Fleet’s self-service software lets end users update and install approved apps from a curated list on the **Fleet Desktop > Self-service** page. This reduces overhead for IT and keeps teams productive. This guide covers how to add, install, and update self-service software in Fleet.
3. Select the **Add software** button in the upper right corner of the page.
4. Pick a [Fleet-maintained app](https://fleetdm.com/guides/fleet-maintained-apps), [App Store (VPP) app](https://fleetdm.com/guides/install-vpp-apps-on-macos-using-fleet#add-the-app-to-fleet), or upload a [custom package](https://fleetdm.com/guides/deploy-software-packages).
5. Check **Self-service** to make it available for self-service as soon as it's added.
3. Select the **All software** dropdown and choose **Available for install.** This filters the results in the table to show only software that can be installed on hosts. If you don’t see your software, page through the results or search for your software's name in the search bar. Once you find the software, select its title.
4. Select the pencil (edit) icon, then check **Self-service** in the **Options** section. You can also assign categories to your software, which will organize the display of software to end users on the **My device > Self-service** page.
If a software item isn't made available in self-service, end users will not see it in **Fleet Desktop > Self-service**. IT admins can still install, update, and uninstall the software from Fleet.
- Use the **Software > Library** table to quickly identify and action pending updates.
- When a software install or uninstall fails, select **Failed** to see error details that can help with troubleshooting.
- To automatically install software, you can use Fleet's policy automations. [Learn how](https://fleetdm.com/guides/automatic-software-install-in-fleet).
## End user experience
How to update, install, or uninstall self-service software:
1. Find the Fleet icon in your menu bar and select **Self-service.** This will open your default web browser to the list of self-service software available to update, install, or uninstall.
2. If updates are available, end users can update one or all available self-service software. They can also view update progress and error details directly.
## API
Fleet provides a REST API for managing software, including self-service software packages. Learn more about Fleet's [REST API](https://fleetdm.com/docs/rest-api/rest-api#software).
To manage self-service software using GitOps, see the `software` key in the [GitOps reference documentation](https://fleetdm.com/docs/using-fleet/gitops#software).
> **Note:** When managing Fleet via GitOps, software packages uploaded using the web UI persist only if they are also defined in GitOps with the `hash_sha256` field.
Currently, if a host has two versions of the software installed, with each version installed in different locations, Fleet can only upgrade one version. In this scenario, Fleet will still show **Update**. If this happens, the best practice is to run a custom script to uninstall the old version. Here's an example script that removes a copy of Google Chrome present in a macOS host's `Downloads/` folder:
For more technical detail and edge cases, refer to the [software self-service diagram](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rOR0zRT5DKZfJVPq2WdNpdWkO0ARYbsj/view).
When an install, uninstall, or update is triggered by an IT admin or end user in the Fleet UI or by an end user—Fleet continuously monitors (["polls"](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polling_(computer_science))) and surfaces a loading status (e.g., "Installing...").
- If the host is online, Fleet will poll automatically every 5 seconds to check for completion. When the install, uninstall, or update completes or fails, the status will update without the IT admin or end user having to reload the page.
- If the host is offline, IT admins see a pending status. When pending, the action has not started on the host. IT admins can cancel pending actions on **Host details > Activity > Upcoming** tab.
