Threads desktop app: a window for threads.com on Mac, Windows and Linux
Meta's Threads page lists apps for iPhone and Android and sends computers to the web at threads.com. On Windows the Microsoft Store also carries Threads, an Instagram app, published by Instagram, while the Mac App Store has no Threads app from Meta, and there is nothing for Linux. A Pake app wraps threads.com in a window of its own, with a Dock, taskbar or launcher icon, which fills that gap on Mac and Linux; you sign in with the Instagram account your Threads profile belongs to.
What Meta offers on a computer
Meta's Threads page names three ways in: the Threads app from the App Store on iPhone, the app from Google Play on Android, and Threads on the web at threads.com on a desktop. It does not mention a computer app.
The stores say a little more, as of November 2026. The Microsoft Store listing for Threads, an Instagram app names Instagram as the publisher; it was first released in March 2024 and last updated in June 2026. On Windows that is the first thing to try, and a Pake window is only worth it if you want the options below, such as a tray icon or a second account. The Mac App Store has no Threads app from Instagram or Meta, and the iPhone app's listing does not include Mac, so on a Mac the choices are the browser or a window like this one. Linux has no official app either, so the same two choices apply.
The address changed in April 2025. Meta moved the web app from threads.net to threads.com, and the old address redirects, as MacRumors reported when it covered Meta's announcement. Use threads.com when you build the app, so it does not depend on a redirect.
The website has grown since then. In April 2026 Threads head Connor Hayes previewed a redesigned web layout with a single feed and a sidebar, and direct messages on the web, which The Next Web reported; iGeeksBlog wrote in May 2026 that desktop messaging was live, with one-on-one and group chats. Those are press reports of a phased rollout, and whatever your browser shows is what a Pake window shows.
Do you need an Instagram account
Yes, in practice. Meta's Threads page says you can create one Threads profile for each Instagram account you have, and its steps tell you to log in with Instagram. One FAQ on the same page also mentions Facebook accounts, while another says only Instagram, so the page contradicts itself on that point. If you have no Instagram account, create it in the Instagram app first, then come back to the window.
When a separate window helps
A pinned browser tab does the job if you open Threads twice a day. A window helps when you keep the feed beside other work or want it in the app switcher under its own name. It adds nothing the website lacks, such as phone-only features. If you want Instagram next to it, Instagram on a computer uses the same login, and X on the desktop is the same idea for the other feed.
Build it with the CLI
After the CLI setup:
npm install -g pake-cli
pake https://www.threads.com --name Threads --width 760 --height 900 --show-system-tray --hide-on-close--width and --height set the starting size, 1200 by 780 by default; 760 by 900 here is only a suggestion, so change it to taste. --show-system-tray adds a menu bar or tray icon, and --hide-on-close makes the close button hide the window instead of quitting, which is already the default on Mac and off on Windows and Linux. The CLI options list the rest. On Linux the CLI works on any distribution with WebKitGTK; add --targets deb, --targets rpm, --targets appimage or, on Arch, --targets zst for one package format. On a Mac, --install puts the app straight into Applications.
Open the app, sign in, then quit and reopen once to confirm you stay signed in. If you are asked again, check that you did not build with --incognito, which keeps no sign-ins, cookies or site data.
Build it with the Pake desktop app
If you would rather not install Node.js and Rust, the Pake desktop app makes the same window from a form. It runs on Mac (macOS 14 or later), Windows (x64 and ARM64) and Linux on Arch-based systems such as Omarchy, on x86_64; on Ubuntu or Fedora use the CLI. On the Create tab, paste https://www.threads.com into Paste a web address or search the apps below to start, and the name and icon fill in from the site.
Set Size (Window size on Windows) to something narrow, turn on Hide on close and Menu bar icon (Tray icon on Windows), leave Incognito off, and click Create App. Create an app lists every option and install covers the requirements.
How the window works underneath
A Pake app is a native shell around the system web view: WKWebView on Mac, WebView2 on Windows, WebKitGTK on Linux. It loads threads.com, so the interface changes when Meta changes it, and the window reopens at the page you last viewed. Cookies live in the app's own storage, separate from your browser, which is why a browser sign-in does not carry over. Pake updates the shell, not the site.
What goes wrong
- The Instagram sign-in leaves the window or never comes back. Pake's CLI FAQ says that on Mac and Linux sign-in pop-ups open in the current window, while on Windows they stay pop-ups. If a pop-up opens in the browser or the flow stalls on Windows, turn on Open new windows in the app under Behavior (
--new-windowin the CLI). The sign-in guide explains how Pake routes login pages. If you normally use a passkey or Touch ID, those are not available in Pake apps on macOS according to the CLI FAQ, so sign in with a password and a two-factor code. - Videos play with the wrong sound or not at all. Autoplay and mute behavior belong to Threads' page and the system web view, and neither Meta's pages nor Pake's docs describe them for an embedded view, so scroll a feed with video for a minute and play one with sound before you rely on it. On Linux, if the window is blank or clicks do nothing, the FAQ suggests
PAKE_LINUX_WEBKIT_SAFE_MODE=1for a blank window and=0when clicks do not reach the page, for examplePAKE_LINUX_WEBKIT_SAFE_MODE=1 ./threads.AppImage. - No alerts. Pake replaces the page's Notification API and hands alerts to the operating system while the app is running; alerts that depend on web push while the page is closed are not handled. Whether Threads sends the first kind for replies and messages is Meta's choice, so have someone reply while the window is hidden and see. See website notifications in a desktop app. Keep the phone app's notifications on for anything you must not miss.
- Links open in your browser. That is the default for links off the site; Internal URL regex under Advanced (
--safe-domainin the CLI) decides which stay inside.
If a feature simply is not in the web version, a Pake window cannot add it, and the phone app is the place for it.
More than one Threads account
Threads has its own account switching, which is simpler if you never need both open at once. To keep two signed in side by side, build two apps with different names; each gets its own storage. In the desktop app, Add Another Account in the ⋯ menu of My Apps copies the settings and icon, and the copy starts signed out. The two accounts guide covers the pattern.
FAQ
Is there an official Threads app for Mac or Windows?
For Windows, yes: the Microsoft Store has Threads, an Instagram app, published by Instagram. For Mac, no: Meta's Threads page lists iPhone, Android and the web at threads.com, and the Mac App Store has no Threads app from Instagram or Meta.
Is it threads.net or threads.com?
threads.com. Meta moved the web app there in April 2025 and threads.net redirects.
Can I use Threads direct messages on the desktop?
Reports from April and May 2026 say direct messages are rolling out on the web, so they depend on your account and region. If you see the Messages tab in your browser, you will see it in the window.