icon like any app — no address to remember.
Bloom needs Docker running in the background. Look for the whale icon — on a Mac it's in the menu bar (top-right), on Windows it's in the system tray (bottom-right near the clock). If you don't see it, open Docker Desktop and wait for it to say it's running, then try again.
Another program is using the same address. Close other apps that might run a local web server, or restart your computer, then run the start command again. If it keeps happening, ask your Bloom host — the port can be changed.
Bloom updates itself automatically every night — you don't need to do anything. As long as your computer and Docker are running, it quietly pulls the latest version in the background.
If you ever want to update right now, run:
curl -fsSL https://update.bloomtocollege.com | shFrom the selfhost/family folder, run:
docker compose downYour data is kept safely — starting Bloom again brings everything back.
Your family's data is stored in a Docker volume on your computer, separate from the Bloom folder. Deleting or moving the Bloom folder does not delete your data.