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Electronic WeChat

An unofficial desktop wrapper for WeChat on macOS and Linux, built with Electron. Archived.

GitHub Download V2.0
Stars
13.8k
Forks
2.6k
Licence
MIT
Language
JavaScript
Last update
6.1 years ago
Type
App

This repository is archived and no longer maintained.

What it is

Electronic WeChat is a community-made desktop client for WeChat that runs on macOS and Linux, built with Electron. It wraps the Web WeChat interface in a native-style window, adding features such as blocking message recall and drag-and-drop photo sending. The project is no longer maintained: its author says Tencent began blocking third-party clients, and the repository is archived as a reference.

  • Run WeChat in a standalone desktop window on macOS or Linux
  • Drag and drop photos into a chat to send them
  • Study or fork the Electron-based source code

Great for

  • Users on macOS or Linux who want a desktop window for WeChat instead of a browser tab
  • Developers studying how an Electron app wraps a web service
  • People who want to fork the code and adapt it for their own use

Not ideal for

  • Anyone needing a supported, up-to-date client: the README says the project is no longer in active development and the last push was 2020-09-30
  • Users relying on WeChat features that require the official client, since the README notes Tencent restricts third-party clients
  • Windows users: the README's build scripts include win32 and win64, but the project is described as a macOS and Linux client

How to get it

  1. 1

    Clone and build from source

    You'll need: Git · Node.js (includes npm)

    Clone the repository

    git clone https://github.com/geeeeeeeeek/electronic-wechat.git

    Go into the repository

    cd electronic-wechat

    Install dependencies and run the app

    npm install && npm start
  2. 2

    Run it

    • Install Git and Node.js on your computer
    • Clone the repository and change into its folder
    • Run npm install && npm start to launch the app
    • Optionally, run npm run build:osx or npm run build:linux to package a build
  3. 3

    Get the most out of it

    • Use the packaging scripts (build:osx, build:linux) to create a standalone app instead of running from source
    • Check the README's Features list for behaviors like blocking message recall and removing link redirects
    • Use the community-maintained packages linked in the README's System Support Matrix wiki page if you prefer a package manager install
    • Note the README advises building from the production branch rather than master, which it says is under development and not guaranteed stable

Downloads

Source code (.zip)master branch · straight from GitHubRelease V2.03 files incl. linux-ia32.tar.gz

Strengths

  • Free and open source under the MIT license
  • Adds desktop-style conveniences on top of Web WeChat, per the README
  • Source code is available to read, build, and modify

Trade-offs

  • Archived and no longer maintained, so it will not receive fixes for later WeChat changes
  • The README says Tencent has blocked other third-party clients, which may prevent it from working
  • Unofficial community release, not affiliated with WeChat

How it compares

ProjectStarsTypeLevelUpdatedBest for
electronic-wechat (this)13.8kAppintermediate6.1 years agoUsers on macOS or Linux who want a desktop window for WeChat instead of a browser tab
nylas-mail24.7kAppadvanced4 months agoDevelopers curious about how an extensible Electron and React desktop app is structured
marktext63.5kAppbeginner4 days agoPeople who write notes or articles in Markdown and want a clean, minimal editor
atom60.7kAppbeginner3.8 years agoDevelopers who want a desktop code editor they can customize with packages
webtorrent-desktop10.1kAppbeginner7 days agoPeople who want to stream torrent video without waiting for a full download
nativefier35.2kCLIbeginner3.1 years agoPeople who want a site like WhatsApp Web or Gmail in its own window

Stats synced from GitHub. The assessment above was drafted with AI from the project's README on 2026-10-29 and may miss recent changes — check the README before relying on a command. MIT licence: free to use, modify and distribute, including commercially, as long as you keep the copyright notice.