What Signal Desktop does
Signal Desktop is the desktop client for Signal, an end-to-end encrypted messaging platform developed and maintained by the Signal Foundation, a non-profit organization funded by donations rather than advertising. The app is available for Windows, macOS, and Linux, and works as a companion to a Signal account registered with a phone number. All messages, voice calls, video calls, and file transfers sent through Signal are protected by the Signal Protocol, an open-source cryptographic protocol that encrypts content end-to-end. This means that only the sender and intended recipients can read the content — not Signal, not the Signal Foundation, and not any third party with access to the network. The app is also designed to collect minimal metadata about who communicates with whom. Signal Desktop supports one-on-one and group conversations, voice and video calls, file and media sharing, message reactions, stickers, and disappearing messages — a feature that automatically deletes messages after a user-configured interval. Link previews are generated in a privacy-preserving way. The desktop app links to an existing Signal phone account by scanning a QR code with the mobile app. Once linked, conversations sync between the phone and desktop. The app does not operate as a standalone account without a linked phone number. Signal's full source code is publicly available and has been reviewed by the security research community, which is a key reason it is widely cited by privacy researchers, journalists, and security-focused organizations. The GPL license allows anyone to inspect, build from, or contribute to the codebase. This page links to the standalone offline installer for Signal Desktop, sourced directly from the official Signal distribution server at updates.signal.org. Always download from this official source to ensure you receive an unmodified build.
