IPFS Desktop
Guide

Download IPFS Desktop

First, download IPFS Desktop from the official repository:

For Windows:

1. Go to the releases page and download the latest .exe installer
2. Run the installer file
3. Follow the installation wizard
4. Click "Install" and wait for the process to complete
5. Launch IPFS Desktop from your Start menu

For macOS:

1. Download the latest .dmg file from the releases page
2. Open the downloaded DMG file
3. Drag the IPFS Desktop icon to your Applications folder
4. Open Applications and launch IPFS Desktop
5. If prompted, allow the app to run (System Preferences → Security & Privacy)

Upload Your Images First

Steps to Upload Images:

1. Open IPFS Desktop and click on the Files tab
2. Click "+ Add" button and select "New Folder"
3. Name your folder (e.g., NamePhotos, Images, or PNGs)
4. Click on the newly created folder to open it
5. Click "+ Add" and select "File" or "Folder"
6. Select your images to upload

Get Your Images CID:

1. Once all images are uploaded, go back to the main Files view
2. Find your images folder (e.g., NamePhotos)
3. Copy the CID (Content Identifier) - it looks like Qm... or bafy...
4. Save this CID - you'll need it for your JSON files!

Update Your JSON Metadata Files

Before uploading your JSON files, you MUST update them with the correct image CID you got from Step 2.

{
  "name": "Collection name #1",
  "description": "Description of your NFT",
  "image": "https://gateway.pinata.cloud/ipfs/YOUR_IMAGE_CID_HERE/1.png",
  "animation_url": "",
  "attributes": [
    {
      "trait_type": "background",
      "value": "Dark"
    },
    {
      "trait_type": "style",
      "value": "Neon"
    }
  ]
}

JSON File Naming for OpenSea:

Upload Your JSON Metadata

Steps to Upload JSON Files:

1. In IPFS Desktop, go to the Files tab
2. Click "+ Add" → "New Folder"
3. Name your folder (e.g., NameJson)
4. Click on the folder to open it
5. Upload your JSON files in batches of 2000-2500 files at a time
6. Wait for each batch to complete before uploading the next

Copy Your JSON CID:

Once all JSON files are uploaded, go back to Files view and copy the CID of your JSON folder. You'll need this later!

Export CAR Files

Now you need to export your folders as CAR (Content Addressable aRchive) files for uploading to Storacha.

Method 1: Using IPFS Desktop GUI

1. Go to the Files tab in IPFS Desktop
2. Find your images folder (e.g., NamePhotos)
3. Click the three dots (⋮) on the right side of the folder
4. Select "Export CAR"
5. The file will download as NamePhotos.car
6. Repeat for your JSON folder to get NameJson.car

Method 2: Using Terminal/Command Line

For macOS/Linux:

# Export Images CAR file
ipfs dag export YOUR_IMAGE_CID > NamePhotos.car

# Export JSON CAR file
ipfs dag export YOUR_JSON_CID > NameJson.car

For Windows (PowerShell):

# Export Images CAR file
ipfs dag export YOUR_IMAGE_CID | Out-File -FilePath NamePhotos.car -Encoding byte

# Export JSON CAR file
ipfs dag export YOUR_JSON_CID | Out-File -FilePath NameJson.car -Encoding byte

Upload to Storacha

Create a Storacha Account:

1. Visit https://storacha.network/
2. Click "Sign Up"
3. Verify your email address
4. You'll be redirected to https://console.storacha.network/

Create Spaces and Upload:

1. In the Storacha console, click "Create a Space"
2. Name your first space (e.g., "NFT Images")
3. Click the space name in the top right corner
4. Click "Upload"
5. Select the "CAR" option from the three choices (File, Directory, CAR)
6. Upload your NamePhotos.car file
7. Wait for the upload to complete
8. Copy the CID displayed after upload

Repeat for JSON Files:

1. Create another space (e.g., "NFT Metadata")
2. Upload NameJson.car the same way
3. Copy the JSON CID

Test Your Uploaded Files

Test JSON Metadata:

1. Open Google Chrome (or any browser)
2. Go to: https://gateway.pinata.cloud/ipfs/YOUR_JSON_CID/
3. You should see a list of all your JSON files
4. Click on any file (e.g., 1) to view its metadata

Test Image Links:

1. When viewing a JSON file, look at the image field
2. Copy that image URL (should be like: https://gateway.pinata.cloud/ipfs/YOUR_IMAGE_CID/1.png)
3. Open it in a new tab to verify the image loads
4. Remove the filename from the URL to see all images: https://gateway.pinata.cloud/ipfs/YOUR_IMAGE_CID/

Common Issues & Fixes

IPFS Desktop won't start:

• Restart your computer and try again
• Check if port 5001 is being used by another application
• Reinstall IPFS Desktop

Uploads are failing or timing out:

• Reduce batch size (try 500-1000 files instead)
• Check your internet connection
• Restart IPFS Desktop
• Make sure your computer isn't going to sleep during uploads

CIDs don't match between IPFS and Storacha:

• Make sure you exported the correct folder
• Verify the CAR file isn't corrupted (try re-exporting)
• Check that you uploaded the correct CAR file

Images not loading through gateway:

• Wait a few minutes (IPFS propagation can take time)
• Try a different gateway: https://ipfs.io/ipfs/YOUR_CID/
• Verify your CID is correct