Proton introduces Proton Mail desktop app for Windows and macOS

Proton is launching a desktop version of its Proton Mail service, which also includes access to Proton Calendar. The app is immediately available in beta for Visionary subscribers on Windows and macOS. A full release will follow ‘early 2024’.

The Proton Mail desktop app provides access to both users’ mailboxes and Proton Calendar, the company writes in a press release. According to the company, the desktop version retains end-to-end encryption, just like the web versions and mobile apps of the services. Eventually, the app should also offer offline access to emails, although that functionality is still missing. There are also some other features missing, including notification badges for unread emails, account switching and support for mailto links and ics calendar files.

The desktop app will be available ‘immediately’ as a beta for Proton users with a Visionary subscription, although the Windows version is not yet available for download at the time of writing. The app will be available to everyone early next year. Proton says it will also release a Linux version of the app later, which should also be released in early 2024.

Until now, both services could officially only be used via the smartphone apps for Android and iOS or via a web browser. Paid Proton Mail users were also already able to use third-party email clients such as Microsoft Outlook, Apple Mail and Mozilla Thunderbird. That worked via Proton Mail Bridgealso while maintaining encryption.

Furthermore, ‘this quarter’ Proton will have an option to automatically forward email messages to other Proton users, while retaining encryption. There will also be an option to forward emails without encryption to email addresses of other email providers. Proton will also have a function to ‘snooze’ emails, so that users receive a new notification of the message at a later time and previews of attachments in emails.

Source: Proton