Instance Management

Create, edit, rename, and delete ComfyUI instances in Comfy Desktop

Comfy Desktop lets you manage multiple ComfyUI instances from the Chooser view.

Instance Types

Comfy Desktop supports four types of instances. Each type displays a distinct icon on its card and in the title bar.

Type	Icon	Description
Standalone	💻	A self-contained ComfyUI instance created by Comfy Desktop. Includes bundled Python, automatic updates, and full snapshot support. This is the default when you click New Install.
Cloud	☁️	A Comfy Cloud instance. Requires a Comfy Cloud account. Cloud instances run on Comfy’s servers and are billed separately.
Remote	🌐	Connects to a ComfyUI instance running on another machine on your network. Configure the remote host and port during setup.
Tracked	—	Tracks an existing ComfyUI installation (Git clone or portable). Uses the same icon as Standalone — there is no separate icon for tracked instances. You manage updates manually. See Tracking an Existing Installation.

The image below labels the key actions available for each instance card:

1. New Install: Create a brand new ComfyUI instance. See Creating a New Instance. You can also create an instance from a snapshot file.
2. ⋮ Menu: Click the three-dot icon to open the action menu for an instance.
3. Manage: Open the Manage panel to configure the instance (path, launch args, model directories, environment variables). See the Manage page.
4. Restore Snapshot: Revert the instance to a previous snapshot. See the Snapshots page.
5. Share: Export a snapshot of the instance to share with others.
6. Copy Installation: Duplicate an existing standalone installation with its own Python environment and custom nodes. See Copying an Installation.
7. Forget: Remove the instance from the Chooser without deleting its files (equivalent to Untrack).
8. Uninstall: Permanently delete the instance and all its files from disk. See Uninstalling an Instance for details on Forget and Uninstall.

Creating a New Instance

Click the + card (top-left) in the Chooser view to add a new ComfyUI instance.

1. Configure Comfy Desktop

   Windows

   macOS

   1. Installation Name: The name of your instance. The default is “ComfyUI”.
   2. Install Location: Choose where to install ComfyUI. On Windows, it’s strongly recommended to use an SSD and avoid the root of the C: drive.
   3. Advanced: Click to expand to access additional options.
   4. Standalone: The recommended option. A self-contained install with bundled Python, automatic updates, and snapshot support.
   5. Remote Connection: Connect to a ComfyUI instance running on another machine.
2. Installing

   

   Comfy Desktop will handle the rest: downloading Python, setting up the environment, and installing ComfyUI. The progress screen shows the current step.

3. Choose a Template

   

   Once the installation is complete, Comfy Desktop opens the template library where you can pick a workflow template to get started.

Tracking an Existing Installation

If you already have a ComfyUI installation (either manually set up from the Git repository or downloaded as a portable version), you can add it to Comfy Desktop without creating a new one.

Click New Install on the Dashboard to open the installation menu, then select Add Existing Install.

1. Click New Install to open the installation options.
2. Select Add Existing Install to open the tracking dialog.

Detecting Your Installation

In the tracking dialog, click Browse to select a ComfyUI directory. Comfy Desktop probes the folder and automatically detects the installation type.

For a Windows portable install, the probe looks for:

• standalone-env directory — the bundled Python environment
• ComfyUI/main.py — the ComfyUI entry point

For a manually cloned git repo, the probe looks for:

• models/ and user/ directories — signs of a configured ComfyUI
• .venv directory — a Python virtual environment

Setting Paths

After selecting the directory, the dialog shows the detected paths. You can adjust them if needed.

1. ComfyUI Directory: The path to the ComfyUI folder containing main.py. For portable installations, this is typically the folder inside the portable package.
   • Portable example: D:\ComfyUI_windows_portable\ComfyUI
2. Python Environment: The path to the Python environment folder. Comfy Desktop detects this automatically and lets you override it if needed.
   • Portable example: D:\ComfyUI_windows_portable\python_embeded
   • Git repo example: <ComfyUI_dir>/.venv

Track vs Standalone

The key difference between a Tracked (Add Existing Install) installation and a Standalone installation is how updates are managed:

Aspect	Tracked (Existing)	Standalone
Updates	No automatic updates — manage ComfyUI version manually via Git	Built-in automatic updates
Python	Uses an existing Python environment (.venv, python_embeded, etc.)	Bundled Python, automatic dependency management
Isolation	Shares the existing path and environment	Fully self-contained, isolated installation
Snapshots	Not supported	Snapshot support available
Use case	Already have ComfyUI set up and customized	Fresh install from scratch

Note: Tracked installations use launchMode: 'external' — Comfy Desktop launches the existing ComfyUI process without managing it internally. Snapshots are currently supported for Standalone instances only.

Uninstalling an Instance

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When you want to remove an instance, the three-dot menu offers two options depending on whether you want to keep the files or delete everything.

1. Forget / Untrack: Removes the instance from the Chooser list without deleting any files. The installation folder and all its data remain on disk. Use this when you just want to clean up the list but might need the instance again later.
2. Uninstall / Delete: Permanently removes the installation and all its files from disk. Model files in shared directories are not affected.

The name you see in the menu depends on the instance type: Forget appears for standalone installations (untrack doesn’t apply because standalone installs are local), while Untrack appears for installations that were adopted or added manually. Both do the same thing: remove the instance from the list without deleting its files.

Copying an Installation

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You can duplicate an existing standalone installation by right-clicking its card and selecting Copy Installation. This creates a copy with:

• A new Python environment
• The same ComfyUI version
• Its own custom node setup

You’ll be prompted to enter a name for the new installation before the copy starts.

Editing an Instance

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In the Manage panel for an instance, you can:

• Change the installation path
• Adjust launch arguments
• Modify model directories
• Update environment variables

Open the Manage panel by right-clicking the instance card and selecting Manage.

Error State

If an installation encounters a problem, a warning indicator appears on its card. Right-click the card and select Dismiss Error to clear the error state. If the issue persists, check the logs at the Data Locations.