Do I need an API key to use LTX Desktop?
An API key isn't required to run LTX locally on the LTX Desktop app. On Windows and Linux with a supported NVIDIA GPU, you can generate video locally without one. However, you'll need an API key if you're on macOS, or on Windows/Linux hardware without a qualifying NVIDIA GPU. Adding one is also recommended on local-mode machines to speed up generation at no extra cost.
When an API key is required
You need an LTX API key if you're on any of the following:
- macOS — generation always runs in API mode on Mac; local GPU inference is not currently supported
- Windows or Linux with no NVIDIA GPU
- Windows or Linux with less than 16GB VRAM
In these cases, video generation runs through the LTX API and consumes credits. See How to buy API credits for credit costs and top-ups.
When an API key is optional
On Windows or Linux with an NVIDIA GPU with 32GB+ VRAM recommended, video generation runs locally and doesn't require an API key.
However, adding an API key is still recommended. LTX Desktop can offload prompt processing to the LTX API, which:
- speeds up generation by freeing up GPU memory
- is completely free — this step doesn't consume credits
If you'd rather not add an API key, you can download the Local Text Encoder instead — go to Settings > General and click Download Text Encoder. This keeps everything on your machine.
How to get an API key
See Create an API key for a full walkthrough. Once you have a key, paste it into LTX Desktop under Settings > API Key.